Canadian natural gas prices, US demand down: industry in flux

The US could be a net exporter of LNG by 2015. Canada. The Conference Board of Canada says Canada's natural gas industry could be in for a tough few years as it shifts the export lines from south to west (i.e. to Asia).

Canada’s exports of natural gas to the United States are down, and prices for the commodity are also down, making the future of the industry less bright than previously. With the cost of Canadian natural gas nearly 40 per cent lower than a year ago, fewer wells will be drilled in this country. The Petroleum Services Association of Canada, which represents Canada’s energy service companies, reduced its forecast for new drilling in Canada by 11 per cent.

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CN engineers ratify new contract

The 1,800 locomotive engineers who work for Canadian National Railways ratified a new three-year contract today, retroactive to January 1. A majority (95 per cent) of members of the Teamsters Canada Rail Conference (TCRC) voted to accept the contract, which includes a 9 per cent wage increase over three years, to the end of 2014, as well as benefits improvements. The grievance procedure and rest time provisions have been improved, according to an announcement from the Teamsters Union, which represents 125,000 members in Canada in all trades.

The voting was done by means of a new electronic system set up for the purpose by a third party. TCRC president Rex Beatty called the vote historic, the result showing a resounding endorsement of the agreement by the union’s members.

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Canadian Solar to supply PV modules to Abu Dhabi group

Canadian Solar and Al Fahad Group Announce Sales Agreement for One of the Largest Solar PV Projects in Abu Dhabi

Canadian Solar, one of the world's largest solar companies, today announced an agreement with the Al Fahad Group, a diversified conglomerate with expertise in Defense & Intelligence, Homeland Security, Networking & Communications and Power.

Under the agreement, Canadian Solar will supply more than 1.5 MW of its solar modules to the Al Fahad Group, which is spearheading one of the largest solar PV projects in Abu Dhabi, considered one of the pioneers for renewable energies in the Middle East. This will be a governmental venture, which was agreed upon during the recent World Future Energy Summit (WFES) held in Abu Dhabi.Canadian Solar's CS5A-M solar modules will be used for the project, as they are ideally settled for the local environmental conditions. "What convinced us to choose Canadian Solar was its proven performance and reliability, high quality and commitment to excellence. High performance under our challenging local climate parameters was at the forefront of our selection process," explained Khaled Obaid Al Othman Al Ali, CEO of AL Fahad Group. "Additionally, we focus on long-term relationships with trustworthy partners. To these belong companies with experience, an extended track record and a very good customer service. With Canadian Solar all these requirements are met."

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Quebec aerospace industry to grow in 2012: 3,600 jobs will be added

Quebec's aerospace industry, with $11.4 billion in revenue, is the sixth largest in the world. Recent survey of the industry points to growth in 2012.

A new survey gives a positive outlook for the aerospace industry in Quebec, with 95 per cent of respondents saying they expect 2012 to be better than 2011, which was a good year. The industry will add more than 3,600 jobs this year, continuing a growth trend that goes back more than three decades.

The annual Employment Census and Forecast survey was done by the Comité sectoriel de main-d'œuvre en aérospatiale. The director, Serge Tremblay, said, "The economic slowdown really seems to be behind us, to the point where some positions requiring specific skills are difficult to fill. We can anticipate ongoing challenges on that score if young talents as well as experienced workers do not join the existing workforce."

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British firm acquires Texas valve maker for fracking industry

The British industrial engineering firm Weir is to acquire Texas-based Novatech for $176 million. Novatech manufactures valves and valve seats for high-pressure applications such as workover pumps, high-pressure well service fracturing pumps, cement and mud pumps used in unconventional upstream oil and gas operations.

Weir already holds a dominant share in the supply of high-pressures pumps used in the extraction of North American shale gas. It has a six-month backlog of valve orders from rig operators where wells have been drilled but not fracked. The acquisition of Novatech, which doubles Weir’s share of the global market in surface fracking equipment, will allow Weir to expand its manufacturing capability in Texas and Alberta.  

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Swedish study of green trains made public

Bombardier partnership project outlines green train of the future

New generation trains running on existing track can easily combine higher speeds, lower energy consumption, reduced noise and lower costs. These are the findings reported by Swedish researchers in Stockholm today after concluding a four-year project, with Bombardier Transportation as one of three major partners.

The Gröna Tåget ("Green Train") research project is a collection of ideas, proposals and technical solutions aimed at making long distance and fast regional services more attractive to travellers and operators. Gröna Tåget is a fast electric tilting train - based on the BOMBARDIER REGINA vehicle - that not only maintains higher speeds than conventional trains on sections with curves but also 300 km/h or more on dedicated high speed lines.

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China looking for "win-win" energy partnership with Canada

The Chinese appetite for energy and resources, and Canada’s abundance of those resources make for a “win-win” energy partnership, according to the Chinese ambassador to Canada, Zhang Junsai. “The two countries have every reason to forge a stable and win-win partnership in the long run in the field of resources,” he wrote in a statement for the Canadian Press just days before Prime Minister Harper embarks on a trade visit to China.

China invested $5 billion in Canada’s resource sector in the last year alone.

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Honda CR-V begins production in Ontario plant

Honda Canada celebrates the start of mass production of the all-new 2012 CR-V, now made in Canada at the company's manufacturing facility in Alliston, Ontario. (Left to Right) Nobuyuki Sanui, President, Honda of Canada Mfg. and Takashi Sekiguchi, President and CEO, Honda Canada Inc.

Honda Canada officially began production of the 2012 Honda CR-V at its plant in Alliston today. The CR-V is Canada’s top-selling SUV. Calling it the “gold standard” in the compact SUV segment, Jerry Chenkin, Honda Canada’s executive vice president,  said he was proud it was being built in this country.

The Alliston plant now produces four distinct models: Civic, CR-V, MDX and ZDX. It is the only Honda plant in North America to produce four models on one line.

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Recovering industry on display at Detroit auto show

The North American International Auto Show in Detroit is over for another year, and the reviews are very positive. Attendance was up: with 770,932 visitors, it was the best turnout since 2005. According to the show’s chairman, Bill Perkins, “Detroit is still the centre of the North American auto industry,” and its importance can be seen in the fact that the show draws people from around the world.

More than forty new products were unveiled this year, one of the indicators of the show’s importance. Cadillac’s new ATC, Acura’s NSX, and Ford’s new Fusion were just three of the many. Despite plenty of competition from Geneva, Frankfurt, Paris, Beijing and Tokyo, Detroit still boasts the largest display of new and concept models in the world. 

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Air Canada to move 140 jobs from Montreal to Toronto

In spite of pressure from the mayor of Montreal, federal politicians and organized labour, Air Canada says it intends to move 140 schedulers’ jobs from Montreal to Toronto in the next two years. The Canadian Auto Workers union has called on the airline to abandon the plan, and a Quebec NDP MP has asked the federal government to intervene.

The mayor of Montreal, Gerald Tremblay, wrote to Air Canada president Calin Rovinescu, pleading with him not to jeopardize Montreal’s position in the aerospace sector by eroding its head office presence in the city. At stake is Montreal’s economic development and competitiveness in the aerospace industry.

"The transfer of strategic functions from Air Canada's head office to other Canadian cities can only be detrimental to the positioning of Montreal and its competitiveness," he wrote.

Air Canada, however, says moving the jobs to its operational control centre in Toronto will help the company improve customer service by having all its people in one place. About 250 employees already work in Toronto, and a new purpose-built facility is to open in 2014.

From Air Canada’s point of view, the move is an operational decision. As with other airlines worldwide, the main operations centre is at the main airport hub, says the company in a statement. “Crew scheduling is an operations function, not a headquarters function.”