Regina - What are the issues for the oilpatch in this federal election, as seen from the Saskatchewan Chamber of Commerce? Pipeline News asked Steve McLellan, the chamber鈥檚 CEO on Sept. 4, at the conclusion of an energy series speech by Bona Vista Energy president and CEO Jason Skehar.
McLellan said Skehar鈥檚 presentation was in partnership with the Canadian Association of Petroleum Producers 鈥渢o increase our collective energy literacy.鈥�
McLellan said, 鈥淐anadian people, particularly in Saskatchewan, need to understand the value of the sector, and when we talk to our candidates, in the upcoming election, or the provincial government that we鈥檙e very clear, this is a critical sector, and they have to make the right decisions going forward.鈥�
Asked what are the issues, from the Chamber of Commerce鈥檚 perspective, McLellan said, 鈥淔irst is certainly access. We need to get our products out to the markets, through to tidewater and so on. So getting the pipelines built is a no-brainer. It鈥檚 a record we鈥檝e heard many times, but we have to keep playing it.
鈥淭he other one, I think, is respect. I don鈥檛 think the Canadian government, or the provincial government in many provinces, I think ours does here in Saskatchewan, give the industry the full respect that they have.
鈥淢any people would be shocked to see how many people still work, every single day, at high-paying jobs, quality, high-level expertise in the oil and gas sector. We can鈥檛 forget that. Those people go home at the end of the day safely, and feeling they鈥檝e produced a good product. And yet the Canadian general public I鈥檓 not sure respects them for the work that they do. We need to gain that level of respect, and increase it.
鈥淎nd I think we need to attract innovators into the sector. We need to start to ensure that the young minds, and the old minds, but certainly the young minds that are looking for things that are environmentally friendly. This is a great sector to be engaged in, because they鈥檙e investing in energy conservation every single day,鈥� McLellan said.
鈥淚f our government can do that after the next election, we鈥檙e going to be in a much better spot.鈥�
Regarding market access, he said, 鈥淲e have two products 鈥� oil and gas. But we also have expertise. We now have oil and gas guys working around the globe. We also have innovations that are created here. We need to get them out to different jurisdictions, as was explained today by Jason (Skehar). The opportunity in second- and third-world countries, to take our technology and make energy there more effectively, and certainly more than using chunks of coal and chunks of wood. We can take our technology there. It鈥檚 expertise, and also the raw commodity. We鈥檝e got to get it to the world.鈥�
Earlier that day, the future of coal-fired power generation was discussed by the Estevan Chamber of Commerce. On that topic, McLellan said, 鈥淐oal has been, for a long time, and I think, as a natural resource, been an important one. We may stop using it to the extent that we have to produce energy, and I understand that. I think there鈥檚 some great expenditures and really great technology that has gone into clean coal. But it may not have the shelf life that many would want. But I don鈥檛 think we鈥檙e spending enough money, or enough effort, to determine what else we could use that resource for, that wouldn鈥檛 be as environmentally damaging as simply burning it. So I think that鈥檚 part of it.鈥�
He said the communities of Coronach and Estevan have been hard done by. 鈥淚 think our provincial government has sat by to some extent and watched what the federal government has done to them, instead of standing by and ensuring they鈥檙e part of the conversation. There鈥檚 a transition committee down there in the Estevan area, and I don鈥檛 think the provincial government has been as proactive and forthcoming with them as they could be, and I would encourage the provincial government to do that.
鈥淚 think the federal government has been there. I think there鈥檚 more they could do. But at the end of the day, it鈥檚 going to be about technological advancement. It鈥檚 going to be about ensuring there鈥檚 a transition from one type of the economy to another in those areas. As I鈥檝e said to the Estevan Chamber, the sign at the entrance of the city says they鈥檙e the 鈥楨nergy City.鈥� It doesn鈥檛 say they鈥檙e the oil and gas city, it doesn鈥檛 say they鈥檙e the coal city. So start to think about what that means, and what that could mean.鈥�
He suggested that wind and solar energy might be avenues to look at.
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