Ontario Premier Doug Ford is welcoming talk of new pipelines and climate-rule exemptions for Alberta while insisting he won’t wade into a growing west-coast fight over energy development.Speaking at a signing ceremony in Toronto for a new community access road agreement with Martin Falls First Nation, part of the broader Ring of Fire mining corridor, Ford was pressed about a new memorandum of understanding between Prime Minister Mark Carney and Alberta Premier Danielle Smith. The agreement is expected to grant Alberta exemptions from aspects of federal climate regulations. Ford said he is encouraged if the deal clears the way for new energy infrastructure..“First of all, I’m really excited that they’re going to start building pipelines. We need them west, we need them north, we need them south, and we need them east,” Ford said, adding that his priority is that construction uses “Ontario steel.” He framed it as a jobs and investment issue.Ford pointed to Ontario’s electricity mix as evidence he supports both resource development and emissions reduction. He said Ontario has “one of the cleanest grids in the world” and is “down to about 90% clean energy,” while aiming to return to 97 or 98% with nuclear expansion.Asked whether Ontario should receive the same climate regulatory flexibility reportedly offered to Alberta, Ford said he expects fairness across provinces. “Hopefully we do. Hopefully we get treated fairly right across the board,” he said..Despite that position, Ford avoided commenting on tensions between Alberta and British Columbia, where Premier David Eby has opposed new pipelines and changes to tanker restrictions.“I don’t get involved in out-west politics. That’s up to Premier Eby and Premier Smith and the Prime Minister to work their issues out,” he said. “I’ve got enough to handle here in Ontario.”Pressed on whether the federal-Alberta deal could set a precedent for federal action against a province’s objections, Ford dismissed the scenario as hypothetical and emphasized his working relationship with the federal government. “The Prime Minister works very well with me. We get along very well,” he said.Ford linked the discussion to what he described as a larger economic challenge facing Canada, including protectionist moves in the United States.“With Trump attacking our economy, attacking our country, faster, quicker, immediate — we need to get things done immediately,” he said. “We can’t get caught up in red tape and regulations.”.Ford also tied pipeline construction to the steel sector, praising a recent federal move targeting dumped foreign steel. “I’ve been pounding away on the steel for a long time,” he said. “It really helps us out from countries dumping steel and taking our jobs.”The remarks came alongside the announcement of Ontario’s agreement with Martin Falls First Nation to advance construction of an all-season access road. Ford repeatedly connected that work with broader national infrastructure, including energy transmission and northern access.He said remote First Nations still rely on diesel power and argued that transmission corridors should be part of the same national discussion. “We’re going to get those transmission lines up there one way or another,” Ford said..Ford and Northern Development Minister Greg Rickford both indicated they expect further federal cooperation, particularly on regulatory streamlining. Rickford said overlapping federal assessments have been the main barrier to advancing major northern infrastructure projects.Ford told reporters to “stay tuned” for a joint announcement with Carney on reducing duplicated review processes, saying his goal is “one window, one project, one process.”For now, Ford is positioning Ontario as a supporter of new pipelines and resource corridors while avoiding open conflict with British Columbia, keeping pressure on Ottawa, and signalling that Ontario expects to benefit from the same flexibility being extended to Alberta.
