How Canadian Oil & Gas Is a Resource for Good in Our Communities

What comes to mind when you think of “big oil”? Do you think of your friends? Your family? Do you think of your fellow Canadians?

You may have only been exposed to a negative perception of the energy industry and are looking to seek more info through YCR. I hope that through this interview, readers can begin to understand that individuals who work in Canada’s Oil & Gas sector are a group that truly care about their employees, communities, the environment, and their country.

While some believe that the oil and gas sector is all about money and profit, even a very superficial investigation into what the sector does and provides makes it clear that it covers so much more than that.

The sector provides Canadian families with enormous economic opportunities, yes of course, that much we can all see very clearly. Half a million Canadians are employed in the industry.

“Oil and gas, including extraction and support activities, petroleum refining, pipeline transportation, and natural gas distribution, account for 7.5% of national GDP,” according to a statistical overview by the Ivey Business School.

But what about the things that don’t show up as a dollar figure on a balance sheet or federal budget? How do Canadian Oil & Gas companies contribute to our communities in meaningful ways and act as true neighbours that care?

I sat down with Bryan Gould, President and CEO of Aspenleaf Energy, a private oil and gas exploration and production company in western Canada, to discuss how Canadian Oil & Gas is a resource for good in our communities, and how it makes an impact that is lasting and meaningful.

“How does it affect you personally when people say that Oil & Gas does not contribute positively to society? And how would you respond to people saying that the industry promoting itself is a threat?”

“It would be hard for anyone to argue that access to affordable, secure, reliable energy is not fundamental to humanity and history.

And all of the data would show that the greater the access to energy, the greater success society has. Because prosperity brought from oil & gas allows you to invest in all other areas, whether it be social programs, education, or health care. Prosperous societies can also take better care of the environment. So prosperity unlocks what some would call sustainability, in my mind. And energy, specifically oil & gas, is fundamental to that prosperity.

Access to materials, plastics, fertilizers, as well as cheap, abundant, and reliable energy, which all come from fossil fuels, are the core of human survival and human success and prosperity.

Roughly 1 billion of the 7 billion on this planet have virtually no energy. And so the world needs more energy, all forms of energy.

And anyone who dissuades the supply of this fundamentally essential ingredient for human survival and prosperity, frankly, to me, that is criminal.”

“Is there a story about Aspenleaf’s involvement in the communities you work in that really sticks with you, or has an effect on you that makes you feel good about what you’re doing?”

“When I went to school, I’d never heard about residential schools.

I didn’t know about them, and I found the whole idea frankly disconcerting and shocking. So I read about one of the nations that is a neighbor of ours, and I asked our Indigenous affairs manager if we could meet with them, just to understand, because I wanted to know more about this.

That stimulated a bunch of brainstorming about things. They had told us in that meeting that they had a community school that they were very proud of, and it offered the regular Alberta curriculum. But in addition to that, it was teaching the children their culture, their language. And it was open not just to their nation, but to the entire Treaty Eight region.

So the idea came up about creating an educational endowment for the school, and we created an Aspenleaf 100 Year Educational Fund in Swan Hills, Alberta.

We’re very proud of it. It’s amazing how that came from something where it was just a discussion to listen and learn. Dialogue is an amazing thing, and when you really sit down and are prepared to listen and truly want to understand and are genuine, as we both were, it’s amazing what can be achieved.”

“I guess in terms of your success working with communities, whether that’s indigenous or non-indigenous, what would you say is the most important reason for that success?”

“We work very hard to set our strategic intent and our culture throughout the entire organization.

I have a fundamental belief that we’ve got phenomenal employees, and if we can paint the direction and the intent of what we’re trying to do, that allows us to empower them to do their thing. It’s not just me doing this, we have 100 sets of hands out there, every day, maintaining and building these relationships. And that’s the key to success.

In the case of our First Nations relationships, we used to be on the wrong path. And we made some very significant changes early on to how we chose to interact with First Nations. I’m very happy with the direction we’re going now.

It takes a lot of trial and error, and you learn that it’s part of the human experience. Again, if you have a fundamental relationship, people also tolerate you being human and being imperfect and making mistakes. I can’t state strongly enough this belief in just forging genuine relationships with the communities we work in has led to our success with communities.”

“In terms of being an advocate for the industry and for the young people listening or reading, why do you think it’s important for young Canadians to be vocal about the positives of our oil and gas industry?”

“I’m a large supporter of the YCR initiative, and there’s a couple of dimensions of it that I find very compelling. And it starts with the fact that YCR, in its essence, is encouraging young people to just get informed and seek more information,

From an industry viewpoint, we’re not asking people to advocate. We are encouraging young people to be informed, to help them create their world. And for me, this is paying it forward for the next generation.”

Why should young people look towards the natural resource industries, like oil and gas, as a way to make a real difference in the world?

“Access to resources is fundamental to human survival and human prosperity.

We need it. We need energy, we need materials. It’s fundamental. So get involved and help us do it in better and more responsible ways! If I look at the continuous improvement, not just of the oil and gas industry, but of the resource extraction industries, we’re far better at it today than we used to be.

I would submit that it’s possible in this industry for a company to be highly profitable and have extremely constructive social relationships with stakeholders, not just in communities, but employees, suppliers, and everyone you touch through your company. It’s also possible to have first-rate environmental performance.

I would encourage young people to find a place in natural resources that works for them, be involved, and make a difference.”

Where do we go from here?

To move forward in the discussion and be civilized with one another, we need to acknowledge and respect the great things that our oil & gas industry does for our communities and the many great things made possible through abundant and affordable energy. That is one of the reasons why I find myself writing this piece.

We also must always strive to do better, in terms of positive community impact, minimal environmental impact, and encourage positive culture in the industry, so that Canadian Energy continues to be a world leader. I want to make it clear that the industry has these issues top of mind just like all Canadians.

We speak to great lengths about the economic impact of our oil & gas industry, as it is undeniably important to cover our streets & highways, social programs, and healthcare. But the stories of success and collaboration, as well as environmental impact reduction are just as important to mention as we move forward. As a young Canadian, I hope we continue to showcase all aspects of an industry that is developing and growing, even if it often goes unnoticed.

I thank Bryan Gould very much for his time and for providing YCR with another great discussion, I am hopeful this can lead to a larger conversation, as the industry continues to moves forward and in a positive direction.