Formal consultations will begin on whether to designate three projects for special treatment under the federal Building Canada Act, a squad of federal ministers announced in Yellowknife. The Mackenzie Valley Highway, Grays Bay road and port project and a permanent nuclear waste repository northwest of Thunder Bay could all be officially listed for streamlined regulatory approvals by the autumn. (The Logic)

Talking point: “Didn’t they do this already?” you might ask. Indeed, Prime Minister Mark Carney “referred” the Mackenzie Valley and Grays Bay proposals to the Major Projects Office in March, but that isn’t the same as designation as a project of national interest (PONI). A referral indicates a general desire to help a project along; the formal PONI label means its approvals will be centralized and simplified. Consultations with affected provinces, territories and Indigenous Peoples are required first. The nuclear waste repository, which has been in the works for decades, is new to the major projects list.