Having spent seven years in my early career as an on-site executive of Great Canadian Oil Sands (now Suncor) – Canada’s pioneer developer and first successful extractor of oil from this massive all-Canadian resource – I feel compelled to comment on the increasing tendency by many to criticize this economic crown jewel. Not one Canadian […]
Can new technology ease concerns over pipeline safety?
Who could have ever imagined that North America would surpass Saudi Arabia as the world’s largest producer of oil and natural gas liquids? A decade ago, that would have seemed laughable. Yet that’s exactly what has happened; and it’s not just Saudi Arabia that has been left in North America’s dust — Russia has, too. […]
Shell fits final module on Alberta oil sands’ first carbon capture project
Shell Canada has fitted the final module at the first carbon capture and storage project in Alberta’s oil sands, putting start-up on track for 2015. The Quest CCS project, now 70 percent complete, is being built with funding from the Alberta and Canadian federal government to help mitigate greenhouse gas emissions from the oil sands. […]
Shell says Canada oil sands projects may not meet waste targets
The head of Royal Dutch Shell’s Canadian unit says the company may not be able to meet promised targets for reducing toxic wastes from oil sands Shell, which operates two major oil sands surface mines in Alberta, had committed to cutting the amount of waste generated by its Canadian heavy oil extraction projects, but producers […]
Comment: Fracking has never contaminated drinking water
Claims that hydraulic fracturing has contaminated drinking water are not supported by the facts. In truth, provincial regulations and industry operating practices work to protect drinking water aquifers and surface water. Data collected by the BC Oil and Gas Commission, the provincial regulator, shows none of the approximately 9,000 wells hydraulically fractured in the province […]
Legal battle grows against Northern Gateway pipeline
Normally when we hear about the Northern Gateway pipeline one aspect of the project that comes up is it will create jobs. So it might surprise you to know the country’s largest private sector union is joining the growing list of groups going to court to stop the pipeline. “The Northern Gateway pipeline brings sky-high […]
Comment: Time to invest in better protections for Canada’s intellectual property
Recently in Report on Business, General Electric Co. CEO Jeffrey Immelt outlined his company’s ambitious plan to enter the Canadian energy marketplace and make the oil sands globally competitive in terms of greenhouse gas emissions. He even suggested his company could take a co-operative approach to the management of their intellectual property rights (IPR) and […]
Canada’s economy buoyed by hike in oil
Fighting in Iraq has crude oil prices on the rise. As a result, some Canadian economists say our country stands to benefit. Although Scotiabank commodity market specialist Patricia Mohr feels a hike in prices will have a “two-pronged impact.” Adding, “on the positive side, it really bolsters earnings for Western Canada’s oil industry, but also […]