Snaking along mostly underground, for decades pipelines have been a rarely thought of fact of life in Western Canada and, indeed, the entire nation. They carried the economic life’s blood of the West to market and, while a line carrying gas or oil might occasionally burst, landowners were by and large more concerned about getting adequate – and annual – revenue from the pipeline companies.

Not any more. Recent controversy surrounding pipelines planned by Enbridge Northern Gateway, Keystone XL and Kinder Morgan has brought a myriad of environmental and safety issues to the forefront, polarizing the industry and the communities affected by it.

The nation has rarely if ever seen the level of controversy that surrounds the Northern Gateway pipeline stretching from the Alberta tar sands to BC’s west coast. Public hearings that are part of the Joint Review Panel process have become theatre, with environmentalists and other objecting stakeholders mounting a concerted campaign to torpedo the twin-line project, which would send product to an LNG (liquid natural gas) plant being constructed in Kitimat and return condensate to northern Alberta for use in the oilfields there. Not only Enbridge but also Ottawa and the supportive provincial governments of BC and Alberta have come under attack from those who say the environment would be needlessly threatened by an industry some characterize as being focused solely on its own self interest.

Significantly, the municipalities of Whistler, Prince Rupert, Terrace and Smithers, and the regional district of Skeena-Queen Charlotte have passed resolutions opposing the project, joining many First Nations. The Nuxalk First Nation recently pulled out of the pipeline review process, while other nations have refused to intervene all together. The Nuxalk say the Joint Review Panel has no mandate to consult with First Nations, and there has been no clarity provided by the federal government about how it will consult on issues that fall outside of the Joint Review Panel process. The withdrawal is seen as a sign that the federal government is mishandling its relationship with First Nations, including its statements that it will change the rules for the Enbridge pipeline hearings retroactively, which some say may further compromise the regulatory review process.

“How can we participate in a process driven by a government that has labeled us ‘socially dysfunctional’?” said Charlie Nelson, a Nuxalk hereditary chief, referring to recent statements by Natural Resources Minister Joe Oliver. “Where is the honour in the Crown stating that it’s prepared to violate our constitutionallyprotected title and rights before the work of gathering information on the scope of infringement is even done?”

Also, public hearings in the coastal community of Bella Bella, home of the Heiltsuk First Nation, were delayed after a peaceful community demonstration against the proposed Enbridge project with drumming and singing at the airport.

But against this backdrop of controversy, what does this industry mean to our economy and, indeed, that of the entire nation? How can the interests of business and the environment be balanced? As media, including social media and the blogosphere, are utilized in concerted messaging attempts, that question now occupies a place that is front-and-centre in the Canadian psyche.

This is big business. According to the Canadian Energy Pipeline Association (CEPA), the value of Canadian crude oil and natural gas exports in 2009 exceeded $60 billion. The 100,000 kilometres of existing Canadian pipelines carry more than 15 billion cubic feet of natural gas and 3.2 million barrels of oil each day – 97 per cent of the gas and oil transported in this country. The industry employs 6,000 people and pays taxes of more than $800 million annually.

“Pipelines are the safest, most economically and environmentally sound way of transporting crude oil and natural gas to market,” said CEPA spokesman Phillippe Reicher. “Transmission pipelines are extremely safe but not risk free, so we continue to work on improving our performance in the areas of pipeline integrity and emergency management for example.”

Spectra Energy, including previous incarnations as Duke Energy and Westcoast Transmission, has a wealth of pipeline experience – a century in Ontario and 55 years in British Columbia. And Gary Weilinger, Spectra’s Canada West vice-president of strategic development and external affairs, said the company’s core business is simple: “We like to keep what’s in the pipe in the pipe”.

He said pipelines are built and designed to the highest standards of safety and reliability and Spectra Energy spends $250 million annually to maintain the safety of its Canadian system. There is an immediate 24/7 response by highly trained personnel in the event of an emergency and pipeline integrity is continually managed once installed with extensive maintenance protection protocols that include high quality pipe coatings, routine patrols, and leak and corrosion detection systems.

“Committed to operating and maintaining the pipeline system in a manner that protects the people, the environment and the communities in which Spectra Energy operates, and to be compliant with all applicable standards and regulations,” Weilinger said, adding that Spectra has been using inline “smart” tool inspection since the early 1970s.

While he decried much of what is trumpeted in various blogs as “stupid stuff”, Weilinger said the industry needs to do a better job of getting its messages out to a public being buffeted by wrong or misleading information, dispelling the rumours with the truth. “We need to step up our game. They’re winning,” he said, adding that Spectra is developing strategies to get the correct information out to the public, through a variety of mechanisms that include media messaging and displays at community trade shows.

“People don’t really know lots about pipelines and we need to dispel the common misperceptions,” he said.

Contrary to much of what is being said by opponents, “Pipelines . . . have never been safer,” said CEPA’s Reicher. “Over the past 10 years, on federally regulated pipelines, our member companies’ failure rate averaged approximately 0.3 per 1,000 kilometres of pipeline. Pipeline incidents are extremely rare.”

Nor does Reicher think the industry operates in isolation, riding roughshod over the concerns of others. He said the pipeline industry works closely with environmental, aboriginal communities, landowners and other stakeholders to ensure conservation, environmental protection and land access. “CEPA promotes the use of world-class environmental management systems and our member companies performance in this area is also world-class. Over 83 per cent of landowners, according to an Ipsos- Reid survey, had a favourable opinion of the energy pipeline companies passing through their land.

“Our industry is working very hard to try and dispel any misunderstanding with respect to pipeline safety and operations,” he said. “We encourage open dialogue with all our stakeholders and would welcome the opportunity to explain the facts. Pipelines are the safest form of transportation in moving large volumes of crude oil and natural gas over land. Our member companies operate pipeline systems every day using over 100,000 kilometres of pipe and there is rarely an incident. However, in the extremely rare chance that a pipeline would leak, our member companies can respond immediately using the best available technologies to restore pipeline systems and the environment. The pipeline systems are monitored 24 hours a day, seven days a week.”

Reicher said good safety and environmental performance go hand-inhand and he stressed that CEPA member companies have built an “outstanding” pipeline system to transport energy in the safest and most environmentally sound way, “and there is no reason for us to believe that these practices would not continue to exist for future pipeline projects”.

He said the real issues go beyond just pipeline safety. “We believe that the controversy associated with large pipeline projects such as Northern Gateway and Keystone XL relate to the broader issue of climate change where, in fact, concerns with pipeline safety are concerns with the products these pipelines carry, such as the oil sands.”

Citing a reliability rate of major transmission pipelines in Canada that sits at 99.9 per cent, Reicher said, “You will not find a better performance in any other transportation sector. Pipelines are and will remain the safest way to transport oil and gas products over long distances.”

Enbridge’s Gateway Pipeline project has been a lightning rod for differences between the industry and environmentalists and other stakeholders. Virtually every environmental group has come out against the project citing potential threats from pipeline breaks and further risks associated with tankers shipping the product along the BC coastline to Asian markets.

“We don’t believe Gateway should be built,” insisted Will Koop, co-ordinator of the Canadian Tapwater Alliance, one of those groups. “There are too many problems with it.”

He said Enbridge wants to “break” the 40-year-old moratorium on tanker traffic along the West Coast and doesn’t care that its pipeline would create hazards to the freshwater systems along its route, “critical ecosystems” that are a source of drinking water for many communities. Citing difficulties local officials had getting industry reparation money after the Pine River pipeline break near Chetwynd, BC a decade ago, Koop said pipeline companies including Kinder Morgan with their TransMountain Pipeline in Southern BC should have to post bonds as high as $50 million to ensure money is available to repair damage they may cause.

Such opposition doesn’t surprise Enbridge’s senior communications strategist Todd Nogier. “When it comes to the scope and size of Northern Gateway, a $5.5 billion pipeline and marine terminal and the largest private-sector infrastructure project in British Columbia’s history, it is inevitable that you get attention,” he said.

Nogier said opposition to Northern Gateway, as well as the Keystone XL pipeline and others has really come from just a minority. “This vocal minority has, in no small part, been mobilized by a collection of well-funded, well-organized environmental activist organizations.

“It’s also important for Canadians to understand the strategic goals of organizations opposed to Gateway and other export pipelines. Michael Brune, the executive director of the Sierra Club, was quoted in the New York Times recently explaining that opposition to pipeline projects ‘is part of a broader effort to stop the expansion of the tar sands. It is based on choking off the ability to find markets for tar sands oil’.”

The reality is that a largely silent majority supports these pipelines, said Nogier. A recent Ipsos Reid poll done for Enbridge found that 48 per cent of British Columbians support Northern Gateway, compared to 32 per cent who are opposed. In that same survey, support for Northern Gateway jumps to 55 per cent in Northern BC, where familiarity with the project is highest.

“It’s our belief that people’s concerns decrease as they learn the facts about what we’re proposing and our commitment to safeguard the environment and the interests of all stakeholders,” he said.

“Clearly the public is getting an inaccurate view of the extent of the opposition to Northern Gateway and, likely, pipelines in general.”

Nogier and other Enbridge officials recognize that the most common concern raised with respect to Northern Gateway’s proposed pipeline system is the likelihood of an oil release and, if one occurs, the likely resulting environmental damage.

“We take those concerns very seriously and work very hard to provide Canadians with the facts on the extent of risk related to pipeline operations,” he said. “Spills have occurred, generating concern among the public. But Canadians should note that the reality is (that) pipelines are the safest and most efficient way of transporting large amounts of oil. Given the volume of crude oil and petroleum products Enbridge transports, spills are rare.”

He cited figures indicating that in 2010 Enbridge transported more than 950 million barrels of petroleum products with a safety record of 99.99 per cent. Most of the spills Enbridge experiences on their liquids pipeline system are small and take place at company facilities such as pump stations and terminals, he said.

“As a result, we are able to clean them up quickly and they have either low or no environmental impact,” he said. “For example, 83 of the 89 spills we experienced in 2009 (the last year for which we have a detailed breakdown) involved fewer than 100 barrels of product, and 80 of these spills (about threequarters of our total spill volume) were contained within Enbridge facilities.

“That said, our goal is zero spills and we are working very hard, and spending very considerable dollars, to avoid spills.”

Public engagement has become a priority for Enbridge and other pipeline companies. While they acknowledge that the task is difficult, educating the public on the real extent of risk associated with pipelines and the benefits of transporting that energy, it has become a major objective for the company and the industry.

“Given the increasing scrutiny on our industry, it is important that pipeline operators understand what concerns Canadians most and to respectfully remind them of the benefits of oil and the transportation of energy,” said Nogier, adding that Enbridge has engaged in thousands of meetings of varying sizes with thousands of Canadians to talk about the issues and to ensure there is a clear understanding of the risk versus benefit related to the industry.

“Our way of life, our standard of living, depends heavily on our availability of energy and our ability to transport energy vast distances from where the resources are developed, to where they are needed.”

Nogier said it’s vital to recognize energy trade’s position as the cornerstone of Canada’s economy. In 2010 Canada’s single largest export was crude oil – $50 billion worth – and nearly all of that went to just one customer – the United States. As senior governments and industry seek to facilitate trade with Asian markets and others, they are hampered by the lack of an outlet to access tidewater (marine transport). That dependence has begun to cost Canadian energy producers greatly; some estimate $50 million a day.

“This is due to a confluence of factors including pipeline constraints in the US, flatlining demand Stateside and the fact Canada has no outlet to sell its most important export to where demand is greatest – Asia,” Nogier said. “Northern Gateway would give Canadian producers, and Canada, that option.”

Economists have predicted that an outlet to Asia via Northern Gateway would provide the following benefits: $270 billion in GDP over 30 years; $400 million in employment and contracts for aboriginal communities and businesses; $4.3 billion of labour-related income across Canada during construction; $2.6 billion in local, provincial and federal government tax revenues; and 1,150 long-term jobs throughout the Canadian economy.

“Given the very real budgetary challenges of most levels of government, it’s important that Canada’s most lucrative export, one of its largest industries, continues to thrive to support all the things Canadians cherish – schools, health care, infrastructure, transit, the list goes on,” Nogier said. “If we don’t, all of Canada will suffer.

“Northern Gateway is a nationbuilding infrastructure project.”

While organizations need an influx of fresh ideas, their efforts may be hindered as staff are often too busy juggling their day-to-day responsibilities and dealing with problems that arise, results of a recent Robert Half survey suggest.

Nearly half (49 per cent) of chief financial officers (CFOs) interviewed blamed being bogged down with daily tasks or putting out fires as the greatest barrier to their company being more innovative.

The survey, developed by Robert Half International, was conducted by an independent research firm and is based on interviews with more than 270 CFOs from a stratified random sample of Canadian companies with 20 or more employees.

CFOs were asked, “What is the greatest barrier to your company being more innovative?” Their responses:

• Being bogged down in daily tasks/
putting out fire……………………….49%
• Too much bureaucracy……………..9%
• Lack of new ideas……………………..5%
• Ineffective leadership………………..2%
• Other………………………………….6%
• Don’t know/no answer…………….29%

“All professionals deal with solving problems and handling daily tasks, but they also need to make setting aside time for generating new ideas a priority,” said Kathryn Bolt, president of Robert Half Canada.

“Managers should regularly encourage their staff to break away from their routines and develop innovative programs that will benefit the business,” Bolt added. “To give staff time to accomplish this, managers can work with their teams to reprioritize projects and also bring in additional support during peak activity periods.”

Robert Half offers six tips for inspiring innovation among work teams:

1. Engage the entire team. Empowered employees tend to be more innovative because they have a bigger emotional stake in the firm’s success. Cultivate a culture in which staff at all levels can easily share solutions for improving the business. Maintain an open-door policy and also encourage people to offer ideas in meetings, through an internal website or even an old-fashioned suggestion box.

2. Remove the red tape. Examine internal processes to ensure company procedures aren’t generating unnecessary red tape. Employees become disillusioned when they put their time and energy into devising ingenious ideas only to wait forever for them to be approved and implemented.

3. Keep it collaborative. A healthy level of competition between employees can spur innovation. But if a workplace becomes too competitive, team members may be reluctant to speak up for fear that their suggestions will either be stolen or ridiculed. Create policies that support the open exchange of information and a team-first atmosphere.

4. Build a better brainstorm. Too many potentially great ideas are discarded prematurely in brainstorming meetings. Rein in the nay-sayers who relish in saying why novel proposals won’t work. Support “blue-sky thinking”.

5. Give ‘em a break. Burnout does not beget brilliance. When employees are consistently overworked, they’re likely to have more “uh-oh” than “a-ha!” moments. Implement programs that promote work-life balance, and consider bringing in temporary professionals during peak activity periods to keep your team fresh and focused.

6. Seek inspiration. As a leader, you set the tone. You’ll have difficulty motivating staff to ignite creative sparks if you’re feeling uninspired yourself. Research shows a person in a relaxed, positive mood has more innovative thoughts. Feeling the pressure? Occasionally get away from your desk and unplug by going for a head-clearing stroll.

Within a month two major energy firms should be deciding if they will embark on a project that would see a Gas-To-Liquids (GTL) plant being built somewhere in northwestern Alberta or northeastern British Columbia.

South Africa’s Sasol Ltd. and Talisman Energy Inc. last year formed a joint partnership that involved Sasol buying into Talisman’s operations in the Montney Basin and exploring the feasibility of siting a GTL plant capable of processing up to 96,000 barrels a day in the region late in 2012. The feasibility study report is expected in June.

“We’re looking for other opportunities to monetize gas,” explained Rob Gibb, Talisman’s Manager, Corporate and Public Affairs for the GTL Project. “If this goes forward it will do more on the value added side.”

GTL takes a low-priced commodity like natural gas, now priced below $3 per gigajoule and “delinks” it from the low gas price to higher-priced liquid commodities such as diesel and naptha and its derivative deluent, a blend used for shipping bitumen, he explained. While the two giants are 50-50 partners in the feasibility study, if the study favors construction of a GTL plant then discussions about a joint venture to take it forward would be held.

Sasol, the world’s largest producer of motor fuels made from coal and gas, recently paid $1.08 billion for a 50 per cent share in Talisman’s Cypress A project, its second shale gas acquisition in less than three months, following its $1.05-billion acquisition of 50 per cent of Talisman’s Farrell Creek operation. This gives Sasol a presence in the North American shale gas market as they bet gasbased projects will be more profitable than their core business of producing motor fuels from coal. In 2007, Sasol built the world’s largest GTL plant in Qatar in a joint venture with Qatar Petroleum, and uses proprietary and world-leading Fischer-Tropsch technology to convert gas into motor fuels.

“Our culture of innovation began in the 1950s when Sasol developed our unique blend of coal gasification and technology for the original coal-to-liquids operations at Sasolburg, South Africa,” said Debbie Pietrusik, Sasol Canada’s Corporate Relations Manager.

“Today, this state-of-the-art-technology enables Sasol to use coal, natural gas or biomass feedstocks to produce a clear, clean liquid synthetic fuel for use primarily as diesel, jet fuel or chemical feedstock that is compatible with the existing fuel distribution infrastructure and modern diesel and jet engines.”

While natural gas has become a major presence in the global power generation market, until recently it lacked the versatility to address other pressing energy needs. But now, natural gas can be transformed into a range of energy and chemical products including fuels, waxes, naptha, base oils and paraffin’s.

“With the abundant and growing supply of natural gas resources in Canada, Sasol’s world-leading technology is a value-added solution to produce clean GTL fuel from a clean energy source,” Pietrusik said.

She said this development is a good fit for her company. Sasol Petroleum International (SPI) manages the upstream interests in oil and gas exploration and production in several international regions such as Mozambique, South Africa, Gabon, Nigeria, Papua New Guinea, Australia, and now in the shale deposits in British Columbia. “SPI pursues gas exploration opportunities that integrate into existing Sasol investments as well as for feedstock to potential future Sasol GTL plants,” she said.

“With Western Canada’s tremendous growth in recent years in natural gas reserves, its strong product market (especially for diesel) and its energy industry creating high demand for naphtha, the region appears ideally positioned as a location for a GTL plant.”

Those opportunities could include a GTL partnership with Sasol if the feasibility study warrants it, Gibb said. Many factors must be considered, including the risks involved in the regulatory process, along with developing capital and operational costs confidence. While he couldn’t speak about any specifics they’ve discovered in their research thus far, he did say there have been no surprises as they considered potential locations.

Among the issues that must be considered are: access to markets; capital costs; synergies with other industries; infrastructure such as pipelines, rail, roads and power; and the availability of skilled labour. While competing in the global marketplace is an obvious consideration, another is public support. Gibb explained that risks to the environment could prompt some public concerns but he said the high quality of the diesel produced from the GTL process ensures low pollution levels that are nearly sulphur free.

“I’m sure you can attract protests because of concerns about environmental impacts,” he said, “but this is very much a good news story. Overall, it’s a value-added opportunity.”

If the GTL plant goes forward, up to 7,000 construction jobs will be created, while 600-700 jobs would be required to operate it. Gibb would not give a construction cost estimate, other than to say it would be a “big ticket number”.

Ryan Gilmore was frustrated with high school and considered dropping out. Then he learned of the dual credit programs offered by the Northern Opportunities initiative and signed on to train as an automotive service technician while still in high school. Now he’s graduating with the highest mark in his course.

“It’s the best decision I’ve ever made in my life,” he said in a testimonial for the program. “I’ve got more than enough credits to graduate (high school) and I have a whole life plan ahead of me now.”

Noting that he can earn up to $50 an hour right out of school, he said, “That’s a pretty good deal.”

Northern Opportunities, developed by industry and educators in Northeastern BC, is going a long way toward addressing skills shortages and keeping students in school until graduation – and working in their home area afterward. Now, a decade after its inception, other jurisdictions are looking carefully at the program as a potential solution for their areas, too.

Northern Opportunities began to take shape through discussions with Duke (now Spectra) Energy and local educators in 2001 about how to address skilled labour shortages along with recruitment and retention issues in Northeastern BC. It was formalized by the Northeast BC Community Learning Council in 2002 to increase awareness of and participation in trades and technical careers among secondary schools in the region.

Experts even then knew that a skills and labour shortage was looming and graduation rates were plummeting as students left school early, seeking work in the oilpatch where even unskilled labour could bring six-figure wages.

“The value to students is that this allows them to start their career pathway while still in high school and receive the necessary specialized training to transition into the workplace,” said Northern Opportunities program director Cheryl Anthony. “This in turn provides a skilled workforce to meet the communities’ needs.”

The program is driven by a consortium of partners including the three school districts in Northeastern BC, aboriginal schools, Northern Lights College and local industry. Students take the regular required coursework to meet BC Graduation requirements and supplement those with dual credit course options, receiving credit towards high school graduation as well as credit at the college level.

Tuition costs are supported by the school districts and the industry partners while industry also provides assistance through scholarship and bursary awards. Some students also engage in paid work experiences while participating in dual credit programs, which helps offset training and education costs and improves accessibility to all students, Anthony said.

The success of the Northern Opportunities program cannot be denied. A study from 2006-2010 shows the dual credit graduation rate is 86.3 per cent, while the dual credit aboriginal graduation rate is 75.8. That compares favourably with the traditional graduation rate of 68 per cent (53.4 per cent for aboriginal students – especially since the traditional rates include students in dual credit programs.

The dual credit concept actually surfaced 20 years ago when a Dawson Creek student interested in a welding career with help from local educators was allowed to take a college welding program while still in high school, said Jeff Lekstrom, Dean of Instruction, Trades, Apprenticeship and Technology at Northern Lights College. “From then on he was a success. He got three ‘tickets’ and has done very well. It kept growing from there.”

Lekstrom said while the dual credit concept wasn’t new, Northern Opportunities was the “catalyst” that brought it all together. One school district acting alone didn’t have the resources to take it to the next level. Northern Opportunities did.

The program’s three primary objectives are: (1) to increase successful high school completion and transition to post-secondary education and employment by northern students; (2) to support a community-driven program which builds the capacity of students to benefit from opportunities in local industries, with an expanded focus on non-trades and continued focus on trades and technology; and (3) to provide information, support and resources to enhance student achievement. The target group is youth currently in the school system, including aboriginal students, potential dropouts, and female students who could benefit from an alternate educational delivery model. This includes those students at both ends of the learning spectrum as well as those in the middle.

Students in the program are usually in Grades 11-12 although some have begun as early as Grade 10 – if they show dedication and have the pre-requisite courses. They then take Northern Lights College courses for up to three semesters, completing with Level 1 certification in their chosen trade, sometimes even Level 2. Every trade offered at the college, up to Red Seal Certification, can be taken as a dual credit program, Lekstrom said.

“Dual credit provides a mechanism to go directly to the workplace and be valuable to employers,” he said. “It’s not a test drive. The students are dedicated and they know what they want. There are great advantages. Their jobs are generally high paying, they pay taxes and they contribute to society.”

Lekstrom said that’s in large part due to the changing requirements of the workforce. Gone are the days, he said, when it was enough to be “big and tough” to succeed in the trades. In today’s workplace, students need good grades to manage the advanced technology requirements. “Now you have to work with your head as well as your hands.”

The first phase included the development of dual credit courses to increase the number of students in trades and technology; the collection of data on key success indicators; increased information and marketing efforts (including middle school students and parents); increasing the involvement of industry partners; and securing sustainable sources of funding. A new, expanding phase is offering non-trades courses while seeking further business partners and sponsorships.

“The decision to expand into non-trades courses was one that seemed ‘a logical next step’ based on the success of our trades phase,” said Anthony.  “We wanted to provide the same opportunities to students in other vocational and academic areas in which there is also a demand for skilled workers, for example, health sciences, business, graphic arts, education, etc.”

The non-trades program includes courses in early childhood education, plus a variety of courses in arts and sciences: English, math, accounting, criminology, biology, psychology, visual arts and health sciences. The intent was to diversify opportunities for students, allowing them to get a head start on university level courses. And it’s exceeding expectations, said Steve Roe, the college’s Dean of Academic and Professional Programs, noting that one-third of the 2011 graduating class at North Peace Secondary School in Fort St. John had taken academic dual credit classes. More than 85 per cent of the students in dual credit graduated – far above the provincial norm.

“We’re almost at the saturation point,” he said. But he doesn’t see an immediate expansion to include offering every course available at the college. “We’ve seen tremendous growth over the past three years but we should appreciate the success we’ve experienced before we need to make decisions about how we grow.”

The program’s success makes it evident that more seamless education is coming for students who can more easily “ladder” from one level to the next by removing barriers, Roe said. The academic dual credit program has expended to include online courses offered in conjunction with the Northern BC Distance Education School, which allows students from other jurisdictions as far away as the BC North Coast to participate.

“We’re on the cutting edge here and this is an educational trend that’s likely to continue.”

The good work being done in this region is sparking interest in other districts. Several are following the Northern Opportunities model, though in many cases the colleges in those areas don’t have as many dual credit programs available as does Northern Lights College.

“But here, the sky’s the limit,” Lekstrom said. “There are lots of choices and limitless opportunities for our young people.”

That doesn’t mean there aren’t challenges. “The future looks great as far as program interest and enrollments go,” said Anthony. “The recruitment and retention of skilled labour is still a need in our area where the economic development and workforce opportunities are amongst the best in our country.

“Our biggest challenge is the financial sustainability of these programs. To date, with two three-year grants from the Northern Development Initiative Trust, the Northern Opportunities Partnership has been able to establish . . . more than 25 dual credit programs that are running well. But it will be difficult to maintain or grow them without designated funding.”

Nicole Schartner says she is glad to be in the Power Engineering program at GPRC (Grande Prairie Regional College) Fairview Campus not only because she enjoys the work, but because it allows her to “talk shop” with family.

The soon to be 19-year-old, whose grandfather and two uncles are also power engineers, became interested in the program right out of high school. “I went on the job with them and found out what it was all about. I liked the work itself and when I found out the schooling was short – it was even better.”

She now finds more to talk about when the family gets together.  “It’s pretty awesome!  It’s definitely better with my uncles because I can relate to them a lot more.  One uncle was pretty excited and he definitely encouraged it.  My grandpa was pretty excited but he was concerned about how I would be treated as a woman.”

As a woman in a male-dominated profession, Schartner initially found resistance when looking for a student practicum position. This challenge turned out to be a blessing in disguise when she was chosen to work elsewhere. “I ended up at Encana Sexsmith, and it’s absolutely phenomenal. I love it.”

She has found the group she works with to be a pleasure; she even bakes cookies and brings them in for her colleagues.  “I’m just turning nineteen and all the guys I work with are in their late 30s with kids. I could not have asked for anyone better to work with because these guys treat me like a niece or a daughter.”

The program offered at GPRC is expanding to a two-year flexible program, allowing candidates the option of finishing with Fourth Class, obtaining their Gas Processing certification or continuing to full Third Class Power Engineering Certification.

Brent Boutilier, Power Engineering instructor for GPRC says the industry offers plenty of variety in terms of where you can work.  “With a Power Engineer certificate (First to Fourth), there are a number of streams power engineers can go into, the biggest one being oil and gas.  But there’s also breweries, petro-chemicals, fertilizer plants, food processing plants, power generating plants and hospitals, just to name a few.  It’s needed just about everywhere.”

Schartner agrees.  “That’s what is so great about this field.  Once you have your ticket, you have a piece of paper that says you are an engineer.  You can do so many things and go wherever you want; you can even be shipped out of the country.  There are so many options that I’m not even sure where I’ll go with it.”

According to Boutilier, the industry is going to continue to grow.  “The nice thing about power engineering is once they (students) are finished building the new plants, all the construction trades go off to build another plant, but we stay there for another 40 or 50 years running it,” says Boutilier, adding that the typical salary for a power engineering graduate starts at approximately $60,000 a year and there is potential for it to grow quickly.  “I’ve got one student who’s making $120K after a year in the field,” he says.

Schartner, who will be a fourth class power engineer when she finishes her first round of schooling this spring, plans to gain her second class certification in the next six years.

“I am so glad that I got into this – it’s incredible. I think the best part is you always learn, you never stop learning and every day I go to work it’s something new.  That’s always pretty exciting when you go to work,” she says.

As for Nicole, she concluded, “I definitely made the right choice – this field is open to everyone”.

Contributed by Grande Prairie Regional College