The Manitoba government has yet to publicly weigh in after Alberta Premier Danielle Smith and Ontario Premier Doug Ford unveiled the proposed route for a new 3,300-kilometre crude oil pipeline that would cross the province en route from Hardisty, Alta., to Sarnia, Ont.The proposed Northern Shield Energy Corridor, announced Monday at the Calgary Stampede, would transport up to 500,000 barrels of crude oil per day entirely within Canada. The route would pass near Regina and Winnipeg before continuing east to Ontario refineries.Despite Manitoba sitting squarely along the proposed corridor, Premier Wab Kinew's government had not issued a statement by Monday afternoon. A review of the province's official news releases found no mention of the project, with recent announcements instead focused on flooding, measles updates and invasive species.The silence comes after Kinew previously signalled support for expanding Canada's energy infrastructure while insisting any major project involving Manitoba must be developed in partnership with indigenous communities.Last month, Kinew urged Alberta to focus on building pipelines rather than debating separation, but also declined to sign an earlier western resource agreement, arguing projects crossing Manitoba should begin with indigenous partnership rather than consultation after key decisions have already been made.Speaking Monday, Ford suggested Manitoba's support could still be secured."He has to consult a little more with his folks in Manitoba, but we'll work something out," Ford said, referring to Kinew's position on the project.Ford and Smith described the Northern Shield corridor as a nation-building project that would reduce Canada's dependence on energy imports, improve energy security and create new export opportunities by moving western Canadian crude to Ontario.The announcement follows an agreement the two premiers reached last year to study the feasibility of an east-west energy corridor.Unlike Alberta and Ontario, Manitoba has not signed on to the proposal.Any pipeline crossing Manitoba would require provincial co-operation, environmental reviews and consultations with affected indigenous communities before construction could proceed.The project also remains in its early stages, with no construction timeline or cost estimate released Monday.
