Ontario Petroleum Institute

Serving the Oil and Gas Industry in Ontario for 50 years

OPI meets with the Ontario Ministry of Energy

The OPI met with Bob Delaney, Parliamentary Assistant to the Ontario Minister of Energy, and Steen Hume Assistant Deputy Minister, Energy Supply Policy Division recently. The meeting was held as a follow-up to Mr. Delaney’s speech at the 2015 OPI Conference where he encouraged the industry to engage in a dialogue with the Ministry on Ontario’s long-term energy planning.  In the meeting the OPI expressed its concerns on the lack of any new exploration activity and its desire to collaborate with the Ministry on a plan to address the situation.

OPI holds 2015 Annual General Meeting

The 2015 Ontario Petroleum Institute Annual General Meeting was held at London’s Greenhills Golf Club on November 19, 2015. The AGM approved the 2015 OPI Financial Statements, amended its bylaws, elected a new Board of Directors and recognized a number of members for their service to the Ontario oil and natural gas industry.

The members elected Frank Kuri, Ian Colquhoun, Jim McIntosh, Charlie Fairbank, Dale Holland, Jane Lowrie, Jack Norman, Denis Marcus, Terry Marsh, Kathy McConnell, Ian Veen, Dave Bond, and Gray Taylor to the 2016 OPI Board of Directors.

The executive officers elected by the Directors at a Board meeting following the AGM are: President, Frank Kuri – Dundee Energy LP; First-Vice President, Dale Holland – Holland Testers Ltd.; Second Vice-President, Jim McIntosh – Jim McIntosh Petroleum Engineering Ltd.; Treasurer, Jack Norman – Elexco Ltd.; and Secretary, Charlie Fairbank – Fairbank Oil Properties Ltd.

The AGM also updated the OPI By-laws passing three amendments the most significant being a change to increase the number of elected directors to 13 from 12.

The OPI recognized Past President Morley Salmon for his service as a director.  Members receiving 25 Year Pins included Madeline Brett – Cameron Petroleum Inc., Dale Holland – Holland Testers Ltd., Geoff Richards – Rowe Energy Corporation, and Dick Tolhurst.

Long-time natural gas producer George Chilian, Chairman of Metalore Resources Ltd. was recognized for his 50 years as a member of the Ontario Petroleum Institute Inc.

OPI Promotes Ontario in Alberta

In an effort to stimulate oil and natural gas exploration in Ontario the OPI has been very active in its efforts to encourage companies to look at Southwestern Ontario as a profitable E&P opportunity.  The OPI was recently featured in “The Explorer Magazine – Summer 2015 published by the Explorers and Producers Association of Canada, an Alberta based industry association.  The OPI article is on page 16.

The Explorer Magazine – Summer 2015

Ontario Ministry of Energy addresses OPI Conference

The Government of Ontario attended Showcase Ontario 2015, the 53rd Annual Ontario Petroleum Institute Conference and Trade Show held in Windsor, Ontario from April 8-10.   The OPI had the pleasure of having Mr. Bob Delaney, MPP Mississauga-Streetsville, Parliamentary Assistant to the Ontario Minister of Energy and the Chief Government Whip give a keynote speech to the Conference on Friday April 10th.  Mr. Delaney encouraged OPI to expand the scale and scope of its dialogue with the Ministry of Energy on energy planning: oil and gas exploration, extraction, refining and distribution.

Bob Delaney OPI Speech

Economic Profile – Ontario Oil, Gas and Salt Resources Industry

This economic profile examines the Ontario oil, gas, and salt resources industry a sector of the economy that dates back to before confederation and plays an important role in the southwestern region of the province.

North America’s commercial oil well was drilled in Oil Springs, Ontario. With long life reserves, production of oil has gone on uninterrupted since 1858 and natural gas since the early 1900’s. With demand in Ontario for oil and gas expected to grow over the next two decades, there is clearly a role for in-province production given the reserves and our historical tie to the sector.

Read the Economic Profile – Ontario Oil, Gas and Salt Resources Industry.

 

 

Ontario Oil Producers to Benefit from Line 9B Reversal

The Ontario Petroleum Institute, which represents Ontario oil and natural gas producers, welcomes the decision by the National Energy Board (NEB) to approve Enbridge’s Line 9B reversal project.

In recent years, the significant increases in North American oil production have resulted in dramatic changes in the market, and specifically to the prices received by Ontario producers. Oil prices have been discounted up to 20 per cent lower than the benchmark set for oil by the price of West Texas Intermediate (WTI) and Brent crude oils.

By having new market alternatives, Ontario producers would receive prices that more closely reflect oil prices in other parts of North America. The eastward flow of Line 9B now makes tapping into new markets possible for Ontario producers.

“The discounted oil prices have prompted producers in the province to look for alternative markets for Ontario oil,” said Hugh Moran, Executive Director of the Ontario Petroleum Institute. “Today’s decision to approve the Line 9B reversal has opened the doors for producers to sell Ontario oil to refineries in Eastern Canada at a cost that is far more economical than shipping by road, rail and water.”

The Ontario Petroleum Institute believes today’s decision to reverse the flow of Line 9B significantly benefits Ontario economy.

“The province’s oil and natural gas industry will benefit from the skilled jobs required for the reversal of Line 9B, most of which are transferable to Ontario producers,” said Mr. Moran. “Having more stable oil prices and new options for market will encourage additional exploration and development in the province, which would also lead to job creation.”

Ontario Petroleum Institute members have been safely using pipelines in gathering and transporting oil for more than 100 years. The industry fully expects Enbridge to meet its responsibilities and commitment to operating Line 9B to the highest standards to ensure the health and safety of the communities along the route.

Ontario Petroleum Institute – Media Release
London, Ontario
Friday, March 7, 2014

Petroleum Geologists coming Back to the Source

The 42nd Annual Meeting of the Eastern Section of the American Association of Petroleum Geologists (AAPG) is being hosted by the Ontario Petroleum Institute (OPI) from September 27-30 in London, Ontario.

The AAPG with 30,000 members worldwide fosters scientific research to advance the science of geologyespecially related to petroleum, natural gas, and mineral resources.

The theme of the conference “Back To The Source” reflects the more than 100 years of oil and natural gas production that has occurred in the four major basins beneath the original eastern North American oil patch.  The four day program will feature exhibits, technical presentations, short cources and field trips to view geological formations in Southwestern Ontario.

The Eastern Section AAPG Meeting is co-chaired by Burns Cheadle, Associate Professor and Chair in Petroleum Geology, Department of Earth Sciences at London’s Western University and Frank Kuri, Manager, Engineering, Dundee Energy and First Vice President of the OPI.

“It’s great to have geologists from around the world come to Southwestern Ontario where commerial oil prodcution began,” says Cheadle. The first commercial oil well in North America was drilled in Oil Springs, Ontario in 1858.

One of the meeting’s keynote speakers is Bill Zagorski an American geologist and the 2013 recipient of the AAPG’s Norman H. Foster Outstanding Explorer Award for achievement in exploration for petroleum or mineral resources. Zagorski is referred to as the “Father of the Marcellus” for his work on developing the Marcellus shale play in the U.S.

Full details on the the Eastern Section AAPG Meeting can viewed at www.esaapg2014.org.