Articles by Nia Williams

Suncor’s Syncrude Canada to Pay C$390,000 After Worker Fatality

Oil sands producer Syncrude Canada, majority-owned by Suncor Energy, will pay C$390,000 ($287,187.04) after pleading guilty to a health and safety charge relating to the death of a worker on one of its sites in June 2021, the Alberta government …

Flood-Stricken British Columbia Weighs Cost of Climate-Proofing Infrastructure

CALGARY, Alberta – Flood-stricken British Columbia is considering major upgrades to its highway network to make it more resilient to climate change risks, as the province starts reconstruction work after last week’s devastating floods. Upgrades would include building longer bridges …

Canadian Storms Force Shut-Down of Trans Mountain Oil Pipeline

OTTAWA/CALGARY, Alberta – Canada’s Trans Mountain oil pipeline has been shut down temporarily because of rainstorms pounding parts of the province of British Columbia, the operating company said in a statement on Monday. The Canadian government-owned pipeline ships 300,000 barrels …

British Columbia’s New COVID-19 Restrictions Disrupt Construction Projects

CALGARY, Alberta – Restrictions imposed by British Columbia to fight the spread of COVID-19 infections after the holiday break have disrupted work at construction sites of a Rio Tinto hydropower project and BC Hydro’s Site C dam. A total of …

Aging Oil Pipelines Operated by Canada’s Enbridge Raise Fears over Great Lakes Spills

Fears about oil spills into the Great Lakes from two aging U.S. pipelines have flared, raising doubts about their future and creating fresh headaches for operator Enbridge Inc and the Canadian energy sector. Canada has faced years of delay in …

Slow Pace of Insurance Payouts, Rebuilding Angers Alberta Wildfire Victims

Some five months after the wildfires that devastated Fort McMurray were extinguished, anger over red tape and the slow pace of insurance payouts and permit issuance is flaring in the remote northern Canadian city. More than 1,900 structures were destroyed …

Update: Canadian Wildfire Rages, Leading to Evacuation of 80,000 People

Fire raged unchecked through the Canadian city of Fort McMurray overnight as authorities raced to complete the evacuation of its population of 80,000, fearful that hot, dry winds forecast for Wednesday would further fan the flames. About 44,000 people were …

Alberta Wildfires Burn for 6th Day, 10% of Oil Sands Crude Offline

Firefighters battled wildfires in northern Alberta, Canada’s biggest crude-producing region, for a sixth day on Thursday, with two blazes near oil sands facilities still out of control. The wildfires have forced producers in the Western Canadian province, the largest source …

Canadian Oil Trains Shift to Carry Less-Volatile Crude

A growing share of Canadian oil-by-rail traffic is made up of tough-to-ignite undiluted heavy crude and raw bitumen, say industry executives, as companies scramble to cut expenditures with the price of crude down more than 40 percent since June. By …

Canadian Pacific Follows CN; Will Impose Surcharge on Older Oil Tank Cars

Canadian Pacific Railway Ltd is slapping a surcharge on customers who transport crude in older tank cars, following its larger rival in seeking to deter shippers from using the model involved in a series of fiery crashes. CP Rail will …