Staff Stories

Celebrating 50 Years

Established in 1959 by the Parliament of Canada, the NEB is recognized today for its expertise, integrity and leadership in regulating international and interprovincial aspects of Canada's crude oil, natural gas and electric utility industries. In 1991, the Board moved from Ottawa, Ontario to Calgary, Alberta and in 1994 its decision-making authority was expanded to include Frontier lands not administered through provincial/federal agreements.

Over the decades, many individuals have contributed to the Board's vision to be an active, effective and knowledgeable partner in the responsible development of Canada's energy sector for the benefit of Canadians. It has not been an easy mandate to fulfill, and there have been many challenges along the way. By talking with current and former employees who played key roles in the Board's development, we aim to look back through time and share some of the insight, experience and memories they accumulated during their tenure.

Glenn Booth joined the NEB in 1985. He brings extensive experience with regulatory issues, strategic planning and leadership to his current position as Business Unit Leader of the People and Communication Services Business Unit. In drawing on his experiences, Glenn cites the credibility, independence and respectful culture of the Board as keystones of a fulfilling career. [Find out more here!]

Jim Davidson, Geologist and Team Leader, Gas Unit, has been with the NEB for over 26 years. When he began his career in the early 80s, he was responsible for the southern section of the Northwest Territories, then overseen by the Canada Oil and Gas Land Administration agency. By the time COGLA merged with the NEB, Jim was a reserves geologist in the Calgary office of the NEB, deeply engaged in studying the geological potential for conventional natural gas reserves in Alberta and Canada. Looking back over the years, Jim recalls significant changes in the way natural gas reserves are estimated and reported.

What is your most memorable work experience at the NEB?

In 2004, we started a joint project with the Alberta Energy and Resources Conservation Board. We worked closely with the ERCB to develop a joint assessment of natural gas resources in Alberta. It was the first time that the NEB had participated in a project of this nature. So a number of firsts occurred, including the first joint meeting between our Board and the ERCB Board for project approval. It was also an opportunity to work with some very good people in another agency.

In March 2005 our two Boards produced a joint report and agreed to use the resource estimate for their supply and demand market reports on Alberta. Up until that time, we didn't have any official agreements to use the same numbers. We tended to, but we didn't have to.

After that, we followed up and produced joint reports with both British Columbia (2006) and Saskatchewan (2008). Potentially we will do another with Ontario in the future.

I think developing and reporting consistent resource estimates is probably one of the biggest impacts of the work I've done. We've settled on what both governments consider the numbers to be. Though we don't have complete public agreement, the reports are widely used by the federal and provincial governments, the energy industry and the general public.

What is your fondest memory of the NEB?

I ran a field trip to look at a number of coalbed methane facilities for Board staff. I think it would have been about 2006. It was organized to increase people's understanding about what coalbed methane facilities looked like, about what the impact was on the ground.

The weather was iffy, it kind of rained on and off, but we managed to avoid it for most of the day. We went to a coal mine near Stettler, Alberta. When we were there, the dragline, the big shovel used to take the overburden off, was having its cable adjusted, so we were able to go right up into the bucket and the main cab to look at the motors and everything else close-up. Normally, draglines are busy working and you can't get anywhere near them. We got pictures of people standing in the bucket. Overall, we had lots of fun, and it was a good learning experience for people.

Are there any projects you worked on that you think had a major impact on Canadians?

I think the project that had the biggest impact was in 2004, prior to the joint assessment with Alberta's Energy Resources Conservation Board.  NEB staff did their own assessment looking at all the gas resources in Alberta. We tried to do a joint project, but the ERCB wasn't available, so we went ahead and did our own. Then we had to scramble to find a way to release the information. We put together a report on the status of gas resources in all the basins in Canada, including the Alberta estimates that we had just updated. For the first time, all the gas resource numbers could be found in one place.

It's used by the same people as our other reports, but it combines all the numbers for natural gas resources so that people don't have to go searching through 10 or 12 separate sources.

Who among your colleagues at the NEB has most influenced you?

I think, in the long run, (former Chair) Roland Priddle. It's hard to describe, but in simple terms, he was a real gentleman. Yet he knew what he wanted the Board to do and he had high expectations. He also recognized and gave credit to people where credit was due.

Roland always took time for people. Just before Christmas he would go to every floor and wish everyone a Merry Christmas. He always knew everyone's name.

Is there anything else that has impacted your career at the NEB?

When I first joined the Board, we focused on looking at the reserves in individual pools in Western Canada. As time passed, we realized that wasn't the best approach to take. It wasn't the best use of our resources. So we switched to the bigger picture in terms of looking at total resources. That's how we got into doing the resource assessment work.

Overall, it signified a change from the small picture view to the big picture. This required a change of assessment technology. We had to develop some of it ourselves, so we looked around the world, picked up what we could and developed technology that worked for us. Now we have a more efficient way to apply our resources.

Is there anything you would like to say to today's NEB staff?

The Board is a good place to work. The people who work here are among the best. Sometimes the work load is hard to put up with, but try to carry on and have fun with it.