Study Reveals B.C. to Profit More from Northern Gateway Pipeline

In the ever-growing debate that hounds the proposed construction of Enbridge’s $6-billion Northern Gateway pipeline to Kitimat that would deliver the products of Alberta’s oil sands to Asian markets, a study might just convince those opposed to the project to agree. Canadian Energy Research Institute (CERI), a not-for-profit research establishment based in Calgary reveals that B.C. is set to receive a lions share in the construction and operation of the pipeline. Alberta, however, will still get the largest share of the wealth derived from the sale of the bitumen extracted from its oil sands.

According to the report, construction and operation of the Northern Gateway is set to contribute to $8.9 billion to the gross domestic product of Canada over a span of 25 years. B.C. is slated to get $4.7 billion; Alberta $2.9 billion; and Ontario $608 million.

The CERI report further reveals that the pipeline is also expected to provide B.C. with 70,000 person-years of employment especially in the construction phase which is expected to take place from 2014 to 2017. Meanwhile, Alberta would only be receiving 37,000 person-years.

But this is not enough for B.C. Premier Christy Clark. She says that these benefits, when divided over the course of 25 years, is not enough to counter the risks that such a project will bring to the province in the event of an oil spill. Clark has earlier declared that Victoria will not give the green light for the project unless her conditions were met—the most controversial of which is bigger financial cuts to the profits that will be earned in shipping the products of Alberta’s oil sands to Asia.

Clark has received support from Harper’s Heritage Minister James Moore who said: "Christy Clark is very much, I think, in the right in terms of her responsibility to represent British Columbians, to make sure that the rest of the country understands that just because British Columbia is physically the Asia-Pacific gateway, it doesn't mean that we're the doormat for companies like Enbridge to think that they can go ahead and do business without having due diligence and taking care of the public's interest." Foreign Affairs Minister John Baird of Ottawa and Immigration Minister Jason Kenney of Calgary, meanwhile, have lambasted Clark’s call saying that a "toll gate" approach is detrimental to the national interest.

Canadian Government Supports Young STEM Entrepreneurs in Southern Ontario

Science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) graduates in Southern Ontario who want to start their own business will receive help from the government of Canada. Not only will they get skills support and management training, they will also be given seed financing to get their start-ups off the ground. This was announced in June this year by Kellie Leitch, Member of Parliament for Simcoe–Grey, on behalf of the Honourable Gary Goodyear, Minister of State for the Federal Economic Development Agency for Southern Ontario (FedDev Ontario).

Thirty young STEM entrepreneurs with promising innovations will be identified by the Centre for Commercialization of Research (CCR) which will manage the project and contribute more than $1.1 million for the initiative. Dubbed as the Scientists and Engineers in Business, the program is expected to launch not only new STEM companies in Southern Ontario but equip them to become globally-competitive as well. By developing the business skills of graduates and giving these young entrepreneurs targeted support, the Scientists and Engineers in Business initiative hopes to increase the success rate of these innovative businesses.

Dr. Mario Thomas, Managing Director of the Centre for Commercialization of Research (CCR) reveals: "CCR is proud to be the catalyst that will enable these bright innovators to turn their ideas into new businesses. Our team of highly qualified, dedicated and well–connected business experts will offer tremendous support and mentorship to these innovators to help them nurture and develop their academic discoveries into sustainable, commercial ventures."

CCR operates under the umbrella of Ontario’s Center for Excellence (OCE), a not-for-profit organization that aims to spur economic growth by supporting industrially-relevant research and open new market opportunities by commercializing leading–edge discoveries. OCE forms working partnerships with university and college research departments, research hospitals and Ontario businesses towards this end.

The Scientists and Engineers in Business initiative is in line with FedDev Ontario’s thrust to promote more business opportunities and create jobs to enhance competitiveness and diversify the economy of southern Ontario.

MP Leitch says: "Our government is committed to creating jobs, growth and long–term prosperity for southern Ontario. This investment will help graduates to develop their business and management skills so they can launch promising start–up businesses, and bring their innovative ideas to market."

If you want to learn more about Scientists and Engineers in Business and other initiatives of FedDev, you can call 1-866-593-5505 or visit their website at http://www.feddevontario.gc.ca.

It’s All Systems Go for Waterloo Light-Rail and Bus System

A 23-mile transit network is set to be constructed in Ontario to link the cities of Kitchener, Cambridge, and Waterloo. The $818-million light-rail transit/bus rapid transit (LRT/BRT) network is one of the largest infrastructure projects that will be constructed in the region. Parsons Brinckerhoff was named by the Regional Municipality of Waterloo to be its general engineering consultant. The LRT/BRT network is seen as the most efficient solution to the projected population boom in Ontario’s Technology Triangle.

The entire cost of the project will be divided among the Province of Ontario which will give $300 million; the Federal government of Canada which will contribute up to $265 million; and the Region of Waterloo which is expected to cover the construction cost of $253 million. Like previous infrastructure projects in the region, a private company will be hired to design, build, finance, operate, and maintain the network.

Joe Marie, Vice President of Parsons Brinckerhoff, reveals that with construction to begin in 2014, the project is being fast tracked. It is scheduled to be finished in 2017. By utilizing new mixed used development within walking distance from each station, Marie says that the project aims to "integrate aBRT into the rail system for seamless operation and to integrate the stations into the fabric of the community." The "a" before the BRT refers to "adapted" bus rapid transit which means that the buses will still move in city traffic as opposed to a dedicated bus lane. However, they will have signal priority and be given the chance to avoid traffic congestion through the provision of a bus shoulder. Taking the aBRT service will mean getting to two destinations on the route faster than if you were to be driving yourself.
 

Light-rail transit will be constructed from the Conestoga Mall in Waterloo to the Fairview Park Mall in Kitchener. From there, an aBRT will bring passengers to the Ainslie Street bus terminal in Cambridge. There will be 16 stations in the LRT line which will be placed in the more urbanized areas along the corridor where there will be more people. In the aBRT route, meanwhile, there will be six new stations that will be constructed which will include three park-and-ride stations.

 

The station at King Street North/Victoria Street West Hub will provide centralized connectivity for all the transportation modes in the region. Various infrastructure will be developed to cater to intercity trains that are part of the GO Transit system and the VIA Rail Canada system. There will also bays and loops for buses; underground and at-grade connections for the LRT; and facilities for taxis, bicyclists, and pedestrians.

For Further Information Please Visit:

 

http://www.techtriangle.com/modules/news/newsitem.php?ItemId=1095

 

Canada’s Top 40 Mining Companies

The Canadian Mining Journal has released its list of Canada’s Top 40 mining companies in August, 2012. The top ten spots go to the following: 1) Agrium; 2) Barrick Gold; 3) Suncor Energy; 4) Teck Resources; 5) Potash Corp. of Saskatchewan; 6) Goldcorp; 7) Kinross Gold; 8) Canadian Oil Sands Trust; 9) First Quantum Minerals; and 10) Cameco. As of December 31, 2011, the gross revenue of Agrium was CAD$15.3 billion while Barrick Gold posted revenues of CAD$ 14.2 billion. The two have been trading places in the Top 40 list over the past years. In 2010, it was Barrick that was on top.

In the third spot is Suncor Energy, a bitumen producer, which brought in CAD$12.2 billion last year. Teck Resources, which occupies the fourth spot, posted CAD$11.5 billion in earnings. It is an integrated miner that also derives significant earnings from several by-products, including indium which is used in flat display screens in homes and offices.

Due to its exhaustive efforts to market its products globally, Potash Corporation of Saskatchewan, ranks as the fifth spot with 2011 revenues of CAD$8.6 billion. The company is the world’s largest potash producer. In sixth place is Goldcorp. The strong price of gold propelled this producer to the top 10 from only CAD$3.7 billion revenue in 2010 to gross revenues of CAD$5.3 billion in 2011.

In seventh place is Kinross Gold, a gold and copper producer. It posted revenues of CAD$3.9 billion last year, up from its 2010 gross revenues of nearly CAD$3 billion. At eighth place is Canadian Oil Sands Trust. Mainly because of its Syncrude Project, this bitumen producer raked in CAD$3.875 billion in gross revenues in 2011.

First Quantum Minerals, a copper producer, was in the ninth spot with earnings of CAD$2.6 billion. It also derives substantial by-product income from gold. In tenth place is Cameco, a uranium producer. Despite fears of decreased demand for the metal fueled by the earthquake which hit Japan in March 2011 damaging one of its nuclear power stations, Cameco still brought in revenues of CAD$2.4 billion.
 

Despite these revenues posted by Canada’s top mining companies, it has been noted that these figures are still far behind the world’s Big 5 miners. BHP Billiton hauled in $67.9 billion, Rio Tinto garnered $60.5 million, and Vale reaped $60.4 billion. Rounding out the short list are Xstrata at $33.9 billion and Anglo American at $30.6 billion.

The complete Top 40 list, the runners-up, the top revenue gainers, top earners, and other rankings can be found in the Canadian Mining Journal website at　

 

 http://www.canadianminingjournal.com/news/forty-of-our-finest/1001609286/.

Report Details How Canada Can Win as a Sustainable Energy Superpower

The challenge to simultaneously meet the demands of economic prosperity and environmental preservation is a difficult one. Yet, P.Kim Sturgess, President of the Canadian Academy of Engineering believes that Canada is one of the few nations in the world "that have the physical resources and the science and technology" to become a sustainable energy superpower. In her preface to the first Volume of the Canadian Academy of Engineering publication entitled Canada: Winning as a Sustainable Energy Superpower released in June 2012, Sturgess writes: "Canada distinguished itself in the past by its ability to create and implement public-private collaborations that have built visionary physical infrastructure projects in transportation, communications and energy.. This is the time for major new physical infrastructure projects that will shape Canada in the twenty-first century and help strengthen its social assets."

Formed with the collaboration of industry experts, the publication describes how Canada can become such a superpower. The report traces how Canada's history of big projects; hydroelectric power; interconnection of electricity grids; nuclear energy; and the production oil sands, natural gas and liquefied natural gas, coal, and bioenergy can be sustainably harnessed to provide energy and wealth to the country for years to come.

One of the ideas discussed was the development of new hydroelectric projects that would help replace aging thermal power plants and reduce Canada's emission of greenhouse gases. Possible sites identified for this potential renewable energy source include Lower Churchill, tides of the Bay of Fundy and Ungava Bay, St. Lawrence River-Great Lakes Basin and "Northern Waters," James Bay, and the Western Half of Canada.

Connecting Canada's existing provincial electricity grids using a high-capacity transmission system is also expected to reduce the country's carbon footprint while improving business for renewable energy ventures like wind, bioenergy, solar, tidal, and wave energies.

Harnessing the Alberta Oil Sands which hold at least 1.6 trillion barrels of bitumen (where the expected 300 billion barrels that can be recovered is said to be larger than Saudi Arabia's oil reserves) is yet another strategy. By employing environmentally-friend methods like reduction of freshwater use, shorter time periods for restoring disturbed land close to original conditions, and the use of non-fossil heat sources for bitumen extraction, development of the Alberta Oil Sands is expected to generate sustainable energy and economic activity for the entire country.

All these and the other "big projects" outlined in the book can "maximize the value of Canadian energy assets and propel Canada to the status of a sustainable energy superpower." When such projects are undertaken, sustainable jobs can be created for the next forty years. These can become springboards for future projects, resulting in "prosperity for Canadians long into the future."

For Further Information Please Visit:

http://www.acad-eng-gen.ca/documents/VolumeI-LR.pdf