Born to the challenge
Janet Holder’s B.C. roots make her the perfect lead on Northern Gateway
As leader of one of Canada’s most important and debated resource projects, Janet Holder’s first decision was likely her most significant.
The Top 100 winner in the annual WXN Most Powerful Woman Awards was sitting at a boardroom table when Enbridge was choosing the person to head its Northern Gateway pipeline project from Alberta to the British Columbia coast.
The team was signing off on its final choice for the project lead and Holder, an avid British Columbian, joked there would only be one person better.
“Me,” she said to the room of surprised executives.
“I’m from the north, I understand British Columbia, I understand Enbridge, I know our values and I know what this project means to Canada,” she told them.
That was all she needed to say.
Since then, Holder has set out on a mission to build the country’s safest pipeline, and in doing so has put her own stamp on what it means to consult with the public.
“I spend a lot of time in communities, travelling throughout British Columbia, talking to large groups such as Chambers [of Commerce] and small groups in neighbourhoods,” she says.
Holder, who was put in charge of the proposed 1,177-kilometre pipeline two years ago, views her public role to be as important as the operational responsibilities that come with managing the project.
To ensure she is truly in touch with British Columbians, Holder has embarked on a province-wide tour that has taken her from coffee shops in Penticton to a campfire in Kitimat.
And her efforts are already starting to pay dividends, as those who meet Holder on her tour often leave with a much greater appreciation for the project and why it is good for the country and the province.
It’s evidence that the former chemical engineer was the right choice to move from the towers of Toronto to her home town Prince George to head up the project. It’s where she was born and raised, where she spent her summers during university and now where she plans to someday retire.
Before that day comes, however, the 56-year-old former world-ranked power lifter is helping to set the standard for public consultation in the energy industry. Her efforts are being closely watched by other companies, politicians and interest groups, especially given there are a number of pipeline projects now in the works.
“A lot of the work we have been doing here in British Columbia has, I think, helped other Canadian projects in understanding what needs to be done in terms of the public education for pipelining,” she says.
“The effective way is truly one on one. It’s a dialogue and people feel much more comfortable engaging with you than being preached to.”
While on her tour, Holder also likes sharing with people her passion for why theNorthern Gateway project is so important for British Columbia, and for Canada.
She compares it with the massive construction effort of the St. Lawrence Seaway five decades ago. Both projects opened up the country to further trade. If it earns the necessary support and approvals, the Northern Gateway Pipeline would transport crude from the oilsands situated north of Edmonton to the B.C. coast and on to offshoremarkets.
We are actually building a pipeline well in excess of industry standards
Critically, the pipeline would end a continental bottleneck that has resulted in a substantial discount for Canadian oil compared with international prices for the world’s most important energy source.
“The Canadian Chamber of Commerce recently reported that because we do not reach international markets for oil and gas, other than the United States, we are losing $50-million a day,” saysHolder.
“But I think what is really important to understand is that people don’t want economic development to happen at the expense of the environment,” she says. “So what is most important to us is not the economic value of the project— nobody seems to challenge that. What we must do, and what we are doing, is we must mitigate to a level we have never done in the energy sector — building the safest pipeline ever constructed in Canada.”
In a province where environmental awareness is arguably higher than anywhere else in Canada, it has meant Holder and her team have made safety of the pipeline a top priority. That means thicker steel for the pipes, more and more powerful tugboats for tankers, and state-ofthe art control systems.
“We are actually building a pipeline well in excess of industry standards,” she says. “It’s thicker steel, it will have more isolation values, we are ensuring that pump stations are manned 24/ 7 and we will put in place the most advanced monitoring systems available.”
At the pipeline’s terminus at the Pacific Ocean, tankers would be guided by B.C. coast pilots who are intimately familiar with the coastline and weather patterns. And loaded tankers would be escorted from Kitimat by two tugs — one of them tethered at all times.
Northern Gateway discussed these and other proposals in great detail during 180 days of hearings before a federal Joint Review Panel earlier this year. That body is expected to issue a report by the end of December, and in 2014 the federal government will use this information to make a final decision.
As well, Northern Gateway needs to earn the support of the British Columbia government, which has set out five conditions for support of any new oil projects. Those conditions, announced last year by B. C. Premier Christy Clark, include world-leading environmental protection, ensuring meaningful benefits for First Nations and that British Columbia receive its fair share of pipeline revenue.
“Basically, they are saying ‘Let’s protect our environment, let’s involve our aboriginal communities and let’s ensure there is economic value to British Columbia,’” says Holder.
“It is a smart thing to do,” she adds.
“It is something that we believe we should live up to — that we need to live up to— and then it can set a precedent for the rest of Canada.”