A future

to the north

Canada’s Energy Corridor: Built to unify, designed to export.

The Northern Spine Energy Corridor

Overview:

The Northern Spine is a unified, multi-use infrastructure corridor that stretches from Prince Rupert, British Columbia to Port Nelson, Manitoba. It combines pipeline, heavy freight rail, and electrification/data lines into a single strategic route designed to unlock Canada’s northern and interior potential. It forms the physical foundation of Phase 1 of the Canadian Catalyst Initiative.

From west to east

Map of Canada and northern United States showing an undersea cable route between a location in British Columbia and a location in Hudson Bay with colored lines and two large red dots marking the endpoints.

The Northern Spine is a national energy corridor connecting Prince Rupert, BC to Port Nelson, MB—combining pipeline, heavy freight rail, and electrification into a unified route built to move resources, power, and goods across Canada’s northern frontier.

Core Infrastructure Components

🔵 Pipeline (Blue)

  • Transports oil, gas, and potentially hydrogen in the future

  • Gives Western provinces a secure, eastbound export route

  • Bypasses opposition-heavy regions (Vancouver, Toronto, Quebec) while minimizing environmental impact by following a centralized footprint

🔴 Heavy Freight Rail (Red)

  • Moves bulk commodities: grain, minerals, metals, energy products

  • Enables modular submarine transport from Vancouver to Arctic ports

  • Connects industrial centers like Calgary, Edmonton, and Winnipeg to national and global supply chains

🟢 Energy & Communications Corridor (Green)

  • HVDC power lines and fiber-optic backbone

  • Supports future AI infrastructure, data centers, research nodes, and Arctic sovereignty

  • Connects Canada's digital future to physical infrastructure

“Aligning the Future With the Foundations We Already Have”

  • Map of Alaska showing a travel route from Anchorage to Barrow, with regions color-coded in red and blue.

    Politically Aligned

    Designed to align with regions receptive to energy infrastructure development, the route minimizes disruption to high-density urban areas and environmentally sensitive zones.

  • Map of Canada showing locations of various mineral deposits, smelters, and advanced projects, with symbols indicating mines, smelters or refineries, and advanced projects.

    Supports the mines

    Purpose-built infrastructure to connect Canada’s critical mines to global markets.

  • Map of Canada displaying the national railway network with blue lines, the Canadian Pacific railway with red lines, and other railways in orange, along with key cities and geographic features.

    The foundation of the north

    A bold addition to Canada’s freight backbone, the Northern Spine integrates seamlessly with national rail, opening untapped logistics corridors and expanding the country’s industrial reach into resource-rich and export-critical northern regions.

  • Map of North America showing electrical grid with yellow transmission lines, black highlights for regions, and a red line connecting British Columbia, Manitoba, and Quebec.

    Energy for the future

    The first segment of Canada’s dual-purpose nervous system, built for both energy and communication.

Geostrategic Importance

Western Terminus: Prince Rupert & Vancouver

  • Prince Rupert offers direct access to global shipping lanes via one of North America’s deepest natural harbours

  • Acts as the primary export outlet for Canadian energy, critical minerals, and heavy freight, particularly from Western and Northern provinces

  • Integrates with existing CN rail and Pacific trade infrastructure, minimizing new buildout costs

  • Vancouver region supports industrial capacity—serving as a manufacturing and logistics hub for pipeline components, rail equipment, and marine infrastructure

  • Supports defensive and logistical staging for submersibles, enhancing coastal and Arctic sovereignty

Eastern Terminus: Port Nelson, MB

  • Offers direct Arctic access, uniquely positioned along the emerging Northwest Passage trade route

  • Poised to become Canada’s premier northern export port, bridging domestic supply chains with European and Asian markets

  • Connects directly to Manitoba Hydro and prairie rail grids—serving as an energy transmission and export node

  • Creates opportunity for resource aggregation from Alberta oil, Saskatchewan grain, Manitoba minerals, and beyond

  • Dual use: Serves as the deployment point for Arctic submersibles and a future site for repair/refit infrastructure, resupply stations, and naval logistics

Map of Canada showing pipeline routes in blue, heavy rail routes in red, locations of energy and communications in green, major ports marked with red circles, and cities marked with white dots. Major ports include Prince Rupert, Vancouver, Edmonton, Calgary, Regina, Winnipeg, Port Nelson, Grays Bay, Richards Island, Dawson City, Whitehorse, and Yellowknife.

Region

Role

Port/export node, marine shipping hub

Prince Rupert

Manufacturing base, training, R&D for submersibles

Vancouver

Oil/gas source, logistics/maintenance hubs

Calgary & Edmonton

Midpoint control centers, intermodal transfer zones

Regina & Winnipeg

Final assembly, launch platform, Arctic trade and sovereignty gate

Port Nelson

Northern Extensions

  • Richards Island

  • High-potential site for Arctic submarine deployment and scientific research

  • Grays Bay (NU)

  • Example of industrial-Arctic hybrid use; potential site for mineral exports and joint Arctic research

  • Yellowknife, Whitehorse, Dawson City

  • Candidate locations for regional support centers, data relay nodes, and long-term rail connectivity

Functional Philosophy

The Northern Spine is not just a pipeline. It is the backbone of a connected nation, the lifeline of Arctic sovereignty, and the railway of Canadian economic independence. It is a unified conduit—moving energy, goods, intelligence, and national will across our northern frontier.

Designed with both national and global strategy in mind, it opens a direct corridor to Asian and European markets, reduces our dependence on U.S. supply chains, and strengthens our position in defense, trade, and digital autonomy.

It’s not just infrastructure—it’s Canadian resilience, by design.

Electric transmission tower against sunset sky with power lines
A yellow freight train traveling through a rural landscape with rolling green hills and dark clouds overhead.
A winding rural mountain road lined with a guardrail, surrounded by green grass, bushes, and a large pipeline running parallel, with a forest of tall pine trees and a mountain range in the background under a partly cloudy sky.
Canadian flag flying on a flagpole with a blue sky and scattered clouds in the background.

We need your help!

The Northern Spine is the physical foundation of a sovereign, connected, 21st-century Canada. It is where energy, economy, and national identity converge—and where the nation begins to build again.

…and where the nation begins to build again. Explore how you can contribute to shaping Canada’s next great chapter.