Canada's upstream on upswing; '09 drilling licenses down 47% 01/17/2010
With Canadian government land sales slumping to a 17-year low and average natural gas prices at their lowest point in the past decade, it was no surprise that cash-squeezed producers slashed their dri...

Industry revival on Canada's horizon 01/03/2010
Firming of commodity prices points to resumption of oil sands growth; natural gas expected to remain weak; consolidation predicted
One of the strongest oil patch forecasts for 2010 has come from a leading Canadian law firm, which is counting on an industry revival as commodity prices strengthen, opening up the investment taps in...

Rising from Canada's upstream EandP ashes 11/01/2009
2009 drilling heads for 17-year low; regulators see some turnaround in permit applications; CAPP expects modest upturn in spending
Amid the wreckage there are a few pieces of hope in Canada's upstream, mostly pointing to a partial recovery in 2010. With drilling currently headed for its lowest point in 17 years, regulators have s...

Hope for Alberta gas? 10/18/2009
Some see gas price recovery; others believe shale gas inventories 'unsustainable'
Finding any shreds of hope in the Canadian natural gas sector - especially in Alberta - requires a large dose of belief and optimism. But hope does exist. Shares of gas-weighted energy companies sta...

All is not quiet on the oil sands front 04/26/2009
Total's hostile bid for UTS seizes attention; unclear whether it is 'final and best' offer; host of other proponents gear up
The slowdown in Canadian oil sands activity shouldn't be mistaken for nothing taking place. While some companies take a breather to reconsider future moves, there's also a persistent buzz as the secto...

Cost of capital hangs over MandA market 12/14/2008
Mergers and acquisitions in the Canadian petroleum industry took a 64 percent plunge in the first nine months of 2008, before the financial world turned on its head, and will likely remain in the dold...

Fortress under siege 11/09/2008
Alberta drilling budgets, well completions, upstream outlook all in decline; exploration drilling off 25%, development 5.5%
The evidence keeps pointing to an erosion of the Canadian petroleum industry's stronghold in Alberta, where drilling budgets, well completions and the upstream outlook are all in decline. For the firs...

Canadian service sector buoyant 08/03/2008
Oilfield service firms take most upbeat view in 18 months about outlook; investors not buying in, energy stocks down 20%
Having emerged from a difficult 12 months, oilfield services companies are counting on a vigorous rebound in Canada. The big U.S.-based companies - Halliburton, Baker Hughes, BJ Services and Weatherfo...

Quality prevails among Canadian trusts 07/06/2008
Number of energy trusts down; those that survived initial bloodbath planning for future, led by Penn West Energy, Enerplus, ARC
The 2006 Halloween mugging of royalty trusts by the Canadian government is starting to look like a trick morphing into a treat. With 30 months to wait until Ottawa starts taxing trusts like other corp...

Enerplus seeks buyers for Joslyn share 04/06/2008
Another test of what oil sands assets are worth and whether there are any eager buyers has been set in motion by Enerplus Resources Fund, which is seeking buyers for all or part of its 15 percent stak...

Little leaguers swing big bats 04/06/2008
Teck Cominco, UTS roll out plans for oil sands mines that could generate output of 210,000 bpd by 2015, acknowledge obstacles
Regardless of clouds that persistently hang over the Alberta oil sands, there's no shortage of risk-takers among the region's players. Canadian mining giant Teck Cominco and Oil sands start-up UTS Ene...

Western Canada takes crude turn 03/16/2008
Late winter rush pushes oil rig count to new record; permits slightly down from '07, but point to gas recovery; service sector benefits
A final burst of activity before spring thaw puts an end to winter drilling - along with the latest surge in oil prices - has pushed the oil sector to its highest level in Western Canada. The hunt for...

Startups revving oil sands engines 02/10/2008
Two early-stage companies are rolling ahead with plans for oil sands projects in Alberta, undeterred by the sector's trouble with new environmental and royalty regulations. Privately held Athabasca Oi...

Conoco's grand oil sands dreams 01/06/2008
ConocoPhillips has set its sights on becoming Alberta's leading oil sands producer, having made its debut as operator of the Surmont project, a joint venture with the Canadian subsidiary of France's T...

Energy trusts: Goin' to the chapel, and we're... 12/09/2007
The scramble to exchange marriage vows among Canadian income trusts carries a high cost these days - more than C$32 billion in market value over the past two months. Enerplus Resources Fund and Focus...

Trusts heed analyst's advice 11/11/2007
Penn West, Canetic create North America's largest conventional trust, eye on global growth; CEOs spurn 'rocking chair'
The future of Canada's energy income trusts was given shape on Oct. 31, the exact anniversary of the federal government's Halloween bombshell that blew the sector apart. It was resounding confirmation...

Canada's trusts, juniors in a bind 06/24/2007
Pending final legislation on their tax status, Canada's income trusts struggling to attract investment; fallout impacting smaller firms
Income trusts are stuck in a holding pattern in Canada, with a spillover to the junior sector. Pending final legislation on their tax status, trusts are both struggling to attract investment and attem...

Alberta government wins one, loses one 05/13/2007
Hope of new taxes from value-added processing, refining of oil sands bitumen takes hit when Husky buys Ohio plant; Total saves day
The Alberta government's hopes of prospering from the value-added processing and refining of oil sands bitumen took another, not unexpected dent, when Husky Energy opted to buy the Ohio refinery of Va...

The bigger they are ... 04/01/2007
Major oil sands players jittery about impact of tax, environmental changes, but Oilsands Quest, Enerplus Resources Fund and Value Creation take bold strides
On the mega-scale, these are uneasy times for Alberta's oil sands operators. At the minnow end, there is no sign of dwindling ambitions. For the large companies, on edge as they await the Canadian gov...

Energy trusts insist fight 'not over' 12/31/2006
Going directly to investors in a C$10 million campaign, coalition of energy trusts is entering federal election arena
Canadian Finance Minister Jim Flaherty issued an "end of story" declaration Nov. 18. Energy trust executives retaliated with a vow to continue their fight, gambling C$10 million that they can yet win...

Oil sands barrel overflows 11/19/2006
Mined output soars, Devon and Total caught in price grip, natural gas consumption a worry, nuclear power gets a political lift
Sifting through the latest grains from the oil sands seldom fails to yield a mix of the good, the bad, the ugly and the fascinating. The last couple of weeks have produced the following: ...

Pleading for second chance 11/12/2006
Canadian energy trusts want reprieve from federal tax plan; cite wealth, jobs created
Canada's energy trusts are trying to transform themselves into an irresistible force as they tackle what is posing as an immovable object in an effort to convince the federal government to take a seco...

Oil patch remake looms 11/05/2006
Canadian government breaks election pledge by slapping tax on trust payouts
The future of Canada's energy income trusts is in disarray amid a bloodletting on the Toronto Stock Exchange after the federal government broke a key January election campaign promise and imposed a ta...

Total takeover trial 09/10/2006
Total's Deer Creek Energy deal headed for court; New York activist investor says C$1.67 billion acquisition not 'fair value
Whether or not France's Total got a steal of a deal when it scooped up oil sands minor Deer Creek Energy last year is headed for court in Alberta. New York-based activist investor Paulson and Co. is all...

Situation normal - upheaval rules 08/13/2006
Total shuffles Joslyn completion; Imperial looks for cost-cutting; Suncor tight-lipped about costs; Enbridge Chinese deal slowed
Even for the topsy-turvy world of the Alberta oil sands the last couple of weeks have been enough to make heads spin as companies wrestled with the timing of mega-projects, clammed up on the costs of...