The National Post reports in its Saturday, Nov. 15, edition that in late August, Mark Carney launched the Major Projects Office to streamline regulatory approvals and facilitate financing for projects in the national interest. The Post's John Ivison writes that the recent announcement, however, of mining and infrastructure ventures in British Columbia suggests that factors beyond economic returns are taking precedence. Macdonald-Laurier Institute's Heather Exner-Pirot says, "The [MPO] is obviously more about financing projects than moving along the regulatory process." Of the six projects named by Mr. Carney on Thursday, only one -- Crawford Nickel in Northern Ontario -- appears mired in regulatory red tape. The Impact Assessment Agency wrote to the proponent, the Canada Nickel Company, last May saying that the environmental impact statement the company submitted a year ago did not provide the required information on the effect on fish habitat and downstream contamination. Only after the company submits that information can an impact assessment take place. After reading the IAA letter, it is hard to bet on the mine's approval, even with the high demand for nickel.