Managing the challenges to Alberta’s oil and gas industry in 2020 has proven to be daunting for the current Alberta government. In 2019, post-election, the government was tasked with addressing Alberta’s thousands of inactive oil and gas wells - changing how those wells are managed and overhauling how that work is paid for including a request for federal funds. The government had been ready to finalize new policy in March this year when the COVID-19 pandemic struck, along with the “fairly … [Read more...]
Column: Net zero moonshot – ripping the Canadian social fabric & designed to fail cynicism
This week, industry champions Peter Tertzakian and Jackie Forrest took on the daunting task of inviting meaningful discussion with the Honorable Seamus O’Regan, Minister of Natural Resources and Member of Parliament in the same Federal Government that has so doggedly obstructed, opposed, and over-regulated the Western Canadian Oil and Gas Industry for the last five years. It was a breath-taking exercise in restraint and civility in an attempt to truly communicate the urgency of the need for … [Read more...]
Bill 12 – Proposed changes to the Orphan Well Association to keep Industry jobs and protect the Environment
An interesting bill has been proposed and debated in the Alberta legislature April 1, 2020 - Bill 12, the Liabilities Management Statutes Amendment Act 2020. Bill 12 is proposed to support economic activity in the energy sector considering job losses due to COVID-19 and the recent oil price wars. According to Jason Nixon, Alberta government house leader… “We continue to prioritize the health, safety, security and economic interests of all Albertans during this unprecedented time. We know … [Read more...]
Column: Forward into a New Decade of Canadian Vulnerability Op Ed
Canadians used to brag that putting a Canadian flag on their backpacks in Europe guaranteed a warm and friendly reception from locals across Europe. Canada enjoyed a cheerful innocence in contrast to the “ugly American” stereotypes that resonated around the world. We seemed left out of the grimy world of geopolitics – playing the “good guys”. We were the UN peacekeepers in blue berets, maintaining peace and security and protecting human rights around the globe for many years- setting an example … [Read more...]
Stand-off over Coastal GasLink, Attacks on Canadian Energy, Provincial Rights and ESG push from Investors? Alberta’s Energy Minister Sonya Savage has the answers
With ongoing defiance of injunctions and protestors declaring they have no intentions to end the rail blockades quietly, the standoff over the Coastal GasLink Pipeline was on everyone’s mind as Alberta Energy Minister Sonya Savage took the podium at a PJVA event in Calgary last week. The Minister pulled no punches as she addressed the blockades and other critical issues in the Canadian Energy sector. “Canada is in peril as railways and ports are shut down. Workers across the country have been … [Read more...]
“It’s time to link arms with Canadians across the Country“ says Opposition Finance Critic MP Pierre Poilievre.
Federal MP Pierre Poilievre brought a message of solidarity for the Canadian Energy sector in his address to a breakfast crowd at the Calgary Petroleum Club last week saying “ It’s time to link arms with Canadians across the country … little by little, we are winning over national support from Canadians coast to coast. You have allies across this country “. He strongly affirmed that Alberta’s problems are not market-related – they are entirely political, and he stressed that when damage is … [Read more...]
Unleashing our economy: Rewarding energy workers and businesses- The Canadian Energy Industry in the 2020s with Pierre Poilievre
Pierre Poilievre has unique perspective on the current challenges facing the Canadian Energy Industry. He was born a year before the National Energy Program came into effect in Canada and grew up watching the impact of the Federal government’s destructive economic measures on the province of Alberta and on people’s livelihood. As a six term MP in Ottawa, he has had a ringside seat for government action (and inaction) as global competition for energy markets ramped up to a rapid pace by 2020. He … [Read more...]
An interview with a former TransCanada executive on Canada’s pipeline bottlenecks, carbon pricing, Bill C-69 and more
Dennis McConaghy was for many years an executive with TransCanada. He now spends his time as an author (most recently of Dysfunction: Canada After Keystone XL) and commentator on energy and carbon issues in Canada. I spoke with Mr. McConaghy about a range of topics current to Canada’s oil and gas business and in the below Q & A interview, his observations are wide and many. McCall: What is the biggest frustration facing Alberta oil and gas in a year of big frustrations? McConaghy: As a … [Read more...]
