Energy Services BC has the ball rolling and is not stopping, “says President Dave Turchanski . With the economic downturn we were all faced with and the uncertainty in the Oil & Gas Industry, we felt this was the time to get the explorers and producers to sit up and take notice of the Service Sector Industry in BC. Our borders are open for business and business we received. Energy Services BC is  setting agendas and developing solutions in a productive, positive and proactive manner so that BC based companies gain a greater share of the economic wealth generated by this province’s energy resources.
We have opened up our procurement offices in Fort Nelson and Dawson Creek and they have been very busy in attracting service companies as well as the Explorers and Producers to their offices. Our main office is still very active and looking after local issues and concerns. Working together with the Ministry of Energy Mines and Petroleum Resources, Canadian Association of Petroleum Producers and the Horn River Producers group has kept the executive and procurement offices very busy. We are continuously working on our website to keep everyone updated with the activity in the Oil & Gas Industry in BC.
Having said this, with all the good things there is also the negative or not so good things that surface as well. Everyone is aware of our local MLA stepping down from his position as Energy Minister. We have seen local benefits when we have had our MLA in these positions.  Hopefully the new Minister will understand our wants and needs in the North and will help us out to achieve our goals. We will as well be looking for a new executive director for ESBC as Scott Gordon is pursuing new careers and moving on in the Oil and Gas Industry. Scott has been an integral part of getting us to where we are today and I would like to thank him for all his time and effort involved and good luck in the future.  We anticipate a smooth transition over the next few months as he winds down his projects with ESBC and turns over ongoing initiatives to a new executive director.
We have been involved over the past year with all the above mentioned groups on providing a definition of what local actually is, so when Explorers and Producers come to the area they have a starting point of looking for local service providers. Local services providers  must be incorporated in the province of BC, maintain an office and or operations in BC, and all vehicles and equipment taxes must be paid and be insured in BC. BC based companies are corporations that are registered provincially to operate in BC, pay BC taxes, maintain and office and operations center in BC and must maintain BC resident manager and personal. Companies not meeting these criteria’s are considered others or outside the province. Associate members are more than welcome and require a BC address only.  These distinctions between various service companies will be clearly identified on our website data base in the coming weeks, for Explorers and Producers to review and consider in their procurement processes.  We encourage all service companies to review go to www.energyservicebc.org and ensure that you are correctly identified on the website and contact us with questions or concerns.
One other important item that I would like to mention at this time is the annual BC Oil & Gas Trade Show that we host in Calgary every spring. Unfortunately with the changes made within the Ministry and the downsizing funding was unavailable at this time so we are looking to have it in the spring of 2011 now. ESBC will be hosting open forums in each of the communities later this fall to provide service companies the opportunity to raise questions and concerns directly with us.  Dates will be announced in the local papers. May everyone enjoy their summer and we look forward to the continued success with the service sector, explores and producers as Energy Services BC moves forward.