Alberta
Enserva key to unlocking Canadian energy: CEO Gurpreet Lail
Photo for the Canadian Energy Centre by Dave Chidley
From the Canadian Energy Centre
By Cody Ciona“We are in the quality of life business, and that’s exactly what our business provides.”
A lawyer by education, with terms in high profile roles as executive director of STARS Air Ambulance and CEO of Big Brothers Big Sisters Calgary, Gurpreet Lail is no stranger to working in organizations dedicated to helping everyday Canadians.
Now two years into her term as the president and CEO of Enserva , formerly known as the Petroleum Services Association of Canada, Lail’s work continues to focus on improving quality of life.
She has no qualms about stating her support for the work the energy industry is doing.
“I will be the first one to say stop apologizing for the work we do, because the work that we do actually, no pun intended, fuels Canadians. We are in the quality of life business, and that’s exactly what our business provides.”
Enserva represents the service, supply and manufacturing sectors of the Canadian energy industry. This includes companies that supply hydraulic fracturing services to equipment suppliers and oilfield construction.
As the energy industry innovates towards more sustainable, low emissions products, she is confident that Enserva’s membership is more than up for the challenge.
“We are all moving to a new energy mix, and we all realize that as an industry we’re going to need new forms of energy to help us meet the demands of the future, especially when we look at global demand,” Lail says.
“Every company we represent has been diversifying their business to make sure we have a cleaner future. A lot of our companies are bringing in technology and artificial intelligence processes that are going to help streamline energy well into the future.
Enserva members are unlocking Canadian energy to make the world a better place, she says.
“They bring their services, they bring their supplies, they bring their manufacturing, globally.”
This includes technology used by drilling companies to replace their diesel fleets with natural gas power and other alternative energy sources, which reduces emissions while drilling wells.
“They just want to do good work, they want to make sure we can provide for Canadians, and they want to provide back into the community with community investments,” Lail says.
“You cannot go into rural Alberta or rural Canada and not see energy companies putting up community rinks or helping local hospitals or making sure your local Tim Hortons is still in business.”
Indigenous reconciliation is an ongoing process, and in Canada, where the oil and gas industry employs thousands of Indigenous workers across the country, she says working with those communities is crucial.
“It’s a good thing to do and it’s the right thing to do, and a lot of other industries aren’t quite thinking that way.”
In her eight years at STARS, Lail helped grow the organization to span three provinces and was a leading driver working with Enserva on the annual STARS & Spurs Gala. The event has raised over $20 million, 29 years and counting.
“STARS has become a fabric of our businesses; it helps save lives including those of our members, and we’re proud of that.”
In the ever-changing dynamic of Canada’s oil and gas industry, more women are finding themselves, like Lail, driving the conversation about Canadian energy.
“If there’s young women out there, or women in general I would always tell them to get involved and don’t shy away from coming into the sector,” she says.
Alberta
Fortis et Liber: Alberta’s Future in the Canadian Federation
From the C2C Journal
By Barry Cooper, professor of political science, University of Calgary
Canada’s western lands, wrote one prominent academic, became provinces “in the Roman sense” – acquired possessions that, once vanquished, were there to be exploited. Laurentian Canada regarded the hinterlands as existing primarily to serve the interests of the heartland. And the current holders of office in Ottawa often behave as if the Constitution’s federal-provincial distribution of powers is at best advisory, if it needs to be acknowledged at all. Reviewing this history, Barry Cooper places Alberta’s widely criticized Sovereignty Act in the context of the Prairie provinces’ long struggle for due constitutional recognition and the political equality of their citizens. Canada is a federation, notes Cooper. Provinces do have rights. Constitutions do mean something. And when they are no longer working, they can be changed.
Alberta
30 million contraband cigarettes valued at $25 million dollars seized in Alberta
New release from Alberta Gaming Liquor and Cannabis (AGLC)
Record setting contraband tobacco seizures result from AGLC investigations
Alberta Gaming Liquor and Cannabis (AGLC) recently concluded several investigations which netted two of the largest contraband tobacco seizures in Alberta history. The combined total of the contraband tobacco seized was 154,800 cartons of contraband cigarettes (30.7 million individual cigarettes). These seizures are a result of the work conducted by AGLC’s Tobacco Enforcement Unit with the assistance of provincial law enforcement agencies.
- In a January 2024 investigation, approximately 43,500 cartons (8.7 million individual cigarettes) were seized. This equates to $7 million in retail value with a provincial tax avoidance of $2.4 million. This included the seizure of 15,000 grams of contraband shisha.
- In April of 2024, 60 wrapped pallets were seized from a warehouse setting netting a total of 111,300 cartons of contraband cigarettes (22 million individual cigarettes) which equates to over $18 million in retail value with a provincial tax avoidance of $6.6 million.
- Criminal Charges are pending in both cases.
“These are significant contraband tobacco investigations involving individuals that are part of organized networks whose proceeds defraud Albertans millions of dollars in tax revenue. AGLC will continue to work with our partners to investigate and disrupt the individuals and organizations involved in these illegal activities as part our commitment to a strong contraband tobacco enforcement program in Alberta.”
- Gary Peck, Vice President, Regulatory Services, AGLC
“Contraband tobacco hurts law abiding businesses that follow the rules, and it costs Albertans millions each year from lost tax revenue. Our government is committed to keeping illegal tobacco off the streets and ensuring that the sale of tobacco products comply with the law.”
- Dale Nally, Minister of Service Alberta and Red Tape Reduction
Over the last nine months, AGLC’s Tobacco Enforcement unit has seized an estimated 35 million contraband cigarettes and 115,000 grams of contraband shisha from across the province. The total potential lost tax revenue is estimated to be more than $10.1 million.
Contraband tobacco:
- is any tobacco product that does not comply with federal and provincial laws related to importation, marking, manufacturing, stamping and payment of duties and taxes;
- comes from four main sources: illegal manufacturers, counterfeits, tax-exempt diversions and resale of stolen legal tobacco; and
- can be recognized by the absence of a red (Alberta) or peach/light tan (Canada) stamp bearing the “DUTY PAID CANADA DROIT ACQUITTÉ” on packages of cigarettes and cigars or pouches of tobacco.
In addition to lost revenues that may otherwise benefit Albertans, illegally manufactured products also pose public health and safety risks as they lack regulatory controls and inspections oversight.
Albertans who suspect illegal tobacco production, packaging and/or trafficking are encouraged to contact AGLC’s Tobacco Enforcement Unit at 1-800-577-2522 or Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-TIPS (8477).
Under a Memorandum of Understanding with Alberta Treasury Board and Finance, AGLC enforces the Tobacco Tax Act and conducts criminal investigations related to the possession, distribution and trafficking of contraband tobacco products. In 2022-23, provincial revenue from tobacco taxes was approximately $522 million.
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