In the heart of the Canadian Shield, Jason Trevisanut has built a life — one measured not just in years working in the local steel industry, but in important milestones.

Starting a family, moving into a new home, countless motorcycle trips, fishing expeditions and a 25-year career that has evolved along with one of the country’s most important industries.

“I was born and raised here, and I’ve seen quite a few people have to leave the community, not because of want but because of need, which is tough,” says Trevisanut, a maintenance manager at the Tenaris steel pipe manufacturing facility in Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario. 

“I’m really glad that I’ve been able to be part of Tenaris here since the beginning. When companies come in and put their feet on the ground here, the impact is huge. It allows people to have a good life and do all the things they enjoy when they’re not at work.”

That impact just got bigger.

In May, Tenaris announced a landmark $306 million investment to expand its Sault Ste. Marie operations, which include Canada’s only facility producing seamless steel pipe for the oil and gas sector. 

The expansion will boost production capacity, upgrade technology and create up to 200 skilled jobs, reinforcing a critical link in Canada’s energy supply chain.

For Trevisanut and hundreds of others in ‘the Soo,’ it’s more than just an expansion — it’s a signal of stability in an industry town that has seen its share of ups and downs.

A community built on steel and sustained by energy

Growing up, Trevisanut watched his father spend 35 years working next door at Algoma Steel, the city’s historic economic backbone. Like many in northern Ontario, he followed a familiar path.

“I was attached to him like Velcro. He was always in the shop and I grew up like you do in a northern town, riding around and working on dirt bikes, snowmobiles, boats and all the other equipment. Going into the trades was just a natural step for me,” he recalls.

After training as a welder and millwright, Trevisanut was part of Tenaris’ first batch of about 90 employees when it took over the pipe mill in Sault Ste. Marie from Algoma Steel in 2000. 

Over the years, Trevisanut worked as a supervisor and moved into management, where he now oversees building maintenance, crane repairs and the company’s water treatment plant. 

Tenaris now employs more than 850 people in the Soo, as production has doubled over the past three years. The company expects to exceed 1,000 staff in Sault Ste. Marie when the newest expansion is complete in 2029, bringing them over 1,500 employees across Canada.

Back when he was starting out, Trevisanut says work in local steel shops often rose and fell with Algoma’s fortunes. Today, Tenaris has helped change that dynamic — connecting Sault Ste. Marie to a much broader economic engine: Canada’s oil and gas sector.

The company’s products are essential for drilling and transporting oil and natural gas from across Western Canada and in Atlantic Canada offshore projects.

“The oil and gas sector is the primary driver of demand for the products produced at Sault Ste. Marie and shipped by rail to our service centres in Alberta and British Columbia before being dispatched to customer rigs,” says Martin Castro, president of Tenaris in Canada. 

“Sustained or increasing oil and gas drilling activity helps provide the world with the energy it needs to continue growing while keeping activity at our mill high.”

It’s a connection that illustrates a broader story about Canada’s economy. 

As the largest goods-producing sector, oil and gas production accounts for four per cent of Canada’s GDP. 

And the sector supports roughly 900,000 direct and indirect jobs across the country, including jobs in manufacturing hubs like Sault Ste. Marie.

East meets West in Canada’s energy economy

Tenaris’ expansion is rooted in growing demand from the energy sector. Production and exports are growing: in June, the LNG Canada terminal celebrated 100 successful cargoes to Asia, and the Trans Mountain expansion ran at full capacity for the first time, with shippers looking for more space on the system than is available. 

“If energy is a matter of national sovereignty, then Canada requires robust domestic supply chains to support oil and gas developments,” Castro says. 

“We are proud to be the only company in Canada manufacturing seamless pipes for these complex operations.”

It’s a powerful example of how Canada’s energy economy functions as an integrated national system: resources developed in the West supporting jobs in the East, and vice versa.

Alberta’s November 2025 energy agreement with the federal government builds on that opportunity by committing both governments to develop domestic steel and pipe production supply chains. 

Tenaris’ announcement comes at a pivotal moment for Sault Ste. Marie, as Algoma Steel has announced plans for significant layoffs as global steel markets grapple with U.S. tariffs and ongoing trade challenges.

The head of the United Steelworkers union called the investment, which is being supported by the federal and Ontario governments, ‘a win for workers and the community’ as it will sustain good-paying industrial jobs at a time of significant uncertainty.

“Steelworkers in the Soo know what it means to build this country,” the USW’s national director Marty Warren said. 

“Investments like this can help secure the next generation of steel jobs and ensure Canadian workers are making the steel Canada needs.” 

The mayor of the city of approximately 75,000 people echoed that sentiment, describing the expansion as a demonstration of Tenaris’ long-term commitment to making Sault Ste. Marie a hub for advanced manufacturing in Canada.

“Sault Ste. Marie is proud to be at the centre of this milestone investment in Canada’s steel pipe and energy industries,” Mayor Matthew Shoemaker said.

Growth, jobs — and reasons to stay

For Trevisanut, the growth of Tenaris has been nothing short of remarkable, and it matters deeply in a community where economic opportunity once meant leaving.

“Back in the ‘90s there was a huge exodus of people, you had to go somewhere else because the opportunities weren’t great here,” Trevisanut recalls. 

“But it’s great to see how that’s changing.”

As a proud father who is now watching his son pursue a career in law enforcement, Trevisanut is looking forward to more milestones in a new home he recently moved into on the outskirts of the Soo with his fiancé, and their upcoming wedding later this summer.

“It’s amazing to go back and look at where we are now compared to when we were just starting out,” he says. “For me, Tenaris is not just about going to work, it’s about being part of a bigger picture and being part of a community.”

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It’s a cool spring morning in northern Alberta, as Matthew Michetti watches clouds of warm breath rise from the small herd of bison as they circle close to one another out of an instinct for protection. 

Then an even more magical moment unfolds as a female moves toward the fenceline, watching closely as the calf she gave birth to just days ago follows on wobbly legs behind its mother. 

“It’s hard to put into words how powerful it is to see bison returned to this land after more than 100 years,” says Michetti, manager of government and industry relations for the Willow Lake Métis Nation, located about 400 kilometres northeast of Edmonton.

“Not only is our herd growing already, which is important for the future of our ranch, it is also an important symbol for the community as we become more self-sufficient and revive the culture that has been gone for so long.”

During a chilly February blizzard, 20 wood bison from Elk Island National Park were released into an enclosure on 82 hectares of land the Nation purchased in 2022 as the pillar of its long-term economic development and cultural renewal plan. 

From that milestone to the birth of the first calves and harvesting of the first crop of greenhouse-grown lettuce in May, the Nation’s ambitious sustainable farming initiative is quickly taking shape.

And as Michetti makes clear, the project’s success so far has been supported by critical partnerships with Alberta’s oil and gas industry.

From vision to reality

The roots of the Willow Lake Métis Farms project trace back to a pivotal moment for the Nation when it was able to acquire the historic homestead of a founding Métis family near Anzac, about 50 kilometres south of Fort McMurray. 

That acquisition was made possible through the Nation’s equity ownership in energy infrastructure projects including a share of Suncor Energy’s Northern Courier pipeline and a portion of seven Enbridge pipelines in the Athabasca region. The joint ventures are supported by the Alberta Indigenous Opportunities Corporation.

“Without those relationships, none of this could happen,” Michetti said.

It’s an approach that is gaining momentum across Canada. 

According to the Canada Energy Regulator, Indigenous communities now hold ownership interests in more than 5,000 kilometers of oil and gas pipelines, primarily in Alberta and B.C.

For Willow Lake Métis Nation, revenue generated through energy partnerships has become a cornerstone for long-term growth and development.

The land purchase set the stage for what has become a multi-phase project: a working bison ranch, a hydroponic “grow pod” producing fresh vegetables, and plans for expanded agriculture, traditional medicine cultivation and eventually an eco-tourism operation.

More than funding: building capacity

While financial backing was critical, Michetti emphasizes that the benefits of working alongside energy companies extend well beyond dollars.

“These neighbours aren’t just financial partners,” he said. 

“They talk to us about how projects are developed. We’ve learned everything from engineering and design to permitting and execution. Our projects today are fully engineered, fully permitted—we’ve learned that approach from being around these developers.”

That transfer of knowledge has helped the Nation build internal capacity and confidence, transforming what began as an idea into a professionally managed, scalable operation.

“We’ve had to learn how to be bison ranchers, and now we also understand project development. We understand patience,” Michetti adds. “We’ve learned that from our neighbours in the energy industry.”

From leaseholders to neighbours

Today, many of those same companies are continuing their involvement. Not just as investors, but as active supporters and future customers of the farm.

As the Nation developed the project, it reached out to nearby energy operators for assistance. The response was strong, with more than $100,000 in cash and in-kind contributions provided.

But for Michetti, one example stands out.

“One of our closest neighbours, CNOOC (China National Offshore Oil Corp.), stepped up as our first sponsor,” he said. 

“They also told us they want to be our first customer once we begin commercial sales. That’s the difference between being a leaseholder and being a neighbour.”

Those future sales, supplying fresh produce to nearby industrial camps and communities, will help sustain the project financially, while reinforcing local supply chains in northern Alberta.

A sustainable, community-driven model

The bison ranch itself is intentionally modest in scale, designed to balance sustainability with cultural significance. The herd is expected to grow to about 30 to 35 animals, producing a limited annual harvest primarily for community use.

“This will never be a large commercial operation,” Michetti says. “It’s about food security for our people and the Nations around us, and about reconnecting with something that has deep meaning.”

Alongside the bison, the farm’s greenhouse is expected to produce roughly 10,000 pounds of fresh greens annually, with additional acreage dedicated to vegetables and traditional Indigenous plants.

The project is creating local employment and training opportunities, with roles ranging from ranching and farming to operations and education partnerships with nearby schools.

“It’s about creating a different kind of economy here,” Michetti explained. “One that’s local, sustainable and rooted in our community.”

A model for reconciliation and development

For the Willow Lake Métis Nation, the project represents more than economic diversification. It’s part of a broader vision of self-determination.

Over the past several years, the Nation has strengthened its governance, expanded its economic base and built partnerships that align with its long-term goals. The farm and ranch are tangible expressions of that progress.

Michetti believes the collaboration with the energy sector offers an important lesson.

“The industry gets painted with a lot of negative brushes,” he said. “But this is an example where they’re helping lead—where partnerships are built on respect, and where success comes from working together.”

Back at the farm, that collaboration is already bearing fruit, both literally and figuratively.

“It’s been a life-changing experience to be part of this,” Michetti said. “There are a lot of good things still to come. In a few years, this is going to be a very special place.”

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Alberta’s oil sands have emerged as one of North America’s most attractive oil plays as costs rise in competing basins like the Permian in Texas, according to a recent report. 

The oil sands hold 177 billion barrels of proved reserves, making it the largest play in North America by a wide margin.

Existing operations have some of the continent’s lowest production costs, said Trevor Rix, a director with Enverus Intelligence Research. 

“Operators have become more efficient and have tremendously low sustaining break-even costs, arguably the lowest in North America,” Rix said. 

“Some steam-assisted gravity drainage [SAGD] operations can break even at less than US$40 per barrel.”

Meanwhile, comparative costs in the Permian have risen toward US$65 per barrel, he said. 

Misunderstood economics

Kevin Birn, chief analyst for Canadian oil markets at S&P Global, said the oil sands sector’s economics have been poorly understood.

“The oil sands require upfront capital and time to bring on new facilities, so you need to be patient before your operations generate returns,” said Birn. 

“Once you pass that entry barrier, the oil sands are incredibly competitive in terms of sustaining costs. After that capital is sunk, the oil sands are a production machine compared to other conventional and unconventional plays.”

Unlike U.S. shale plays, oil sands production is long-life and low-decline, without the treadmill of ongoing investment in new wells.

Large oil sands reserves support mining projects that require no drilling, while the standard SAGD method involves about 60 per cent fewer wells than the average shale play, according to BMO Capital Markets.

Today’s lower oil sands costs come in part from improved drilling technologies, faster drill times and more precise well placement, Birn said.

Practices such as predictive maintenance on critical equipment have also reduced downtime and unplanned outages. 

“These plants are running harder and faster for longer periods of time,” Birn said.

“A lot of it is simply learning by doing.”

Heavy oil market tightening

The heavy oil produced in the oil sands is seeing strong demand as global heavy crude markets tighten.

Increased oil sands production has driven a nearly 800,000-barrel-per-day surge in Canada’s oil exports since 2021, according to Canada Energy Regulator data.

“The heavy oil segment of the [global] market is probably around nine to 10 million barrels per day, driven by refineries that have built special equipment to handle that around the world,” said Birn. 

Increased demand comes alongside continuing long-term declines in competing sources of supply, principally in Latin American producers such as Mexico and Venezuela, he said. 

“We’ve seen the heavy oil market actually tighten because more refineries are putting capacity towards processing heavier crudes around the world,” he said. 

“That increased demand has contributed to a better price for Canadian producers. And that’s before geopolitical considerations led to uncertainty around supply.”

Pipeline capacity

Enverus is calling for more pipeline infrastructure, projecting that oil sands production growth will fill current capacity in the next seven years.

“Given the historically long lead times for greenfield pipeline projects, we believe it is prudent to begin that planning and permitting process now,” analysts wrote. 

Given the rising demand for heavier crudes, Toronto-based energy analyst Rory Johnston sees several plausible options for increasing capacity to send barrels to customers in the United States and Asia.

This includes expansions and optimizations of the Enbridge Mainline, Trans Mountain system, South Bow’s proposed Prairie Connector, and the new West Coast Oil Pipeline proposed by Alberta’s government.  

“We’re in an interesting sweet spot right now in that we have competing egress options on the table for the first time since the heyday of TMX, Keystone XL and Energy East more than a decade ago,” said Johnston, publisher of the Commodity Context newsletter. 

“But we can never take this for granted as options can disappear at any moment. If we actually are coming to a place of choosing what’s the best option rather than what’s easiest to get over the line, that’s important.”

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Growing global demand for secure, reliable energy is creating a major opportunity for Canada, according to experts who say Asia’s growing needs underscore the case for more export capacity on the West Coast.

“I wish there were a few more Canadas in the world, so that we can have a much more reliable and sustainable global energy system,” the International Energy Agency (IEA)’s executive director Fatih Birol said during a recent trip to Canada.

Even before recent disruptions tied to conflict in the Middle East, the need for more Canadian energy in global markets was clear.

Growing shipments to Asia

The evidence can be seen in growing shipments from two newly completed pieces of export infrastructure: the Trans Mountain oil pipeline expansion and the LNG Canada natural gas export terminal.

In April, LNG Canada reached a key ramp-up milestone with its first exports of one million tonnes of liquefied natural gas (LNG) in a single month. Since start-up in June 2025, every shipment from the facility in Kitimat, B.C., has gone to Asia, led by South Korea, according to the Canada Energy Regulator.

Meanwhile, Trans Mountain reports that since May 2024, more than half of ocean exports from its expansion project have gone to Asia, primarily China and South Korea.

Demand growth for decades

But it’s just the tip of the iceberg, according to energy analysts and researchers who argue that rising global consumption — particularly in Asia — means Canada needs another oil pipeline to the Pacific coast, alongside new LNG export terminals under construction.

“The Pacific Basin is still underserved. Asia is the world’s biggest energy market, and Indian and Southeast Asian growth is just taking off,” said Heather Exner-Pirot, senior fellow and director of energy, natural resources and environment at the Macdonald-Laurier Institute.  

That presents a major opportunity for both Canada’s natural gas and oil resources. 

Asian markets will continue to drive growth in oil and gas demand for decades, the International Energy Agency (IEA) projects.

Asia’s need for both oil and natural gas

By 2050, natural gas demand in the Asia-Pacific region is expected to be nearly 60 per cent higher than it is today, according to the IEA’s latest outlook.

Meanwhile, regional oil demand is projected to grow by close to 20 per cent.

Globally, demand for extra-heavy oil and bitumen like what Canada produces is expected to rise by nearly 40 per cent over the next 25 years.

Many Asian refineries are configured to process heavier crude grades like those produced in Canada.

China, the world’s largest oil importer, alone represents enormous potential for export growth.

Mutually beneficial energy supply

The Asia Pacific Foundation of Canada (APF) argues that Canada is well positioned as China looks to diversify its suppliers and reduce reliance on Russia and the Middle East to feed its refineries and petrochemical sector.

In addition to being more politically stable than many global suppliers, Canada can ship oil and gas to Asia in about half the time it takes from the U.S. Gulf Coast through the Panama Canal.

“The result is mutually beneficial: Canada secures better revenues and greater market diversification while China gains a stable, low-cost oil supply,” wrote APF’s Xiaoting (Maya) Liu and Rachael Gurney.

A new oil pipeline from Alberta to the West Coast should be viewed as insurance, providing options in an uncertain world for both Canada and crude oil buyers, wrote Jackie Forrest, executive director of the ARC Energy Research Institute, in The Globe and Mail. 

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A new agreement between Alberta and Ottawa aims to address long-standing concerns about how major projects including oil sands, pipelines and carbon capture are reviewed.

It supports recently introduced provincial legislation to ensure approvals for qualified projects are completed within 120 days.

By reducing duplication without compromising environmental protection, the intent is to make Alberta projects more attractive to investors, says Brad Gilmour, partner in the Regulatory, Indigenous and Environmental Group of Osler’s Calgary office.

Here’s what Gilmour had to say about what the agreement means.

CEC: What is environmental assessment, and how does it apply to major projects?

BG: Environmental assessment is a process right at the beginning stages to gather information about a project and incorporate that into [regulatory] decision-making, but it’s not the end of the process in terms of protection of the environment. It is really the beginning. 

There has historically been a problem where we’ve got comprehensive environmental assessment legislation at the provincial level and at the federal level, and both statutes apply. You’re inevitably reviewing the same types of issues, and that creates significant inefficiencies and adds to delays, uncertainty and complexity of the process. 

The key is who really regulates these activities, generally, on a day-to-day basis. In so many cases, it’s the province, so that’s where the expertise is. We have expert regulatory authorities that oversee the life cycle of these activities, not merely at the environmental assessment stage.

The more the province and the federal government can work together to avoid duplication, create a higher degree of certainty and reduce timelines, the more that’s going to incentivize investors to look at doing projects in Alberta.

CEC: What kinds of projects does this agreement impact?

BG: It would include oil sands projects, electrical generation projects, things like carbon capture and storage projects and mining projects. 

It’s pretty much everything we do in the natural resources and energy sectors in Alberta, with the exception of things like pipelines that cross provincial boundaries or international boundaries, which are areas of federal jurisdiction. In those cases, the federal government will also cooperate with the province. 

CEC: What does this agreement change?

BG: Number one, it signals greater cooperation between the province and the federal government in terms of environmental assessment, which is ultimately a good thing. 

The regulation of environmental assessment between the two jurisdictions has been contentious over the last several years, including ongoing litigation with respect to the constitutionality of the Impact Assessment Act. 

Importantly, the agreement creates a single environmental assessment process. It follows that one-project, one-assessment model that both levels of government have been talking about. 

It makes Alberta the lead on environmental assessments for projects that are primarily regulated by the province. It places the responsibility primarily in the appropriate jurisdiction, and with the regulators that have the greatest degree of expertise over those activities. 

There are other provinces that have similar agreements with the federal government: Nova Scotia, Prince Edward Island, Ontario, New Brunswick and British Columbia.

CEC: Does the agreement make environmental protection requirements more lenient?

BG: It doesn’t, in my view, do anything to take away from environmental protection. What it does is it focuses the environmental assessment process, avoids duplication, and lets the jurisdiction with the primary expertise lead the process.

For most of what we do in the energy and natural resources sector, the environmental effects are not a mystery, and often our environmental assessment processes treat them as if they are a mystery. But they’re well understood, as well as the means to mitigate them throughout the entire life cycle of the activity. 

CEC: Does the agreement change consultation with Indigenous communities?

BG: Both levels of government are very clear in the agreement that they will continue to be committed to meaningful participation of Indigenous groups in the assessment process and to respect their rights that are protected under Section 35 of the constitution. 

What it signals is a bit of a change that is consistent with the idea that the primary regulatory authority takes the lead. It recognizes that where a project is primarily regulated by the province, that the province is best placed to undertake the consultation with Indigenous peoples in relation to that activity. 

CEC: Does the agreement impact Alberta’s constitutional challenge of the federal Impact Assessment Act?

BG: It does not. In fact, the agreement specifically acknowledges that Alberta is challenging the constitutionality of the Impact Assessment Act and that the matter is before the courts. 

The province’s concern – that the federal government was overreaching in terms of its jurisdiction over environmental matters through the Impact Assessment Act – was validated in the October 2023 decision of the Supreme Court of Canada, and now the Act has been amended. 

That is now again being challenged by the province, being heard by the Alberta Court of Appeal. A decision in that regard is pending.

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