Alberta eyes accelerated review system for major projects over $250 million

EDMONTON – Alberta is proposing rule changes that would see Premier Danielle Smith’s government become more involved in kick-starting potential big-ticket industrial projects.

A bill introduced Tuesday by Energy Minister Brian Jean would set out a new project review process with a group of cabinet members being the first to set eyes on proposals. The goal is to assist private industry in bolstering their applications.

“It’s sort of like going to the teacher halfway through a major project just to make sure … you’re on the right path,” Jean told reporters before the bill was introduced.

“We’re going to make sure you do it right at that point or at least check your work.”

Under the bill, a cabinet review would then lead to further checks by a committee of civil servants. After that, cabinet would give an order to start a four-month clock for regulatory bodies to do their own assessments and issue permits.

Jean said a fast-tracked process would send a clear message: the province is keen to build.

“The process to approve projects in Alberta and Canada, quite frankly, is very cumbersome and riddled with roadblocks and unnecessary delays,” he said.

“This accelerated approval process is the next step to spur development across all sectors.”

To qualify, projects would need to come with $250 million in minimum capital spending and have completed some environmental assessments and consultations with First Nations. He said it wouldn’t discount or diminish Alberta’s duty to consult with First Nations.

Industry proponents will be able to apply directly to the minister to start the process, the bill says.

Jean said that while regulators would have four months to do assessments, the civil servants committee made up of deputy ministers would have a 30-day time frame to complete its work. The group chosen from Smith’s cabinet to do the first overview wouldn’t face deadlines, he said.

“It depends on how complicated it (is),” Jean said of the initial cabinet review.

Jean also said just because a government order is issued, it wouldn’t mean shovels are guaranteed to break ground. Provincial regulators would still have the power to deny permits if more work is required by an applicant.

“The Alberta Energy Regulator is the regulator. We are politicians. They make the decisions, and we support them with policy,” he said.

The energy regulator believes a four-month deadline is achievable, he said, adding that the regulatory process long ago was much quicker and has slowed over time. 

“The process is now holding up the process,” he said. “We need to have a culture of change.”

On its website, the Alberta Energy Regulator lists targets for assessing applications. The time frames vary from one week to more than half a year depending on the type of project or permit.

Jean said he doesn’t think the new time window for regulators to do reviews is rushed. He said major projects in the United States can be given the OK in less than a month. “That’s our competition,” he said.

Additional details and rules underpinning the bill are still being finalized, and the new system could be in place before the end of the year.

Nagwan Al-Guneid, the Opposition NDP’s energy critic, said she’s on board with regulatory efficiency.

But she said she worries the fast-tracked process will come at the expense of environmental considerations and Indigenous consultation, with subsequent delays due to court challenges.

“If you don’t do the hard work right now, that will cause major delays down the road,” Al-Guneid said.

She also said mixing politics into what’s supposed to be an independent review process by arm’s-length regulators may only increase uncertainty rather than reduce it.

As many major energy or industrial projects require both provincial and federal approval, Alberta’s new framework would only apply to what the province controls. Federal regulators aren’t bound by Alberta’s time frame.

Alberta’s proposed process is similar to Prime Minister Mark Carney’s major projects office, which reviews and approves projects deemed in the national interest within two years.

Jean said two years is too slow and that federal policy has cost Canada billions of dollars in potential investment.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published April 14, 2026.