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The Canadian Heavy Oil Association –
The Forum for the Heavy Oil and Oilsands Industries
a report by
Canadian Oilsands
Trent Kaiser
President, Canadian Heavy Oil Association (CHOA)
The Canadian Heavy Oil Association CHOA membership spans the broad spectrum of the community, so
The Canadian Heavy Oil Association (CHOA) is a volunteer the events it organises, both independently and collaboratively, need
organisation of individuals with the mission “To provide an to be accessible to that broad spectrum. The conference industry is
appropriate technical, educational and social forum for those delivering an ever-increasing number of events that target
employed in, or associated with, the heavy oil and oilsands managers, executives and other ‘business leaders’ with narrow
industries.” The membership is broadly inclusive, attracting members target audiences and conference prices that ensure participant
from technical, sales and marketing, management, academic and exclusivity. In contrast, the CHOA continues to deliver events and
research and leadership areas. The mission statement reflects a focus programmes that offer unparalleled value: programmes with
on individuals affiliated in some way with the heavy oil industry. The informative content at affordable prices that make them accessible
forum provided by the Association is in the activities it organises and to the broad membership. Companies recognise this value by
in supporting the industry around which those activities revolve. supporting the participation of their employees. The measure of
success is in the attendance rates for all of the events organised by
Service to Members the Association, as CHOA events continue to enjoy the highest
The main benefits to members are the networking and learning participation rates in the industry.
opportunities about what is happening in the rapidly growing heavy
oil and oilsands industry. This is accomplished through technical and The Association also enjoys the support of its membership’s
social exchanges, conferences and information dissemination. The employers through their participation in the events it organises.
Association provides these opportunities through monthly technical Industry leadership recognises the value of having their employees
luncheons, quarterly ‘beer and chat’ sessions and annual participate in the events, and they appreciate the volunteer efforts of
conferences. Technical luncheons cover topics relating to business, their staff to build the success of the organisation and its support
drilling and completions, environment, facilities/upgrading and of their industry. In return, the Association is able to count on
production/reservoir/geoscience, while the beer and chat sessions industry leaders to contribute to the programmes it organises by
cover industry projects or other industry topics of interest. making presentations in conferences and other technical
Membership is only US$50, and delivers incredible value through programmes, and providing material that is used to promote the
participation in events, information provided and discounts to some industry. Our leaders recognise that what their business gains from
of the premier networking events in the heavy oil industry. the activities depends on what they put in.
Many CHOA members are professionals, and for most of these Service to a Global Industry
individuals a professional development programme is now a The CHOA mandate serves a membership of individuals, and that
mandatory activity required for maintaining registration. The CHOA mandate complements the roles of other organisations that serve
provides numerous opportunities for filling the needs of professional corporate memberships or the industry at large. The CHOA works
development programmes. Attending Association events, contributing collaboratively with many other organisations, supporting them
presentations to the technical programme, publishing papers at insofar as such efforts benefit the membership. These collaborations
conferences and serving on organising committees are just some provide platforms for the networking and information transfer that
examples of the activities that are recognised in most professional is at the heart of the CHOA mission, and the knowledge and skills
development programmes. For many in the industry, the CHOA forms possessed by the membership are vital to achieving the goals of its
the core of their professional development programme. partners. Supporting and maintaining the vitality of the industry
provides an oblique benefit to the members, and as interest in the
heavy oil industry expands it becomes increasingly evident that these
Trent Kaiser is President of the Canadian Heavy Oil
Association (CHOA) and a founding principal of Noetic
collaborations are an important part of maintaining the image of the
Engineering Inc., an engineering consultancy offering industry and keeping it vital. The CHOA’s activities are therefore
specialised engineering services to the oil and gas
evolving to incorporate an advocacy role by becoming a source of
industry, linking fundamental engineering research and
development to product solutions. His focus is on
reliable, objective information about the industry that spans
advanced computer simulation techniques, both
technical, environmental and commercial topics.
development and application, and he has applied his
experience to a wide range of technology developments
employed by the industry. Dr Kaiser has authored more than 30 technical papers, many While the vast volume of bitumen in Canadian oilsands has long been
of them peer-reviewed, and holds several patents. He completed his BSc, MSc and PhD
known, extracting the resource and converting it into energy products
in mechanical engineering at the University of Alberta.
has always been a technical and economic challenge. Consequently,
recognised oilsands reserves have historically been quite low.
36
© TOUCH BRIEFINGS 2008
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