July 17, 1997
(Tourism, Culture and Recreation)

Unique International Oil and Gas Conferences to be held in St. John's

St. John's, Newfoundland will be the site of two unique international oil and gas conferences this September.

The Responsible Work Conference (September 7-9, 1997, Delta Conference Centre) encourages users of the ocean to discuss their interactions with the oil and gas industry and to develop methods on how each can work more responsibly together in the ocean environment.

Atlantic Islands, Offshore Oil and Development (September 10-12, 1997, Hotel Newfoundland) will explore what makes island communities unique in the offshore oil and gas industry. Delegates from the Faeroes, Falklands, Orkneys, Shetlands and other Atlantic islands and coastal jurisdictions will examine how offshore oil development can be managed to maximize benefits for island peoples and communities.

Renowned speakers from around the world with experience in offshore production will gather at the Responsible Work conference. Speakers and delegates from the environmental, regulatory, risk assessment, oceans policy, community and fisheries fields will share their knowledge and help identify gaps in the offshore oil industry working responsibly.

A public session, "Oil Spills, What is the Cost?" led by Dr. Ian White, Managing Director of the International Tanker Owners Pollution Federation Limited in London, English will be held Monday, September 8, 1997 at 7:30 pm at the Fisheries and Marine Institute of Memorial University. This session will be a frank and open discussion on the true impact of oil spills.

Responsible Work is being sponsored by the major oil companies and associations operating off Canada's east coast including the Canadian Association of Petroleum Producers, Hibernia Management and Development Company Ltd., Amoco Canada, PanCanadian Petroleum Limited, Petro-Canada, Husky Oil, Mobil Oil Canada Properties and the College of the North Atlantic.

Key themes of Atlantic Islands, Offshore Oil and Development include cultural and social impacts, business opportunities, economic benefits, planning and fiscal management, employment and training, environmental planning and management and regulatory regimes specific to island communities.

World renowned experts will facilitate cross cultural and cross sectoral exchange of ideas and experience in how to make offshore oil and development work for islands.

Atlantic Islands is sponsored by Hibernia Management and Development Company Ltd.; Petro Canada/Terra Nova Project; Noble Drilling; AGRA Earth and Environmental; Jacques Whitford Environmental Ltd.; The Department of Industry, Trade and Technology; the College of the North Atlantic and the Institute of Island Studies, University of Prince Edward Island.

These conferences signify two important events: offshore oil and gas coming of age on the east coast of Canada as it moves into the long awaited production phase and the celebration of the 500th anniversary of the landfall of explorer John Cabot on the island of Newfoundland. The first event heralds the beginning of a new era in Newfoundland. The latter event marks a significant past event in the island's history. Both events are part of the Cabot 500 celebrations.

Both conferences are affiliated with the Summit of the Sea - a series of conferences being held in September 1997 to discuss a broad range of sustainable oceans development issues. The Summit Core Conference, Understanding and Managing the Oceans, from September 1-6, 1997, is acknowledged as the unofficial start of the United Nations 1998 International Year of the Ocean.

Contact: Susan Sherk (Responsible Work), tel (709) 739-7774; fax (709) 739-7775 or Shelley Bryant (Atlantic Islands), tel (709) 753-3680; fax (709) 579-3729.