Statement by Keith Brooks, Programs Director
Toronto | Traditional territories of the Mississaugas of the Credit, the Anishinaabeg, the Haudenosaunee, and the Wendat – We condemn the Ontario government’s plans to study the feasibility of an ‘East-West Pipeline and energy corridor.” This notion is ridiculous. A pipeline to James Bay is absurd, given the lack of infrastructure there and the fact that James Bay is very shallow and unsuitable for a deep-water harbour. Similarly, there is no way that Ontarians and Quebecers would permit a pipeline that puts oil tankers into the Great Lakes and St. Lawrence Seaway, and it’s highly impractical. The seaway just isn’t large enough.
These pipeline fantasies ignore economic and climate realities while threatening to derail Canada’s path towards a clean, climate-competitive future.There just isn’t any demand for more Canadian oil, regardless of how it reaches tidewater. At a time when the world is racing to get off fossil fuels, it makes no sense to spend valuable public dollars studying this latest, and most fanciful, pipedream. A new pipeline wouldn’t make Ontario “resilient”—it will make us vulnerable to climate and economic risks while locking in decades of pollution.
The Ontario government is ignoring the clear direction of the global economy, which is rapidly shifting toward renewable energy, electrification, and decarbonized industries. Instead of pouring money into outdated oil infrastructure, Ontario should be building wind and solar power, energy storage, heat pumps, and grid upgrades that create lasting jobs and lower energy bills—all while building true economic independence.
Every dollar spent studying or planning new pipelines is a dollar taken away from solutions that actually protect people, the climate, and communities. Running new oil and gas pipelines through sensitive ecosystems would put drinking water, fisheries and Indigenous territories at risk. These are regions already under stress from climate change, industrial expansion and biodiversity loss.
Ontario needs real energy leadership, not 1970s pipeline politics. This proposal is a waste of public resources and a distraction from what we urgently need—a fast, fair, and just transition to renewable energy.
Background:
- Any new crude oil or LNG pipeline built today is likely to become a multi-billion-dollar stranded asset, as global demand for oil and gas peaks this decade and then declines with the clean-energy transition (IISD and EDC, 2025).
- A project of this scale would take over a decade, cost tens of billions, and has no investors willing to take the risk amid declining markets, stranded-asset threats, and regulatory uncertainty (Policy Alternatives, 2025)
- The European crude-oil market has shown no growth since the mid-2010s, with demand continuing to fall as nations accelerate renewables and efficiency (IEA Oil Market Report – Oct 2025).
- At least five new U.S. LNG export facilities are coming online by 2027, creating a supply glut that will push prices down and threaten producers’ profitability (U.S. EIA, 2025; IEEFA, 2024).
- Ontario should focus on renewable-energy transmission—a true nation-building project with fast growth, strong export potential to the northeastern U.S., and lower costs than fossil pipelines (Environmental Defence, 2025).
ABOUT ENVIRONMENTAL DEFENCE (environmentaldefence.ca): Environmental Defence is a leading Canadian environmental advocacy organization that works with government, industry and individuals to defend clean water, a safe climate and healthy communities.
– 30 –
For more information or to request an interview, please contact:
Tamara Latinovic, Environmental Defence, media@environmentaldefence.ca, (416)323-9521 EXT 262
