Northern Gateway pipeline wins praise at the show
Global Petroleum Show exhibitors agree with execs in newspaper ad
BY DAN HEALING, CALGARY HERALD JUNE 12, 2014
The Oil Issue Is All About China's pressure And Its Interest In Gaining A Foothold In Canada [5th Column Tactics]
Albatros Aircraft vice-president Joe Viveiros poses with a $7-million executive helicopter at the Global Petroleum Show on Thursday. He said approval of the Northern Gateway pipeline will be good for his business.
Photograph by: Colleen De Neve , Calgary Herald
CALGARY — Support for the Northern Gateway pipeline flowed from a who’s who of the business world and was echoed on the floor of the Global Petroleum Show in Calgary on Thursday.
A full-page newspaper ad running nationwide declared projects of national significance like the Enbridge Inc. project can “become the catalyst for new and better standards” for industry.
The ad was signed by more than three dozen business leaders including several federal Conservative politicians, Metis Nation of B.C. president Bruce Dumont and former federal Liberal minister and Newfoundland premier, Brian Tobin, now vice-chairman of BMO Financial Group.
Joe Viveiros, vice-president with Calgary-based Albatros Aircraft Corp., which stationed a posh twin-engined executive helicopter worth $7 million in Hall D of the Global Petroleum Show, said pipelines and helicopters go together.
“Helicopters are used in remote areas and if you are putting in a pipeline, you are not putting it along the road,” he pointed out. “Helicopters are used to bring in crews and materials and then, after it’s completed, for inspections, to detect leaks, whether it’s gas or oil.”
The company has been operating a helicopter and fixed-wing charter service from Calgary since 2005.
The federal cabinet has until next Tuesday to announce its final decision on the project that would deliver Alberta crude to a marine terminal on the coast for export to Asia.
“I think these pipelines need to go through just for our economy. It’s a very important part,” agreed show exhibitor Neil Rasmussen, president of Bri-Steel Manufacturing.
The three-year-old company was established to commercialize a Chinese technology which uses thermal induction to stretch steel tubes imported from China into large-diameter seamless pipe. The company spent over $8 million to build its plant in Edmonton that employs about 70 people.
At a booth for Illinois-based steel-forging shop Scot Forge, salesman Rick Staley of Houston said he fears U.S. President Barack Obama’s indecision over the controversial Keystone XL pipeline will hurt America’s status as preferred customer for Canadian crude.
“Unfortunately, being from the United States, Northern Gateway is great for Canada; but it’s awful for the United States,” he said.
“If our president was a little more open-minded and supportive, examined the issues a little better, he would change his mind. Why not share in the wealth of Canadian oil and Canadian oilsands? It doesn’t make any sense.”
James Zhang, vice general manager for North America for China-based Jereh International, presided over an enormous outdoor booth full of portable heavy oilfield equipment manufactured in China. He agreed the pipeline would help the Canadian oilpatch.
“It will affect the market,” he said. “In Canada, it’s a very big resource. China is a very big market. I believe we will have a long-term relationship in the future.”
Cameron Bowie, director of business development for Alta-Fab Structures Ltd. of Nisku, just south of Edmonton, said construction of the pipeline would help ensure continued work for the 400 people his company employs to make modular workforce accommodation units.
“As far as how that impacts our business, they’re going to need 10,000 beds for the labour force over three to five years. And we’ll get a piece of that action,” he said.
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