OTTAWA — Two Arctic roads and a nuclear waste repository in Ontario are the first three projects the federal government wants designated as being in the national interest.

A trio of federal ministers are in Yellowknife today announcing they are seeking that status for the Grays Bay road and port project, the Mackenzie Valley highway project, and the Nuclear Waste Management Organization’s geological repository.

They need to go through a consultation process before the designation is confirmed and it could still be years before those projects are finalized.

At a technical briefing before the announcement, federal officials said the timeline to begin construction on Grays Bay isn’t until 2029, while the final leg of the MacKenzie Valley Highway could start being built in 2028.

Officials said they’re looking at a 2030 timeline for the nuclear waste repository in Ontario.

Federal officials say being listed as a project of national interest would allow the federal government to do all its permitting while projects are still under review, even allowing Ottawa to skirt some of its environmental laws to get the project built.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published June 24, 2026.