CALGARY - Alberta's premier says Prime Minister Justin Trudeau needs to move swiftly to approve the Teck Frontier oilsands mine north of Fort McMurray. Jason Kenney says there is no reason to delay the go-ahead of the $20.6-billion project near Wood Buffalo National Park in northeastern Alberta. A federal-provincial review last summer determined Frontier would be in the public interest, even though it would be likely to harm the environment and Indigenous people. Kenney says the [Read more]
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Former MP Nathan Cullen appointed B.C. liaison in pipeline dispute
VICTORIA - The British Columbia government has appointed former New Democrat MP Nathan Cullen as a provincial liaison with Wet'suwet'en hereditary chiefs in an LNG pipeline dispute. Cullen represented Skeena-Bulkley Valley, a sprawling part of northern British Columbia that includes the Wet'suwet'en traditional territory, until last year when he decided not to seek re-election. The premier's office says Cullen will work with Wet'suwet'en leaders, the RCMP, Coastal GasLink, the provincial [Read more]
Oil drops below $54 as China virus drives demand concern
Crude prices extended declines on Monday, dropping below $60 for the first time in nearly three months as the death toll from China's coronavirus rose and more businesses were forced to shut down, stoking expectations of slowing oil demand. U.S. crude was down by 94 cents, or 1.75%, at $53.28. Brent crude fell by $1.14 a barrel, or 1.88%, to $59.50. Global stock exchanges also fell as investors grew increasingly anxious about the widening crisis. Demand spiked for safe-haven assets, [Read more]
Politics & PR: January 29th panel discussion to examine the PR moves, issues and implications of the 2019 federal election campaign and beyond
Calgary, AB, January 27, 2019 – CPRS Calgary, the local chapter of the Canadian Public Relations Society, will host a thought-provoking event that will be of interest to PR and communications professionals as well as Calgary business leaders who would like to understand more about the internal workings of politics, PR, and the democratic process. The event takes place from 5:00 to 8:00 p.m. MST, on Wednesday, January 29, 2020, and is open to all CPRS members and non-members. Appetizers and free [Read more]
TBar1 Transport Ltd. expands pipeyard and equipment hauling to Elk Point, AB
Some good news for the Patch Earlier this month, TBar1 Transport Ltd. expanded it’s pipeyard and equipment hauling to Elk Point, AB. In TBar1’s continued commitment to our customers and industry we chose to step into growth in efforts to keep producer costs down and better serve its clients. The expansion includes an 8 Ton picker, 25 Ton picker, trailers, pipe yard, and provides an improved regional presence that better serves producers north of the river including Bonnyville, Elk Point, [Read more]
Canada weekly rig count remains at 244 from last week
Canada’s fleet of active drilling rigs remained at 244 since last week according to data from Baker Hughes. Total drilling count was 244 at January 24. 154 rigs were drilling for oil; 90 for natural gas. The drilling activity in Alberta rose from 170 to 171 since last week. Saskatchewan’s drilling shrank from 52 to 51 rigs. View a full breakdown of Western Canada’s rig activity. [Read more]
Encana completes corporate restructuring to Ovintiv, shift to U.S.
CALGARY - Encana Corp. says it has completed its corporate reorganization under the new name Ovintiv Inc. The shake-up also includes technically moving the company to be U.S.-based, though the company says the move won't change how the Calgary-based company runs its day-to-day activities. Company CEO Doug Suttles said in announcing the change that the domicile move to the U.S. would give the company access to larger pools of investment in U.S. index funds and passively managed accounts, as [Read more]
U.S. drillers add oil rigs for second week in a row
U.S. energy firms added oil rigs for a second consecutive week, raising doubts over producers' plans to continue reducing spending on new drilling for a second year in a row in 2020. Companies added three oil rigs in the week to Jan. 24, bringing the total count to 676, energy services firm Baker Hughes Co said in its closely followed report on Friday. In the same week a year ago, there were 862 active rigs. The oil rig count, an early indicator of future output, dropped in 2019 after [Read more]
Oil falls 2% as specter of China virus threatens fuel demand
Oil prices fell 2% on Friday on concern that the spread of a virus from China could lower fuel demand if it stunts economic growth, but losses were limited by a drawdown in U.S. crude inventories. U.S. West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude ended down $1.15, or 2%, at $54.59 a barrel. Brent crude futures fell $1.17, or 1.9%, to settle at $61.00 a barrel. Two Chinese cities were put in lockdown on Thursday as health authorities around the world scrambled to prevent a global pandemic. The [Read more]
Frack Shack Inc. announces acquisition of operating assets of the Sandtinel group of companies
Acheson, Alberta, January 23, 2020—Frac Shack Inc. (Frac Shack) announced that it has acquired all the operating assets of the Sandtinel Group of Companies (Sandtinel) for an undisclosed amount. Frac Shack will fund the purchase with cash and debt. All Sandtinel employees have also agreed to join the new entity, called Sand Separation Technologies Inc. “Bringing these companies together allows us to continue on our journey to change the world of energy. Both companies have excelled in [Read more]