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Home > Speeches and Presentations > Speeches and Presentations 2009 > Building on our History, Moving Forward

Building on our History, Moving Forward

Presented by
Sheila Leggett
Vice-Chair
National Energy Board

1^st Annual Strategic Northern Infrastructure Symposium
Yellowknife, Northwest Territories

14 October 2009

On behalf of Gaétan Caron, the Chair and CEO of the National Energy Board, thank you for the invitation to participate in this dialogue. Gaétan sends his apologies for not being able to join you. I am pleased to be here to learn more about the vision for northern infrastructure.

David Hamilton, another Board member, is also here.

NEB - 50 Years

NEB is a federal regulator of trans-boundary energy infrastructure, and of petroleum exploration and production in Canada's frontiers.

NEB was formed in 1959, as a result of a national debate on the importance of infrastructure and Canadian sovereignty-the Great Pipeline Debate.

Board was established by parliament under Prime Minister Diefenbaker - in his words, the purpose was to ensure that "Canada's energy resources are used effectively and prudently, to the best advantage of Canadians".

For the last 50 years, the NEB has built a regulatory framework which considers the full range of issues making up the public interest and extends throughout the life of projects.

Our motto could be "All factors considered, is Canada better off?"

Mandate of the Board

50 years later, mandate of the Board is unchanged. Original Section 44 of the NEB Act remains as Section 52. This requires the Board to consider all aspects of a project which it considers relevant, which invariably includes economic, social and environmental factors to name but a few. There is a similar provision in the Canada Oil and Gas Operations Act, which we are also responsible for.

Parliament gave us a job to do 50 years ago and we are still doing it.

Part of our job is to make reasoned and informed decisions on complex issues. We bring closure to debates and we provide this service to Canadians within set timelines, so as to provide regulatory certainty.

Hearings

When we are deciding about large infrastructure projects, we typically hold hearings in settlements close to where the project will be constructed.

The purpose of these hearings is to hear directly from diverse viewpoints about the proposal.

The process allows us to hear from anyone who wants to talk to us about a project. People can participate either orally or in writing. We are still learning and are committed to continuous improvement.

People can also listen to a hearing through our website broadcast system. Everything that we hear during oral hearings is transcribed and available.

The process produces written decisions with reasons.

Regulatory Processes and Partnerships

We have a long history in northern Canada.

Regulatory processes in the North are complex, involving many regulators.

We have been fortunate to have formed many partnerships in Northern Canada and we look forward to more dialogue that will hopefully lead to new partnerships.

In order to do our best, we need to listen and learn.

Our focus is on outcomes and we work within a goal-oriented framework that extends through the life of all NEB regulated facilities.

Clear processes lead to clear outcomes.

Lessons learned

Lessons learned

• It is important to listen. A regulatory process that works in one part of Canada won't necessarily be the best process in another part of Canada.
• We are never too old to learn. We are committed to continuously improving the way we deliver our mandate.
• With the benefit of a mandate that extends for the life of the facilities, we don't have to solve everything at the assessment phase.
• More heads are better than one. By working with other regulators, we can jointly develop regulatory processes that work for all Canadians.

Regulatory Framework and Communication

A modern efficient regulatory framework is essential to ensure that the industry is operating safely, while protecting the environment and leading to improved social and economic outcomes.

We will coordinate with other regulators wherever possible- improves the efficiency of the whole process.

We will continue to develop and deliver clear, predictable, efficient and effective regulatory processes.

We will design the process with the end in mind.

We will continue to improve our regulatory tools: the Act, regulations, compliance tools and guidance materials.

Effective communication leads to better processes.

 

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Date Modified:

2011-10-28