EDMONTON — Alberta Premier Danielle Smith says it’s unlikely her government will launch a new Crown corporation to build out natural gas pipelines in the province. It comes after a leaked report to Smith’s cabinet recommended the province move forward with legislation and create Crown corporations to spur new natural gas transmission lines in order to meet the demand for oil production and artificial intelligence data centres. Smith told her provincewide radio call-in program on Saturday that the government has heard from dozens of companies that fear they might not have access to enough natural gas. She says the issue right now is that TC Energy has a “monopoly” over the natural gas market in Alberta, and her government wants to see more competition. The premier says the government is looking at ways to get shovels in the ground on new infrastructure, but she thinks there’s enough private-sector interest to make public-sector intervention unnecessary. Smith is also brushing off concerns that government intervention could push up energy prices, as she says having limited natural gas supply is what will see Albertans’ bills go up. This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 12, 2026. Jack Farrell, The Canadian Press
