Perspective Research and Insight

03/22/2016

"You can't help the price of WTI. What you can help is how your brand is perceived." Pick up this month's copy of Alberta Oil and turn to page 64 to read our article on Reputational Awareness in the Return on Investment section.

01/26/2016

It should come as no surprise to anyone that Montreal Mayor Denis Coderre, speaking on behalf of Montreal municipalities, announced the region's opposition to TransCanada's Energy East pipeline project that would take bitumen from Alberta to New Brunswick. Energy has long been one of the most divisive topics in Canada's national discourse. Since the time of Pierre Trudeau's NEP, Albertans have viewed Parliament and Canada's Liberal political party with a degree of suspicion. [ 700 more words. ]

http://gainperspective.ca/434-2/

Denis Coderre, Brad Wall, and Brian Jean all have it wrong. Development of projects like Energy East need us to be constructive about Canada's energy future

11/25/2015

Its good to win one once in a while, and if anyone needed a win, it was Alberta's oil and gas sector. Alberta's climate change strategy includes a tax on carbon, a cap on oilsands emissions, a phasing out of coal-fired electricity and an emphasis on wind power. The plan comes on the heels of the the US State Department's decision to not approve the Keystone XL pipeline, a project that unravelled… [ 749 more words. ]

http://gainperspective.ca/notley-climate-change-plan/

Its good to win one once in a while, and if anyone needed a win, it was Alberta’s oil and gas sector.   Alberta’s climate change strategy includes a tax on carbon, a cap on oilsands emissions, a phasing out of coal-fired electricity and an emphasis on wind power.  The plan comes on the heels of the…

10/29/2015

Opponents of Canada's oil and gas industry scored a victory this week over news they see as vindication of a pipeline-fighting strategy that began in the United States with Keystone XL. Their burst of enthusiasm was prompted by news that Shell was shuttering an 80,000-barrel-a-day project — specifically citing the lack of pipeline infrastructure as part of the reason. As a part of the cancellation Shell will take a $2 billion charge against earnings for cancelling a project first announced in October 2013. [ 405 more words. ]

http://gainperspective.ca/shells-carmon-creek-cancellation-is-a-victory-for-anti-oilsands-campaigns/

Opponents of Canada’s oil and gas industry scored a victory this week over news they see as vindication of a pipeline-fighting strategy that began in the United States with Keystone XL. Their burst of enthusiasm was prompted by news that Shell was shuttering an 80,000-barrel-a-day project — specific…

10/21/2015

For the second time in less than a year Alberta’s Oil and Gas industry has felt the influence of a monumental political regime change. On May 5, 2015, Alberta was swept by an orange revolution that saw a forty-three year political dynasty evaporate literally overnight as the Progressive Conservative Party of Alberta was ousted by the provincial New Democratic Party. [ 772 more words. ]

http://gainperspective.ca/trudeau-alberta/

This political climate can be a rare opportunity to build new political support and become recognized as Canada’s energy industry rather than just Alberta’s

09/24/2015

Democratic Presidential hopeful Hillary Clinton's decision to not support the Keystone XL pipeline comes as another setback for Canadian infrastructure firm TransCanada Pipelines. The pipeline, the purpose of which is to connect upstream production from northern Alberta's oil sands with key refining markets in the US Gulf Coast, has become a lightning rod issue for politicians, environmental groups, and industry supporters. [ 862 more words. ]

http://gainperspective.ca/keystone-xl-and-clintons-primary-conundrum/

Clinton's recent decision to not back Keystone XL highlights the challenges associated with public opinion and a polarized political landscape in the U.S.

08/31/2015

In an interview that we did with an industry publication several months ago, we were asked, "why should the oil and gas industry be so concerned with their reputation and image at a time where sustained low oil prices are putting pressure on companies to reduce costs?". The question raised an excellent and valid point. Since last November Alberta's oil and gas industry has been hit hard by the rapid decline in oil prices spurred by oversupply from production growth in US shale oil, combined with flatter than anticipated global demand growth. [ 1111 more words. ]

http://gainperspective.ca/reputation-management-oil-industry/

Why should the oil industry be concerned with brand management at a time where sustained low oil prices are putting pressure on companies to reduce costs?

06/23/2015

Last week Enbridge Pipelines officially received its conditional "Leave to Open" for the Line 9 Pipeline that will allow Enbridge to ship crude oil from Ontario to Quebec. The conditional approval is pending the results of hydrostatic testing along three densely populated segments along the pipeline right of way. The project will essentially connect supply from western Canada to refinery demand in eastern Canada. [ 1112 more words. ]

http://gainperspective.ca/social-license-economic-risk/

Translating exposure on social risk and permission to operate into economic terms points out the challenges that Canada's Oil and Gas Industry must face.

06/11/2015

The recent controversy over Tim Horton's pulling of Enbridge's "E=" ads highlights a distinct division in how the oil and gas industry is viewed across Canada. It brings an important debate into the public consciousness and raises some interesting questions for how we consume energy... and coffee. If you've managed to avoid the media hubbub around the Tim Horton's PR nightmare, here's the Cole's Notes version of the story. [ 1290 more words. ]

http://gainperspective.ca/the-tim-hortons-and-enbridge-stir/

Controversy over Tim Hortons pulling Enbridge's ad shows divisions in how the industry is viewed and raises questions on how we consume energy... and coffee

05/28/2015

In mid-May a pipeline operated by Plains All American Pipeline spilled an estimated 2,500 barrels of oil — with about 500 barrels of sticky crude flowing into the Pacific Ocean. The Houston based company, with offices right here in Calgary, indicated that what had occurred was the worst case scenario for the spill. The pipeline infrastructure operator has had checkered history with regards to spills and pipeline safety. [ 522 more words. ]

http://gainperspective.ca/leaders-vs-laggers-in-public-perceptions/

In spite of efforts from firms to improve the image and perceptions of the Oil and Gas Industry, it remains characterized by its laggers rather than leaders.

05/14/2015

Demographics and Decisions and Millennials http://wp.me/p4AWQG-5h

Albertans overwhelmingly voted in favour of elected a new political party, and literally overnight the Progressive Conservative's forty-four year reign ended and the New Democratic Party became the provincial government in waiting. The decision was much to the disdain of many workers in Alberta's oil patch who view the New Democrats' centre-leftist positions as unsettling to the interests of the energy sector. [ 1066 more words. ]

05/06/2015

CERI 2015 Presentation http://wp.me/p4AWQG-59

On April 20, 2015, one of our key contributors, Dr Joshua Bourdage took part in a panel discussion at the CERI 2015- We Need This Discussion Conference at the Fairmont Palliser in Calgary. The panel discussed some key themes, most importantly, that the Canadian oil and oil sands industry views itself as highly competitive, energy efficient, sustainable, socially responsible and a major contributor to the well-being of the Canadian economy in general and the Alberta economy in particular. [ 80 more words. ]