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“We’re here to stay, and we’re here to make it work.” That was the message In Situ Oil Sands Alliance (IOSA) vice-chair Patricia Nelson had for the audience at a recent oilsands conference in Calgary. It was clear that Nelson, a former Alberta energy minister and finance minister, was not just speaking for the six corporations that comprise IOSA. After all, she admits she is “absolutely passionate” about the oilsands. So when she says, “We’re here to stay,” one can be pretty sure that she means the entire industry.

Late in January 2010, ConocoPhillips and Total announced the sanction of an 83,000-barrel-per-day expansion of the Surmont in situ project, followed in short order by Husky Energy's news that it expects this year to go ahead with the first 60,000-barrel-per-day phase of the Sunrise in situ project, and Canadian Natural's notice that it plans the same for its next in situ project, the 45,000-barrel-per-day Kirby installation. Canadian Natural also expects to sanction the next phase of its Horizon integrated mining and upgrading project in 2010. Despite Shell's announcement that it will slow down on the oilsands, the industry appears to be gathering steam.

Moving Alberta oilsands crude oil to Asian and western U.S. markets via the Pacific is a crucial part of the future of the Canadian oil industry, says the head of the group representing the pipeline sector.

At some point this year, Idaho and Montana drivers are probably going to get a bit of a surprise, and a better understanding of what “big” really means when one is talking about Alberta’s oilsands industry. Residents may have read about it in newspapers or even participated in the community consultations, but to actually witness the massive modules headed to Imperial Oil’s Kearl oilsands project crawling down their roads is sure to be an event to remember.

Employers that dole out hefty bonuses to high performers may be shooting themselves in the foot—a new Mercer study of western Canada’s energy workforce shows that a large bonus may actually send the employee packing for another company.

Oilsands companies looking for financing know TD Securities very well. Over the last 10 years, the firm has been a leader in raising equity and debt capital for oilsands companies and advising them on mergers and acquisitions (M&A). Robert Mason joined the company’s oilsands group in 2000 and now leads it. Recently he sat down with Oilsands Review to talk about what the sector can expect in the near term.

Perry McKechnie

“It’s not if the pipeline is going to leak, it’s when it’s going to leak…. If there’s an accident along our rivers or along the coast, this will impact our way of life and no amount of money can replace that.” —David deWit, natural resource manager for the Wet’suwet’en First Nation in northwestern British Columbia, opponents of Enbridge’s proposed Northern Gateway pipeline project, which would take crude across the province to the West Coast

Opponents who argue that plans by TransCanada Pipelines to extend its soon-to-be in service Keystone pipeline from the U.S. Midwest to the U.S. Gulf Coast will prevent the construction of bitumen upgraders in Canada are wrong—the project should actually encourage upgrading capacity development. That’s because Keystone would provide a more reliable route to move upgraded crude to the United States, says an executive with the company.

The second week of January 2010, about 80 kilometres south of Fort McMurray. The sun is shining, but it is -20 degrees Celsius as the Oilsands Review entourage arrives at Connacher Oil and Gas’s Great Divide steam assisted gravity drainage plant. As videographer Byron Chu, still photographer Jeffery Borchert, and I jump out of our rental into the frozen air we are greeted by a surprising face—a furry one with a wet nose. Connacher has a site dog and a site cat, both from the Society for Prevention of Cruelty to Animals.

John Carruthers points to his experience leading pipeline projects as the reason he was chosen to navigate Enbridge through the regulatory process to build its controversial $4.5-billion Northern Gateway project. The twinned pipeline is to move crude oil and condensate between Edmonton and B.C.’s Port of Kitimat.

It was an amazing year for the Oil Sands Sector Index in 2009. Not only did every index member have a positive return, but the index gained 57.6 per cent as a whole. This was 45 per cent better than the 39.9 per cent return of the S&P/TSX Capped Energy Index, which is the benchmark for the Canadian energy sector. The reason for the excellent results is that crude oil went up substantially while natural gas was flat. Natural gas managed to go down by about one per cent in 2009, while crude oil gained nearly 78 per cent.