Good morning, and thank you for allowing Energy Services BC to be a part of the study of the cross-Canada benefits of developing the oil and gas industry of the energy sector.
My name is Dave Turchanski, president of Energy Services BC. Energy Services BC is fuelling the future of B.C.'s energy industry here in the north. For a little bit about Energy Services BC, we're the voice of the B.C. oil and gas service sector. We've got a 40-year history here. We're a member-based, non-profit association, and over 200 B.C. service companies are ESBC members here in the northern part of the province. We've got about 140 active members here as we speak today.
Our mission is to advocate for our members: we market the capacity of the B.C. service sector, we promote our members to explorers and producers, we're the service sector resource for E and Ps in British Columbia, and we facilitate capacity development and provide networking opportunities. Our structure must be incorporated in the province of British Columbia, we must maintain an office and/or operations centre here in B.C., and our vehicles must be registered and insured in the province of British Columbia. Our membership structure and operations in B.C. must have the corporation registered provincially to operate in British Columbia, must pay B.C. taxes, must maintain an office or operations centre in British Columbia, and must maintain a B.C. resident manager and personnel.
Energy Services BC is multi-region. We used to be the Northern Society of Oilfield Contractors years ago here. We rebranded ourselves and now we are representing the province of British Columbia. We have increased the participation of the B.C. service sector with Alberta-based explorers and producers, build relationships with E and Ps, and increased the benefits of the oil and gas industry for all British Columbians.
The challenges for the B.C. service sector are limited marketing resources, understanding explorers and producers procurement processes, relationship-building with the explorers and producers, not always the supplier of choice by Alberta-based explorers and producers. The challenges for E and Ps are limited information about the B.C. service sector, cost of the B.C. service sector, and gaps in service needs that are requirements in this part of the province.
Activities to date with Energy Services BC include Calgary-based explorer and producer visits. Energy Services BC is in constant contact with Alberta-based explorers and producers to address issues brought forward by the local service sector. The key issues identified were the quality and quantity of tendered bids, identifying potential suppliers, service sector companies' safety concerns, and increasing opportunities with aboriginals and first nations in this part of the province.
Activities to date have included communication to community and Energy Services BC members via our website, industry-related events announcements sent to all ESBC members, periodic newsflashes, a member database, and participation in energy expos. We have hosted energy expos in Fort Nelson, Dawson Creek, Fort St. John, and in the past we've also had expos in Calgary, Alberta.
Ongoing activities within Energy Services BC are identifying the B.C. service sector companies, promoting the B.C. service sector to the explorers and producers, identifying explorers and producers that operate in British Columbia, determining the explorers and producers' procurement processes, building relationships with explorers and producers, offering marketing resources for service sector companies through website advertising, and helping service sector companies with labour and training issues.
Our goals are to strengthen our role as the voice of the B.C. service sector and supply companies, to promote the growth and development of the service and supply companies, and to increase the utilization of B.C. service and supply companies.
For further information, you can contact Dave Turchanski, Energy Services BC.
I appreciate the opportunity to address the House of Commons here this morning.
Thank you.