Three Ways To Make Canada's Project Approval Process Great—On Day One

Effective April 1, 2026, Quebec's Act respecting contracting by municipal bodies fundamentally transforms how municipal contracts are awarded, moving beyond the traditional lowest-price model to embrace qualitative evaluation criteria including environmental practices, life cycle costs, and contractor performance history. Municipal bodies now have eight award procedures to choose from, along with new pre-tender processes that can limit competition to prequalified enterprises. Contractors must adapt their te

On April 28, 2026, the federal government released Canada’s Spring Economic Update 2026 (the “ Update ”), continuing the “Build Canada Strong” agenda first set out in Budget 2025.

For infrastructure sponsors, lenders, contractors, institutional investors and Indigenous partners, the implications are less about the size of the pipeline—already well understood—and more about how projects will be advanced, financed and de-risked in practice.

Canada is experiencing a surge in infrastructure investment driven by streamlined regulatory approvals, enhanced government financing mechanisms, and growing demand for energy and digital infrastructure. This guide examines the evolving legal and regulatory landscape that foreign investors must navigate to successfully structure, finance, and develop major projects across the country.

In Knauff v. Ontario (Human Rights Tribunal), 2026 ONCA 653, a five-judge panel of the Court of Appeal for Ontario revisited the test governing motions for leave to appeal from decisions of the Divisional Court.

The federal government has published notices proposing to add the Mackenzie Valley Highway and Roberts Bank Terminal 2 to Schedule 1 of the Building Canada Act as projects of national interest. These potential listings, following a similar notice for the West Coast Oil Pipeline, provide the first practical indications of how the government may use the Act to advance major infrastructure projects through streamlined federal approvals while maintaining Indigenous consultation and environmental assessment requ

On September 21, 2026, the federal government introduced Bill C-39, the Building Canada Strong Act. It is the latest and most comprehensive instalment in a series of federal reforms that began in 2025 with the Building Canada Act and the creation of the Major Projects Office.

The Canadian government has introduced Bill C-39, the Building Canada Strong Act, proposing to compress federal project approval timelines from five years to one year through consolidated permitting and streamlined processes. The legislation also modernizes transportation infrastructure through National Trade Corridors and reforms labour relations by strengthening collective bargaining while clarifying ministerial powers to intervene in work stoppages.

Under Order in Council 1358-2026, the Québec government authorizes, from September 7, 2026 to January 31, 2027, the Centre d'acquisitions gouvernementales (the “CAG”) to depart from the general principle that public calls for tenders must be open and without discrimination to foreign suppliers from jurisdictions bound by an intergovernmental agreement with Québec.

This comprehensive legislative update covers recent regulatory changes, proclamations, and proposed regulations across Canada's federal government and all provinces and territories.

The Institutional Limited Partners Association (ILPA) recently released the third version of its principles (Principles 3.0), as well as a form of limited partnership agreement (model LPA, and...

Ontario has launched its first call for expressions of interest in carbon capture and storage licences under the new Geologic Carbon Storage Act, targeting Crown-owned pore space beneath lakebeds surrounding the Ontario Peninsula. The detailed submission requirements reveal expectations that proponents have advanced well beyond initial planning stages, with the process serving as a critical test of Ontario's emerging CCS framework and its attractiveness to industry.

On September 3, the Government of Canada published amendments removing seven types of energy projects from the Physical Activities Regulations (the Project List) under the Impact Assessment Act (IAA). As a result, these types of projects will no longer be subject to the IAA but will continue to be regulated by the Canada Energy Regulator Act (CER Act) or applicable provincial environmental assessment regimes.

On March 19, 2015, the United States District Court in the District of Minnesota gave preliminary approval to a proposed settlement for the December 2013 data breach suffered by Target Corporation.

Since Canada's anti-spam legislation (CASL) was enacted in 2014, businesses have been faced with the challenge of keeping adequate records of their authority to send commercial electronic messages under CASL's various categories of express and implied consent.

President Trump has announced a 25% tariff on all imports of steel and aluminum entering the United States, including from Canada, "without exceptions or exemptions".

The Government of Canada has proposed a permanent Productivity Mega Deduction that would allow immediate expensing for most depreciable property and Canadian development expenses acquired or incurred on or after September 15, 2026. This significant tax policy change aims to reduce the marginal effective tax rate on business investment from 13% to 6.4%, though certain exclusions and restrictions apply to specific asset categories.

Canada has announced plans to attract private investment through long-term concessions to operate its four largest airports: Toronto-Pearson, Vancouver International, Montréal-Trudeau, and Calgary International. The federal government will retain ownership of the underlying airport land and assets while seeking tens of billions of dollars in private capital to be reinvested in regional airports and local transport infrastructure. Key details regarding the scope of private operational involvement, award

The Ontario government recently amended the Personal Health Information Protection Act (PHIPA) to include mandatory breach reporting.

Environment and Climate Change Canada has released draft regulations that aim to drop oil and gas greenhouse emissions by 35% by 2030.