China’s fast-growing renewable energy sector, and others driven by Western government policy: experts
Largely fuelled by government policies from around the world, the renewable-energy industry is growing globally and has got people rhetorically clashing over whether the trend is a good or bad one. The International Renewable Energy Agency published its annual review in May, reporting that the number of jobs in the renewable-energy industries from all […]
Hard questions about petro-state economics
The Government of Canada accuses anyone who opposes their frantic development of the oilsands of blocking economic growth. Finance Minister Joe Oliver says failing to get Alberta’s bitumen to market will lead us “down the path of economic decline, higher unemployment, [and] limited funds for social programs.” The Finance minister’s point obscures some troubling […]
We need to do better at solving labour market needs of oilsands
Human capital is an important factor in the success of any company. It is also one of the chief components driving productivity and competitiveness for a successful national economy. There is perhaps no better example of the value of it than in the oilsands. With an increasing need for human capital, the present and […]
Political leadership missing on oilsands development
Canadians are increasingly aware of both the challenges and the benefits of developing our oil and gas sector. Whether we’re talking about jobs, extraction and upgrading, or health, safety, and environmental protection, Canada stands at the forefront of these challenges, and we can be on the cutting edge of finding solutions. When it comes […]
Senate Energy Committee applauds NEB’s leadership on safety culture: Neufeld
When the Standing Senate Committee on Energy, the Environment and Natural Resources began writing its ‘Moving Energy Safely’ report, no one imagined the nightmare that was about to unfold in Lac-Mégantic, Que. But when an unmanned train carrying crude oil derailed and exploded last July, the devastating loss of life and destruction brought the […]
Report says pipelines pose big risks, small gains for Quebec
A recent report arguing that delivering oilsands crude through Quebec is all risk and little gain is grounded in a faulty analysis, says Youri Chassin, economist and research director at the free-market-oriented Montreal Economic Institute. In June, energy consulting firm The Goodman Group, Greenpeace Canada, and Équiterre published a report outlining the costs and […]
Industry wary of labour crunch, immigration could be solution, experts say
Oilsands expansion and retiring workers are straining Alberta’s labour market with many recommending immigration as a solution to draw skilled workers. According to a May 2014 report by the Petroleum Human Resources Council (PHRC)—an industry group whose members include the Canadian Association of Petroleum Producers and the Canadian Energy Pipeline Association—the quantity of labour […]
Canada challenges international commission’s authority to investigate tailings pond leakage in oilsands
The federal government continues to dispute the ability of the international Commission on Environmental Cooperation to investigate claims that Environment Canada is failing to enforce the Fisheries Act in the oilsands. The Commission on Environmental Cooperation (CEC) requested a response from the federal government in December following a three-year review of claims by Environmental […]
Canadian Natural Resources Ltd. expands Horizon oilsands
Taking advantage of a relative slowdown in northern Alberta’s construction market, Canadian Natural Resources Ltd. (CNRL) has decided to further expand its Horizon oilsands operation by adding another $400-million to its initially planned $2.5-billion investment. The Calgary-based company owns a variety of oil and gas operations around the world, including in North America, Europe’s […]
Keystone XL costs grow as Obama waits, risk spiralling out of control if delays persist
The proposed $5.3-billion Keystone XL Ltd. pipeline has been following all of its regulatory requirements, says economist Jack Mintz, but the political delays may cause the project’s costs to grow out of control. Governments typically regulate the pipeline industry by requiring tolls to approved based on a certain minimum rate of return permitted to […]
