Tag: TransCanada

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Alberta Breaking News Ft Mac

Jamie Paris Identified as TransCanada Worker Killed by Fall From Scaffolding

Jamie Paris, a 29 year old TransCanada worker, was the welder who died after falling from a scaffolding at a Northern Alberta pipeline construction site while working for the energy company on March 21, 2016. According to Alberta Occupational Health and Safety the workplace accident occurred at approximately 10:45 a.m. Jamie Paris was contracted by TransCanada, and as an employee of Horton CBL Ltd. Paris was working on a storage tank that was recently fabricated and he was using bracket scaffolding that was attached to the top of the storage tank when he lost his footing and fell over 20 metres. The Wood Buffalo RCMP has investigated and determined that the fall was accidental, ruling out the possibility of foul play. So far it has not been determined whether Paris was wearing fall protection gear, and Alberta Occupational Health and Safety is still investigating the accident.

Jamie Paris was working at the TransCanada Northern Courier Pipeline Project when he fell from the scaffolding. According to Mark Cooper, the spokesman for TransCanada, “We are deeply saddened by this and our first thoughts are with the family of the worker, as well as his employer.” A stop work order was issued by OHS on March 21 as a result of the accidental fall. According to Jamie Paris’s Facebook page he originated from New Brunswick and the website for the International Brotherhood of Boilermakers Lodge 146 stated that Paris had been a member of the union for two years. Paris survived the fall but he passed away in the ambulance on the way to the hospital.

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Alberta Ft Mac

Scaffolding Accident at TransCanada Project Kills Worker

Recently a scaffolding accident at a TransCanada project in the oilsands region caused the death of a 29 year old contractor. According to both TransCanada and Alberta Occupational Health & Safety an electrician fell 29 metres from scaffolding. The contractor was working with the company Horton CBI Ltd. And the fall was fatal. Mark Cooper, the spokesperson for TransCanada, issued a statement which said “We are deeply saddened by this and our first thoughts are with the family of the worker, as well as his employer.” The company suspended work at the site immediately after the accident so that the workers on the project could grieve and an investigation could be initiated. Foul play has been ruled out bu the Wood Buffalo RCMP and the fall from the scaffolding has been ruled an accident by law enforcement.

So far investigators have not determined whether the scaffolding accident at the TransCanada project was caused by the worker slipping and falling off the structure or if there was a problem or defect with the scaffolding that caused the fall. According to Christine Wronko, the spokesperson for OHS, the project where the accident occurred was located approximately 90 kilometres to the north of Fort MacMurray, and it was a tank farm. The project is part of the Northern Courier pipeline. The investigation has not been concluded yet and all the details of the accident have not been made public at this point. When the investigation is finished hopefully further answers will be found, and TransCanada has been fully cooperative with investigators.

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Economic Ft Mac Politics

Rejection of Keystone XL Project Leads to NAFTA Claim and Lawsuit Against US Government by TransCanada

The Obama administration rejected the Keystone XL project after several long years of delaying a decision, and for what many considered political reasons, but now TransCanada is fighting back with a decision to file a Chapter 11 NAFTA claim against the United States Government as well as suing the US Government in court as well. According to TransCanada the decision to deny the Keystone XL project was unjustified, arbitrary, and completely political in nature. The company is asking that it is allowed to recover damages and costs that amount to $15 billion US dollars due to a breach of the obligations under the North America Free Trade Agreement. According to a notice of intent to initiate a claim under NAFTA TransCanada states “Stated simply, the delay and the ultimate decision to deny the permit were politically-driven, directly contrary to the findings of the administration’s own studies, and not based on the merits of Keystone’s application. The politically-driven denial of Keystone’s application was contrary to all precedent; inconsistent with any reasonable and expected application of the relevant rules and regulations; and arbitrary, discriminatory, and expropriatory.”

In the NAFTA claim that will be filed by TransCanada as a result of the Keystone XL project denial there are many different allegations. Because the USA is a signatory to the NAFTA agreement the country is expected to treat other signatory countries in accordance with international law and take steps to protect the investors. TransCanada alleges that the US Government did not do anything to protect investors from Canada, and that the USA did not follow recognized international law in the decision making process. Even many Americans believe that the Keystone XL decision by the Obama administration was politically motivated due to the announcement of the decision right before a key climate change summit in Paris.

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Alberta Canada Economic Ft Mac

TransCanada Announces 185 Layoffs to Cut Costs

TransCanada, layoffs

TransCanada, a major pipeline company, has announced layoffs that will affect 185 positions. The announcements show that 100 full time employees will be laid off, and 85 contractors face the same fate. According to Mark Cooper, the spokesman for TransCanada, “These positions were removed following a restructuring of the Major Projects department that was designed to ensure we move forward with our $46-billion capital growth plan. TransCanada is committed to our customers in the Wood Buffalo region and those producers in the oil sands of whose product we ship and to who we deliver natural gas to.” This move is just the latest to impact Alberta and the Wood Buffalo region, with other companies and businesses also reducing staff and cutting programs in order to keep costs down and stay competitive in local and global markets.

In addition to 185 layoffs TransCanada has also delayed some projects. The Keystone XL and the Energy East pipeline are two major projects that have been delayed due to economic reasons. Both of these projects have received substantial publicity in recent months. When oil prices dropped TransCanada started bleeding, with much lower profits from oil sales yet high expenses that did not decrease. Cooper explained “Much of our restructuring is about recognizing the need to ensure we are keeping our overall costs down.” Since oil prices are not expected to reach previous highs any time in the near future this means that companies in the industry must find ways to be more effective and keep costs as low as possible.

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Canada Economic U.S.

TransCanada Still Has Hope Keystone XL Pipeline Will Be Approved by New Congress

Keystone XL pipeline, TransCanada
Keystone XL pipeline, TransCanada

TransCanada still has hope that the Keystone XL pipeline will be approved by the new Congress, and the company is calling out the legislators in the US government to overcome a threatened veto by President Obama. When Republicans in the new Congress won a majority of seats this provided hope that the long stalled project would finally get back on track once more. President Obama has made his disapproval of this project very clear, to the point that some believe the US President wants to see Americans pay high prices for oil and gasoline. One of the first things taken under review by the Republican House of Representatives was the Keystone XL pipeline project. 60 senators took the step of co-sponsoring the bill and 63 more expressed that they would support the bill when it comes up on the floor. This gives the bill enough votes to pass the House and move on to the Senate.

When the Keystone XL pipeline bill was approved by the House of Representatives Josh Ernst, the White House Press Secretary, told journalists that “If this bill passes this Congress, the president wouldn’t sign it.” Even a presidential veto would not stop the bill if two thirds of Congress approves it though. Russ Girling, CEO and President of TransCanada, said “The review process for Keystone XL has been anything but a ‘well-established process. We are well over the six-year mark reviewing the final phase of Keystone with seemingly no end in sight. The bar continues to move again and again… It’s time to make a decision.”