This week, we asked Paul Lapensée, Team Lead of the MBA Campus Energy Program at HEC Montréal, to be our guest columnist. Paul and some of his students recently visited the Fort McMurray area and met with oil sands developers and stakeholders.
Does Canada truly have what it takes in terms of expertise and capacity to become a world leader in the sustainable development and commercialization of its immense and varied energy resources? And as importantly, do Canadians collectively have the social and political will to do so?
Canada is uniquely positioned to provide an abundance of safe, secure energy. Photo: iStockphoto
In order to answer these questions and to demystify some of the controversial issues associated specifically with the oil sands, a group of HEC Montréal MBA students made the trip to Fort McMurray earlier this summer. Fort McMurray, where the group was hosted by Suncor, the Fort McKay First Nations and the Oil Sands Developers Group, was a key stop during the two-week, HEC MBA Campus Canada cross-country tour. This program was designed to allow students to meet face to face with the various energy producers, government regulators, research facilities, NGO’s, First Nations and other stakeholders of the Canadian energy sector.
The students, coming from various backgrounds and countries, held varied perceptions about the oil sands prior to the trip, mostly mirroring the views that are generally disseminated by the media and various advocacy groups. The student’s concerns, which echoed those of a large portion of the population living outside Alberta, were mostly centered on the sustainability of the resource development.
However, three other themes emerged as the main learning from the students visit to Fort McMurray, as well as Calgary and Edmonton. These themes were strongly reflected in the personal reflection papers they submitted following their trip.
Firstly, the students were surprised by the high degree of cooperation and consensus among all stakeholders involved in the development of the oil sands. Whether we were meeting with oil company representatives, regulators or impacted parties, all stakeholders had a relatively common appreciation, understanding and concern about the important issues related to the oil sands development.
Secondly, the students were impressed by the high level of energy, pride and drive of all stakeholders in tackling the issues. Stakeholders recognize the importance of the resource development for the Alberta and Canadian economy and are energetically stepping up to the plate to address the issues that cause concern. There is a common view that important issues remain to be resolved, but the will to do so radiates from all fronts.
Finally, the students were concerned by the social pressures that they believed to be present in Fort McMurray. This issue was viewed by some students as potentially as important as the environmental concerns, which they perceived and considered to be highly regulated and at the forefront of all stakeholder’s attention and actions.
At the conclusion of the trip, the students unanimously felt that Canada definitely has the potential to achieve the status of global energy superpower and were confident that great strides will be made to so in a sustainable manner. The challenges are huge, but so are the advances and the will to address them. Some of the students’ views may be accessed directly here.