FLETCHER: Got a big project? You need a life coach for that

Tom Fletcher has covered BC politics and business as a journalist since 1984.A life coach, in case you missed this trend, is a new kind of “wellness professional.” Not a therapist as such, but someone you hire to help you navigate matters of professional and personal growth and achievement. Today, it’s not just people struggling through divorce or career change who may need a life coach. Are you looking to build a big business project at speeds not seen in a generation? Canada has so many ministries, agencies, and regulations now that you need a guide, a concierge, as wealthy folks say, to ensure the wellness of your project in a vast country dotted with the unmarked graves of wellness-challenged works.The preferred government solution to this rampant growth is, of course, more government. The prime example is a key initiative of Canada’s “new government” under Mark Carney, the Major Projects Office (MPO).“Proponents share details of their major project through a single point of contact, giving us the information needed to get started,” the office website informs us. “If the project is referred to the MPO, our team coordinates with federal departments, Indigenous partners, and stakeholders, closes regulatory and permitting gaps, and ensures financing plans can be achieved.”There’s a lot to unpack there. Note that indigenous people are partners, and the rest of us are stakeholders. Also, projects that are deemed “nation-building” under the new Building Canada Act can “benefit from streamlined reviews and approvals to simplify federal decision-making.”This initiative has caused some confusion. First, there’s a new logo, with Ottawa at the centre as you would expect. From there is a bike lane all the way to the East Coast, and of all symbols of project success, Montreal’s still-unfinished 1976 Olympic Stadium. (The latest roof design is scheduled for completion by 2028.)I was among those perplexed by Carney’s announcement of the first projects to be referred to the MPO. BC featured prominently in the early list, including LNG Canada’s phase two, the expansion of the Red Chris mine, and the North Coast Transmission Line..All of these projects already had their main government approvals. LNG Canada’s second phase awaits only the final investment decision of its owners, Shell, Mitsubishi, PetroChina, Korea Gas, and Malaysian state-owned giant Petronas.Another LNG project that made the list is Ksi Lisims, a floating platform off BC’s north coast that would be Canada’s second-largest export facility for natural gas. It would be supplied by a second pipeline from BC’s northeast gas fields, an 800 km pipe that is still known as Prince Rupert Gas Transmission, although the original Petronas LNG plan for Prince Rupert is among those that died in the regulatory process.Ksi Lisims and the pipeline received both their federal and provincial environmental assessment approvals in September of 2025. This was done with the “one project, one review” process, a federal-provincial agreement not to duplicate studies that dates back to the BC government of Gordon Campbell.Of course, there are many more permits between today and successful completion. Perhaps the MPO can also assist in curtailing the orchestrated protests that would be expected to descend on every public hearing and critical work site.The Mining Association of BC has long noted that it takes up to 15 years to approve a new mine in Canada. This is not an area where Canada set out to be a world leader, but here we are.The BC government recently unveiled its own concierge for mines, a Critical Minerals Office. Its mission is to “work with selected advanced project proponents to accelerate their permitting process by helping coordinate First Nations and community engagement, identify regulatory requirements early, align permitting pathways, and support readiness for future environmental assessment and regulatory processes.”Sound familiar? The most encouraging thing about the BC office is that it hasn’t started out by tackling projects that are already approved. The Mines Ministry recently announced three potential metal mines on Vancouver Island that still have to navigate environmental assessment.Tom Fletcher has covered BC politics and business as a journalist since 1984.tomfletcherbc@gmail.comX: @tomfletcherbc

FLETCHER: Got a big project? You need a life coach for that

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