2024–25 Annual Report of the Canada Energy Regulator –
The CER’s Achievements in 2024–25

Safety and Environment Oversight

The CER works to keep energy moving safely and efficiently through federally-regulated pipelines and power lines. The organization provides regulatory oversight for the entire lifecycle of the energy infrastructure and activities it regulates – including construction, operation, and abandonment.

The CER enforces rigorous safety and environmental protection standards and its oversight goes beyond compliance. The regulator promotes best practices to identify and reduce the potential for harm and expects regular review and improvement of the effectiveness and efficiency of a company’s management system to prevent harm.

The CER also expects companies to engage with those living and working near pipelines, including Indigenous Peoples, the public, contractors, landowners, provinces and municipalities, to promote safe work practices and inform actions they can take to prevent damage to pipelines.

The CER’s Commitment

• Harm to people and the environment, through the lifecycle of energy-related infrastructure, is prevented.

Performance Results Summary 2024-25 – Safety and Environment Oversight

The CER reviews all incident notifications to ensure companies have provided enough information for the CER to conduct appropriate regulatory oversight and follow up. The CER checks that companies have identified what caused the incident, what actions they have taken to correct it and what steps they are taking to prevent it from happening again. The CER analyzes incident data to identify trends, inform its compliance verification planning, and applies compliance and enforcement actions when required.

In 2024-25, there were no fatalities related to regulated infrastructure. There were five serious injury incidents, and there were six incidents that harmed the environment. The number of serious injury incidents decreased by 44 per cent compared to the previous fiscal year, and the number of incidents that harmed the environment decreased by 77 per cent compared to the previous fiscal year. These decreases align with a corresponding decrease in pipeline construction activity.

Compliance Verification Activities

Indigenous Monitoring

The CER’s Indigenous monitoring program strengthens safety and environmental oversight to more holistically prevent harm, help protect Indigenous rights and interests and build relationships with Indigenous communities. The CER completed a total of 38 CVAs with Indigenous Monitors in 2024-25. There were 32 CVAs completed on the Trans Mountain Expansion Project, one on Enbridge Line 3, and five on the Nova Gas Transmission Ltd. system. Inspection Officers and Indigenous Monitors completed 30 field inspections and five meetings on Environmental Protection, Safety, and Socio-Economic disciplines. Indigenous Monitors also participated in three emergency response exercises.

Remediation Oversight

When contamination that could harm the environment or human health is identified, the CER ensures that the right steps are taken for its remediation. Remediation oversight activities in 2024-25 included the oversight of 478 active contaminated sites under CER jurisdiction. Staff conducted 12 CVAs, reviewed 460 contaminated sites Annual Updates, completed reviews of 10 Remedial Action Plans and Risk Management Plans, and closed 25 contaminated site files.

Improvements to the CER’s Remediation Process in 2024-25 included enhancing the CER’s Online Event Reporting System to improve contaminated site data and the risk-based approach to oversight.

Safety Advisories

The CER works to improve safety outcomes by sharing important information with industry about identified safety or environmental concerns with the goal of preventing similar incidents from occurring. Safety Advisories are issued periodically to highlight specific CER requirements and emphasize the CER’s expectation that regulated companies take appropriate actions to mitigate any potential impacts to people or the environment.

In 2024-25, the CER issued one Safety Advisory regarding nonconforming components in Pipelines and Materials Quality Assurance.

Security

The CER’s Security team conducted 17 CVAs in 2024-25, five of which focused on cyber security. Cyber security CVAs have continued to focus on security measures that regulated companies have implemented on operational technology. The CER continued to work on maturing its cyber and physical security CVA processes through formalized cyber security training for its staff and collaborating with regulatory and security agencies in Canada and the United States.

Emergency Management

The CER expects the companies it regulates to do everything they can to keep their regulated infrastructure safe, which includes being ready in case of an emergency. In an emergency, the CER makes sure that companies respond to protect people, property, and the environment. In 2024-25, the Emergency Management Program conducted 45 CVAs, which included 26 exercise evaluations, seven inspections, three compliance meetings, six emergency procedures manual reviews, and supported three audits. In June 2024, the CER issued Industry Best Practices for Involvement of Indigenous Nations and Communities in Emergency Management. These best practices advance Reconciliation with Indigenous Peoples and provide a further opportunity for the CER, regulated companies, and First Nations, Inuit and Métis communities to foster stronger relationships through emergency management.

Through its incident line, and supported by the Emergency Operations Centre (EOC), the CER maintains 24-hour capacity to respond to emergencies or monitor activities that could evolve and require deployment of CER staff. In April 2024, the EOC was activated and a field response team was deployed to an incident on the Nova Gas Transmission Ltd. Grand Prairie Mainline. During the year, the EOC was also activated as a precaution to monitor line fill activities following the completion of construction of the Trans Mountain Expansion Project and certain flooding and wildfires with potential to impact regulated infrastructure.

Safety Culture

The CER is working to improve safety culture (SC) across the pipeline industry. In 2024-25, the CER continued to carry out its current three-year SC strategy and workplan, focusing on two goals:

• System-wide influence - The CER will take a system-wide approach to influencing a positive SC across industry that supports effective management of threats to people and the environment.
• Company performance - The CER will enhance company understanding and detection of underlying human and organizational factors (HOF) to support improved risk management and SC maturity.

CER staff continued to build their skills in this area by taking part in workshops and community sessions on SC and HOF. The CER enhanced its industry-focused Learning Portal by adding interactive e-learning modules on SC and supported learning across the industry through its annual technical workshop with regulated companies.

Regulatory Framework

The CER is dedicated to implementing a Regulatory Framework that is robust, clear, transparent, coherent and consistent. To achieve this goal, the CER works with many different stakeholders to continually improve regulatory tools—ensuring regulations that are in force remain appropriate and that regulatory documents, policies and guidance achieve their intended purpose.

Improvements in 2024-25 included publishing the CER’s 2024 Revised Event Reporting Guidelines, publishing draft regulations related to the Export and Import Regulatory Framework, and advancing work on Predictable and Efficient Processing and Assessment of Negligible Risk and Low-Risk Projects (renamed this year to the Rapid Review Process). The CER also commenced its review of the Rules of Practice and Procedure through engagement activities.

Information about the CER’s annual planned initiatives to improve the Regulatory Framework can be found on the CER’s website under Regulatory Framework Plan.

Onshore Pipeline Regulations Review

The OPR are the main regulations the CER uses to oversee pipelines in Canada. The CER is undertaking a comprehensive review of the OPR, along with its Filing Manual. Phase 2 of the OPR review began in June 2024 with the release of 13 technical topic papers. A total of $2.6 million was provided through grants and contributions to 46 Indigenous-led organizations to hold engagement sessions for the project. Engagement activities for Phase 2 were designed to gather feedback on new requirements and commitments introduced through the UN Declaration Act and UN Declaration Act APM SP34 respectively.

From June 2024 to March 2025, the CER led workshops and information sessions with industry and heritage resource protection experts. The engagement period closed 31 March 2025. Submissions from Indigenous-led organizations, industry, and interested stakeholders will inform potential improvements to the OPR, the Filing Manual and other related guidance and internal processes. Summarized feedback will be publicly available in 2025-26.

Review and Clarification of Compliance Framework

In 2024-25, the CER began a three-year project to review and clarify the tools and interventions used by the CER to promote, verify, and enforce compliance with regulatory requirements. This will lead to an updated internal compliance and enforcement framework and policy.

Audits and Enforcement

Management System Audits

Audits evaluate how a company manages its activities. The CER expects regulated companies to have effective management systems and protection programs. Companies that manage their activities well can better anticipate, prevent, and mitigate issues that can affect safety, security, and the environment.

After the CER completes an audit, it makes the report public. The audited company must then submit a Corrective and Preventative Action Plan and the CER will verify how the plan has been implemented. The CER expects all companies to consider and review the findings in these reports (which are summarized annually and issued as an Information Advisory) and use these learnings to improve their own management systems.

In 2024-25, the CER conducted six management system audits. These audits assessed compliance with management system requirements related to emergency management, annual reporting and environmental protection programs, with a focus on lifecycle transition from construction to operations.

Inspection Officer Orders

An Inspection Officer Order is issued when a situation requires immediate action to maintain safety and protect the environment. The Order will require a company to complete certain actions by a set date.

In 2024-25, the CER issued seven Inspection Officer Orders. All Inspection Officer Orders (current and historical) and their status are available on the CER website.

Warning Letters and Administration Monetary Penalties

The CER, on occasion, determines that it is important that an accountable officer in a company is aware of the seriousness of an issue. In those cases, the CER sends a warning letter. The letter is typically sent after other tools have been used such as a notice of non-compliance and/or Inspection Officer Order when an Inspection Officer thinks that an issue is serious enough to need an enforcement investigation. It is also used in areas such as export permits where Inspection Officer Orders are not used or for repeat non-compliances by third parties that are not typically the focus of compliance oversight.

In 2024-25, the CER issued 18 Warning Letters.

Administrative Monetary Penalties (AMPs) provide the CER with a flexible enforcement tool to promote compliance with legislation, regulations, decisions, permits, orders, licenses or certificate conditions. Both companies and individuals can be issued monetary penalties for actions that are unsafe.

In 2024-25, the CER did not issue any AMPs.

Energy Adjudication

The CER’s mandate includes making decisions and providing recommendations to the Minister on applications and environmental assessments related to pipelines and connected facilities, international power lines, tolls and tariffs, energy exports, oil and gas exploration and drilling in certain northern and offshore areas of Canada, and future offshore renewable energy projects. Fair and inclusive processes are ensured through participant funding, land matters complaint resolution services, and through the support of the CER’s Crown Consultation Coordinator.

The Commission’s responsibilities include decisions on tolls and tariff applications and applications for pipelines under 40 kilometres (km). Applications for pipelines over 40 km require Governor in Council (GIC) approval based on a Commission recommendation. Any project that proposes more than 75 km of new right-of-way requires an integrated review process led by the Impact Assessment Agency of Canada.

For further details on adjudicative decisions and recommendations submitted to the Minister, please see the 2024-25 Annual Report of the Commission of the Canada Energy Regulator.

The CER’s Commitment

• Energy adjudication processes are fair, timely, transparent, and accessible.

Performance Results Summary 2024-25 – Energy Adjudication

¹Only three survey responses were received in 2024-25.

Filing Manual Review

The CER’s Filing Manual explains what companies should include in an application for a potential project. In 2024-25, the CER continued to update its filing requirements and guidance in support of a transparent and efficient process for applicants. Proposed updates to Guide R - Transfer of Ownership, Lease, or Amalgamation were posted for public comment in late 2024. Feedback on the proposed changes is being analyzed and an updated Guide R is expected to be published in 2025.

In conjunction with the OPR Review, an extensive public engagement period was launched to review the Environmental and Socioeconomic Assessment (Guide A.2) and Lands (Guide A.4) sections of the Filing Manual. Updates will be informed by written comments received on 13 topic-specific discussion papers, information sessions, and workshops with industry, Indigenous communities and other interested parties. Feedback is being analyzed, and updated draft sections are expected to be available in late 2025.

Dispute Resolution

Dispute resolution plays a vital role in how the CER fulfills its mandate to help balance the interests of all Canadians in the stewardship of pipelines and energy development in Canada. Through various processes and methods, such as alternative dispute resolution services, the CER helps to resolve disputes between companies and rights holders, owners and users of lands, Indigenous Peoples, other orders of government, and nongovernmental organizations. Disputes relate to CER regulated facilities and activities, such as pipeline maintenance and pipeline application hearings. Disputes received this year related to agriculture, air quality, compensation, construction, damage prevention, Indigenous matters, noise and notifications.

In 2024-25, the CER received 45 disputes and facilitated the resolution of 42 disputes.

Early Engagement Activities

In 2024-25, the CER completed early engagement activities with the public related to Pouce Coupé Pipe Line LTD.’s Taylor to Gordondale Project and Westcoast Energy Inc.’s Sunrise Expansion Program. The CER’s early engagement activities focus on educating the public on the CER’s role as a regulator and providing information on proposed projects and how to participate in upcoming hearings, including participant funding.

Crown Consultation

The CER primarily conducts Crown consultation through the Commission’s adjudication processes, where Indigenous Peoples are encouraged to participate. For certain projects, primarily those where the GIC makes the final decision, the CER, in its capacity as Crown Consultation Coordinator (CCC), conducts supplemental consultations.

In 2024-25, the CER, in its CCC role, conducted supplemental Crown consultation activities with 70 Indigenous communities on Westcoast Energy Inc’s application for the Sunrise Expansion Program and with 36 Indigenous communities on Pouce Coupé’s Pipe Line LTD.’s Taylor to Gordondale Project. Undertaken during the early engagement and assessment phases of these projects, the CCC met directly with Indigenous communities and filed submissions on the Commission’s hearing records. These submissions were designed to help inform the Commission’s assessment of the projects, including the projects’ impacts to rights and any accommodation measures, such as conditions. In addition, the CCC facilitated information sessions with Indigenous communities on the project applications and established federal review teams to support a holistic and comprehensive response to consultations.

Another key area of focus for the CCC in 2024-25 was to engage proponents early and regularly to support a shared understanding of the CER’s approach to Crown consultation and the proponents’ role in the process.

CER Portal

The CER Portal is an online platform where regulated companies, participants and Indigenous Peoples can share information with the regulator. The CER is working on a multi-phase project to deliver enhanced user experience through an accessible, bilingual, and integrated platform that modernizes regulatory activities across the entire energy lifecycle. Phase 1 of the project launched in 2024-25 to improve the efficiency of internal workflows for routine facility applications under section 214 of the CER Act. In the coming year, external-facing Portal enhancements will be developed to facilitate document submissions from companies.

Orphan Pipeline Initiative

During 2024-25, CER staff created clear processes for managing orphan pipelines regulated by the CER. Pipelines are designated as orphan or orphan abandoned pipelines when the company's directors or officers cannot be located, or the company is insolvent, bankrupt, or cannot be located. Additionally, work is underway to establish a long-term funding solution for abandonment activities associated with orphan pipelines. The CER has started pre-abandonment work on the DR Four Beat Energy Corp.’s Knappen Border Gas orphan pipeline. Appointed designated officers have decision-making authority over any action or measure in respect of designated orphan pipelines. To date, three CER-regulated pipelines have been designated as orphan, and two others are under assessment.

Energy Information

The CER collects, monitors, analyzes, and publishes information on energy markets and supply, energy sources, and the safety and security of pipelines and international power lines. The CER plays a vital role in conveying timely and relevant information to Canadians and is at the forefront of energy markets monitoring and analysis. Staff model Canada’s energy supply and demand projections, provide Canadians with reports and analysis to help inform decisions on energy matters and support regulatory hearings on pipeline projects in Canada. The CER also collaborates with the Canadian Centre for Energy Information (CCEI) on a variety of energy data and information initiatives that are prioritized in the CCEI's annual workplan.

The CER’s Commitment

• Canadians can access and use energy information for knowledge, research, or decision-making.
• Canadians have opportunities to collaborate and provide feedback on CER information products.

Performance Results Summary 2024-25 – Energy Information

^*Refer to the narrative within the Annual Report of the Canada Energy Regulator for the corresponding year.

Market Snapshots

Provincial and Territorial Energy Profiles

The Provincial and Territorial Energy Profiles remained an important source of energy information for Canadians at the provincial and territorial levels. In 2024-25, the CER updated the profiles to reflect the latest data and market events shaping each jurisdiction, including trade and greenhouse gas emissions data. As part of this update, a User Research Study was conducted to better understand the needs of readers. The update featured a data appendix (a recommendation from the study), which improved transparency and access to timely data. The Provincial and Territorial Energy Profiles is one of the top five most popular CER digital products, with just over 400,000 pageviews in 2024-25.

Pipeline Profiles

Pipeline Profiles is a flagship energy information product and continues to be a useful source of pipeline information. Pipeline Profiles is a comprehensive collection of information from various sources about pipelines the CER regulates. Profiles are accessible, easy to use, and cover 90 per cent of the pipelines the CER regulates. In November 2024, the Content Management System for the Profiles was launched – allowing for a more streamlined way of generating, reviewing, and publishing profile content and updates. This launch also included the publication of the final 11 interactive pipeline maps, data and visual updates, and new sections of pipeline. One of the pipeline profiles’ accompanying datasets (throughput and capacity) continues to be in the top 100 most downloaded datasets among the tens of thousands of datasets on the Open Government website each month.

Canada’s Energy Future

The Canada’s Energy Future series explores how possible energy futures might unfold for Canadians over the long term, using economic and energy models. In 2024-25, the CER engaged with the public to gather feedback to improve the Energy Future series relevance and accessibility and published the EF2025 What we heard report that summarizes responses received to the Energy Futures 2025 Discussion Paper. With the significant shifts in North American energy markets and policy context in early 2025, the CER decided to defer the release of the next Canada's Energy Future report. Work is underway to analyze the potential impacts of this changing environment.

The CER strives to provide meaningful insights into the evolving energy landscape and took an important step forward in 2024-25 – bringing Indigenous perspectives into the Canada’s Energy Future work. The CER contracted Mokwateh, a consulting firm specializing in Indigenous engagement, to seek diverse perspectives from Indigenous Peoples regarding Canada’s energy transition. This outreach was not just about gathering opinions; it was a thoughtful process aimed at understanding the aspirations, concerns, and perspectives of Indigenous individuals and communities regarding the future of energy in Canada. The result is a wealth of meaningful insights that will inform future iterations of the Canada’s Energy Future report. You can find this study on Mokwateh’s website.

Engagement

The CER ensures its decisions and work are informed by engagement with Indigenous Peoples and Canadians, which is key to its regulatory effectiveness, shaping CER programs and delivering on strategic priorities.

The CER engages extensively nationally and regionally on a variety of topics related to its mandate. CER staff attend conferences and meet with Indigenous Peoples, various levels of government, safety and damage prevention groups, landowner associations and energy experts to build relationships, gather feedback, and foster trust and collaboration to improve the CER’s work and to prevent harm. CER staff do this by cultivating relationships, investing in dialogue and partnerships, removing participation barriers, integrating Indigenous worldviews, and considering regional context and linguistic duality.

The CER is guided in its engagement by the National Engagement Strategy. This strategy includes a framework for engagement, a national plan for coordination, and a blueprint for Indigenous specific engagement.

The CER’s Commitment

• Input provided by Indigenous Peoples and stakeholders will influence the CER’s decisions and work.
• Indigenous Peoples and stakeholders provide feedback that engagement with the CER is meaningful.

Performance Results Summary 2024-25 – Engagement

^*Refer to the narrative within the Annual Report of the Canada Energy Regulator for the corresponding year.

CER Indigenous Cultural Intelligence

The CER’s Indigenous Cultural Intelligence Framework guides the CER in navigating the internal transformation needed to implement the UN Declaration Act and advance Reconciliation. The Framework was finalized in September 2024 and is the result of organization-wide collaboration, including with the CER’s Indigenous Advisory Committee and Indigenous Employee Circle. Through the implementation of the Framework, the CER is building its competency to create systemic changes by advancing the cultural intelligence of its staff. This allows CER staff to apply intercultural skills and knowledge in their work, fostering behavioural changes, setting expectations and accountabilities and recognizing the different values, belief systems and rights of Indigenous Peoples.

In 2024–25, the Framework supported several key achievements:

• A new guide was developed to help staff engage with Indigenous Peoples in a culturally appropriate way.
• The CER awarded 10.3 per cent of its contracts to Indigenous-owned businesses—well above the federal target of five per cent.
• 62 per cent of employees took part in cultural intelligence training, which included land-based learning, two-eyed seeing, and trauma- and equity-informed practices.

Indigenous Involvement in Oversight

Land Matters Advisory Committee

In 2024-25, the members of the Land Matters Advisory Committee (LMAC) embarked on a new path, with the creation of a new Terms of Reference, a three-year Roadmap, and an action plan. The year was marked with the addition of representation from the local government sector that will complement the views and interests shared by landowner representatives. Over a two-day workshop, LMAC members provided feedback on several topics, including damage prevention and the issues revolving around Indigenous matters and how these could potentially impact all stakeholder groups. The action plan for 2025-26 will reflect some of the priorities identified during the meeting, including the collaborative development of guidelines for land agents and the publication of an information booklet for landowners.

Grants and Contributions

The CER uses grants and contributions to enhance public participation in CER activities. In 2024-25, the CER administered $7.6 million in grant and contribution funding to Indigenous Nations participating in adjudication processes, Crown consultations, engagement with ongoing CER policy work, and to develop capacity to enable involvement in lifecycle oversight and related Indigenous monitoring committees. The CER also provided a $15,000 grant to the Canadian Standards Association to advance research in matters related to our oversight.

Date modified:

2026-03-23