At a Glance - Week of June 18, 2025
G7 Summit Comes to Alberta
The G7, a conference of the world's leading democratic economies, is scheduled to be held in Kananaskis from June 15th to 17th. While the focus will be on national-level diplomacy, Alberta is pledging to use the opportunity to promote the province’s economic and energy opportunities to Canada’s G7 peers.
“As we welcome world leaders to Alberta for the G7 Leaders’ Summit, we will showcase exactly why Alberta is the answer to achieving global energy security,” stated Premier Danielle Smith in the leadup to the summit. Similarly, Smith has expressed intentions to promote agri-business, tourism, AI, and technology innovation as globally competitive Albertan industries.
Drilling Accelerator Program
Minister of Environment and Protected Areas Rebecca Shulz announced that the province will be allocating $20 million in funds collected from the TIER program to establish a new Alberta Drilling Accelerator program. The program will focus on bringing new drilling techniques and technologies to market-ready status.
“Drilling technology is highly relevant to Emissions Reduction Alberta’s mandate, as it offers a potential pathway to direct emissions reduction in the oil and gas sector while also playing a critical role in commercializing technologies in emerging areas like geothermal and critical minerals extraction,” stated Justin Reimer, CEO of Emissions Reduction Alberta. The program is expected to formally launch in the autumn of 2025.
New Direction for Oil Sands Innovation
The Oil Sands Mine Water Steering Committee has submitted a report outlining viable options for improving mine water and tailing pond management in Alberta. The recommendations aim to improve oil sands water management by keeping clean water separate from tailings, promoting water-sharing to limit Athabasca River withdrawals, containing mine water within watersheds, using deep well disposal only for small volumes of untreatable water, and developing standards to measure naphthenic acids for treatment assessment.
Chair of the steering committee and MLA for Fort McMurray-Wood Buffalo Tany Yao commended that these recommendations “will help Alberta better manage and reduce mine water while still delivering the most responsible energy in the world.” The Government of Alberta has announced it has accepted the committee’s findings and will immediately begin exploring viable methods of implementation.
Northern Alberta to Pacific Coast Economic Corridor Update
The Government of Alberta has announced ongoing efforts to join British Columbia’s Port of Prince Rupert and Alberta’s Industrial Heartland. “Together, we launched a study utilizing the Port of Prince Rupert.
The Alberta Forum forms a common group for producers, shippers, businesses and communities to share ideas about leveraging and enhancing the economic corridor from Alberta through to Prince Rupert port, and ultimately improving export opportunities for Alberta businesses through the port,” stated Minister of Transportation and Economic Corridors Devin Dreeshen. Half-way through the study, a final report will be released at the end of 2025 with the forum seeking to further incorporate the views of regional stakeholders.