Historic Pipeline Deal Gives Indigenous Group Ownership in Enbridge Asset
Indigenous Nations Gain $715M Stake in Enbridge’s Legacy Pipeline, Ushering in a New Era of Economic Reconciliation

In a landmark move that signals a new chapter in Indigenous economic empowerment, Enbridge Inc. has announced the sale of a 12.5% stake in its Westcoast natural gas pipeline system to a coalition of 36 First Nations in British Columbia. The transaction, valued at approximately $715 million, marks one of the largest Indigenous equity partnerships in Canadian energy infrastructure history and is being widely hailed as a tangible example of economic reconciliation.
The First Nations group, operating under the Stonlasec8 Indigenous Alliance Limited Partnership, will acquire their stake through a financing arrangement supported by a $400 million loan guarantee from the newly launched Canada Indigenous Loan Guarantee Corporation, a subsidiary of the Canada Development Investment Corporation. This strategic backstop, designed to accelerate Indigenous participation in major resource projects, enabled the deal to reach commercial viability. Pending final financing arrangements and regulatory approvals, the transaction is expected to close by the end of Q2 2025.
The Westcoast pipeline system is no stranger to the communities it now partially belongs to. Spanning more than 2,900 kilometres across British Columbia, the pipeline transports up to 3.6 billion cubic feet of natural gas per day from Fort Nelson and the B.C.-Alberta border to the U.S. border at Huntingdon/Sumas. For over 65 years, this network has delivered affordable, reliable energy to households and industries across B.C., Alberta, and the U.S. Pacific Northwest. But until now, the Indigenous communities whose lands the pipeline has traversed have not held direct ownership in the infrastructure that passes through their territories.
