FIRST READING: The eyewatering cost of the projects Canada is pitching to investors

Advertisement 1 This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. Breadcrumb Trail Links HomeNP Comment FIRST READING: The eyewatering cost of the projects Canada is pitching to investors Quoted price for Port of Churchill expansion could build the St. Lawrence Seaway 16 times Author of the article: By Tristin Hopper Published Sep 16, 2026 4 minute read Join the conversation The Port of Churchill, which is the subject of an $80 billion proposed expansion. PHOTO BY HANDOUT Article content First Reading is a Canadian politics newsletter curated by the National Post’s own Tristin Hopper. To get an early version sent directly to your inbox, sign up here. Article content TOP STORY Article content RECOMMENDED VIDEOS Article content This week saw Prime Minister Mark Carney preside over the first-ever Canada Investment Summit, a large, Toronto-based gathering of international financiers. At the centre of the summit was a “pitchbook,” outlining a slate of pre-approved projects open for investment, most of them resource-based. Article content Article content The projects are also incredibly expensive, with several proposals dwarfing anything that’s ever been built in Canada with private capital.    Article content Channel Israel Columnist Jesse Kline keeps you up to date with what’s happening in Israel and the effects of antisemitism on life here in Canada. Friday mornings. Sign Up By signing up you consent to receive the above newsletter from Postmedia Network Inc. Interested in more newsletters? Browse here. Article content High prices aren’t all that off-brand for the Carney government. Its 18-month tenure has been marked by a series of big-ticket purchases that are not just expensive, but expensive beyond all existing standards for what such a thing should cost. Article content The Liberals are continuing to pursue a high-speed rail project through Ontario and Quebec that is projected to cost up to $90 million per kilometre. In Europe, such a railway would come in for just $40 million per kilometre. Article content And just this month, Ottawa earmarked $4.7 billion for Via Rail to build 313 passenger cars – about $15 million per car.  For comparison, just a few months ago, Siemens signed a deal with the Swiss government to supply up to 200 six-car passenger trains at a cost equivalent to C$3.4 billion. That’s closer to a unit cost of between $2.8 and $5 million per car. Article content Below, a quick guide to some of…