Video

Pipelines in Canada, explained

Why are we hearing about building more pipelines? Do they make sense for Canada's economy? And what about our emissions goals? We mapped 800,000 kilometres of pipelines in Canada and tried to get to the bottom of these questions

By L. Manuel Baechlin

Nov. 13, 2025

Let’s face it: there’s been a lot of talk lately about building more pipelines in Canada. So we thought we’d rewind a bit: what’s the state of Canada’s existing pipelines? Why are we in this “build, build, build” moment? And what might more pipes mean for Canada’s pledge of net-zero emissions by 2050? 

I spoke with climate investigations reporter Carl Meyer and Prairies reporter Drew Anderson for this explainer video, and dove into the dizzying data available online to try and make sense of the over 800,000 kilometres of pipes covering the country.

Want to make sure you don’t miss our latest videos? Subscribe to our channel on YouTube and follow us on TikTok. 

Video source notes

Corresponding time stampSource
00:05Government of Alberta Press Conference
00:08Pipelines in Canada (CER)
00:18Government of Alberta Press Conference
00:36Production Gap Report
01:10Oil Sands: Alberta Energy Regulator
01:36Bitumen is a molasses-like, sticky petroleum substance
01:45Canada only has a few refineries
02:26Refineries in the U.S. and Gulf Coast
02:31Nearly 95% of AB exports go to the U.S.
02:56Potentially exports could go to China
03:05Government of Alberta Press Conference
03:27Major cross-country pipeline
03:58Fracking
04:31Coastal GasLink pipeline
04:56Already producing too much, according to report
05:09840,000km of pipelines in Canada
05:33Our video on indigenous sovereignty
05:59Oil tanker ban

Thanks for watching!