Alberta premier Jason Kenney has expressed his displeasure in Teck Resources Ltd withdrawing its application for its frontier mine project.

The Frontier Oil Sands Mine Project, proposed by Teck, would have included the construction, operation and reclamation of an oil sands surface mine with a production capacity of about 260,000 barrels per day of bitumen. The project is 110 kilometres North of Fort McMurray.

“Today’s announcement by Teck to withdraw its application for approval of the Frontier project, only days before the federal cabinet was set to decide whether to approve or reject it, is a grave disappointment to Albertans. Alberta has lost the opportunity for 7,000 jobs and Canada has lost the opportunity for $70 billion of dollars in new tax and royalty revenue that could have funded our generous social services over the next four decades. The project would also have produced oil cleaner than half the barrels in North America.

Premier Kenney says he is not surprised by the withdrawal.

“Weeks of federal indecision on the regulatory approval process and inaction in the face of illegal blockades have created more uncertainty for investors looking at Canada. Teck’s predicament shows that even when a company spends more than $1 billion over a decade to satisfy every regulatory requirement, a regulatory process that values politics over evidence and the erosion of the rule of law will be fatal to investor confidence.

He expressed concern for the loss of First Nations communities that were involved in the project.

“Today’s announcement must be especially disappointing for all fourteen of the proximate First Nations who have called on the government to approve the Frontier project. In the last 48 hours, the Mikisew Cree First Nation and the Athabasca Chipewyan First Nation both signed historic agreements with the Government of Alberta, which would have made them partners in the prosperity of the Frontier project, bringing hundreds of jobs and tens of millions of dollars to their remote communities.

Minister of Environment and Parks Jason Nixon also feels the project is important in our relations with First Nations people.

Before Teck withdrew the application, he stated, “I am proud of what our partners, including Teck, Mikisew Cree and Athabasca Chipewyan, have achieved with this agreement. It is more important than ever to demonstrate that real and meaningful reconciliation can be advanced by ensuring our First Nations are real partners in prosperity. The opportunity that this project presents for our Indigenous communities, our province and the thousands of jobs it would create cannot be killed for political reasons. This project has played by the rules. It has followed the process. It’s time to get it done.”

Premier Kenney states that they provincial government “agreed to every request and condition raised by the federal government for approving the Frontier project, including protecting bison and caribou habitat, regulation of oilsands emissions, and securing full Indigenous support.”

He feels that the Federal government failed Alberta and Teck, and reiterates his resolve for further autonomy of Alberta within the Country.

For him, this “include[s] reinforcing our constitutional right to develop our natural resources, ensuring a sustainable future for our oil and gas industries, and restoring Canada’s reputation as a reliable place to do business."