Canadian Pipeliners Celebrate 58th Annual Convention

Delegates from Canada’s oil and gas pipeline industry gathered June 3-7 in Whistler, British Columbia, to discuss the state of the petroleum supply and the future of installation projects during the 58th annual convention of the Pipe Line Contractors Association of Canada (PLCAC), attracting more than 350 people to the event.

At the annual General Meeting, 2011-2012 PLCAC president Nick de Koning delivered his President’s Message, while John Carruthers, president of Enbridge Northern Gateway Pipelines Inc., presented on the much-anticipated Northern Gateway Pipeline project.

During the Business Development Session, Dr. Michael Economides spoke about the world supply of oil and what to expect regarding the future of oil. The Executive Development Session featured motivational speaker Warren Macdonald, an Australian-born environmentalist, explorer, mountain climber, motivational speaker and writer, who survived an incident in April 1997 when giant boulder fell on his legs while hiking.

David Kavanaugh, president of O.J. Pipelines Canada, was inducted as the 2012-2013 PLCAC president during the convention’s evening gala event on June 7. Kavanaugh takes over for 2011-2012 president Nick de Koning, president of Robert B. Somerville Co. Ltd.

Canada’s pipeline industry made many achievements and faces many challenges ahead. The PLCAC Convention speakers highlighted the industry’s successes and addressed the needs for the future. De Koning kicked things off with his President’s Message during the General Meeting, who reported that the PLCAC had strengthened its relations with its stakeholders, leading to an increased presence for union pipeline contractors.

Also during the General Meeting, industry speaker John Carruthers, president of Enbridge Northern Gateway Pipelines, gave a presentation about the proposed $5.5 billion dollar Northern Gateway Pipeline, a project that involves the construction of a twin pipeline system that would run from near Edmonton, Alberta, to a new marine terminal in Kitimat, British Columbia. World demand could be met through the project, Carruthers said, and it would create many jobs, both directly and indirectly, throughout Canada.

Each year at the PLCAC Convention, the association presents the 2011 Safety Award Winners and Future Leader Award Winner for 2012. The James L. Abraham Pipeline Construction Safety Awards Program recognizes member companies that have distinguished themselves in respect to exemplary safety performance and safety records over the past year.

Awards were given in the categories of Mainline Pipeline Construction, Distribution Pipeline Construction, Specialty Contractor Transportation, Specialty Contractor Over 20,000 Hours and Specialty Contractor Under 20,000 Hours. Winners include O.J. Pipelines Canada, Link-Line Contractors Ltd., Triple Random Inc., Michels Canada Co. and Academy Construction and Maintenance Ltd.

The winner of the 2012 Jack Cressey Future Leader Award was Ryan Hoyle of Aecon Infrastructure Group. The award was presented at the PLCAC Convention on June 7.

Next year’s 59th annual PLCAC Convention will be in Montreal, May 12-16, 2013, at Fairmont The Queen Elizabeth.