There has been a recent and unprecedented push to transport Canada’s land-locked oil sands to international markets via pipeline access to tidewaters. Kinder Morgan’s Trans Mountain Expansion Project (TMEP), proposing to transport crude oil from north of Edmonton, Alberta to Burnaby, British Columbia, has received significant media and public attention due to vocal opposition. Using TMEP as a case study, I examine whether current public engagement practices in large-scale energy development projects in Canada are meeting public expectations. Results of the study reveal that despite high levels of participation in the National Energy Board (NEB) regulatory review, significant gaps exist between public values and the review process in the areas of (1) Climate Change, (2) Environmental and Economic Risk; and, (3) Process Legitimacy. Such gaps have eroded public confidence in the ability of the NEB to make a decision in the interest of the public. I conclude this study with recommendations developed to address the deficiencies in the current public engagement approach used by the NEB.