Quebec delegation gets ‘crash course’ on shale gas

Quebec delegation gets ‘crash course’ on shale gas by Dina O’Meara, July 19, 2012, Calgary Herald
A bid to familiarize rural Quebecers with oil and gas activity and gain the support of greenfield stakeholders made some inroads this week following an industry-sponsored trip to southern Alberta. A dozen residents from the shale-rich Quebec Lowlands, including farmers, young urbanites and two mayors, met with their Alberta peers during the three-day tour of ranches, farms and well sites. Julie Robert, who grows blueberries and corn about 45 minutes south of Montreal, said the three-day tour helped her understand the difference between conventional and unconventional gas exploration, but left her wanting more in-formation. “It’s only an introduction to shale gas, so it was interesting, but I will come back home with questions,” Robert said. Quebec recently issued a two-year moratorium on natural gas development in the province following much public opposition to the industry. … The trip was sponsored in part by the Quebec association, the Canadian Association of Petroleum Producers and Questerre Energy, which has leases on about 350,000 acres in Quebec.