Teresa Waddington has a message for women contemplating a career in the oil and gas sector.

“When you look at what you should dedicate your life to, I can’t imagine a better place than energy,” she says. “We need your creativity and ability to tackle problems and the unique value set that young people, especially young women, bring to the industry.”

The chemical engineer and vice-president of corporate affairs with LNG Canada is part of a growing number of women working in oil and gas – from pipelines to refineries to boardrooms.

Waddington’s parents and siblings are engineers – a “genetic requirement” she says with a laugh. Both parents worked in oil and gas.

Decades ago, her mother was given questionable career advice upon entering the workforce – “Never use your name, just initials, so gender isn’t obvious, dress in a masculine manner, and don’t speak about your children.”

“She took that advice and threw it straight out the window,” Waddington says. “One specific memory that has shaped a lot of what I do was watching my mom grab her hardhat after she painted her nails and then heading to her job at the refinery. I’m on a mission to turn my dad’s oil patch into my daughter’s energy garden.”

According to research by the Canadian Energy Centre, nearly 31 per cent of the jobs in Canada’s oil and gas sector are held by women, while annual wages and salaries for women have increased over 30 per cent since 2009.

That’s a higher level than in the global industry. Data from Catalyst and S&P Global indicates women comprise less than one-quarter of oil and gas workers worldwide. Only 17 per cent of executives are women, while 27 percent of entry-level jobs are held by women.

With a liquefied natural gas export facility under construction in Kitimat on the west coast of B.C., LNG Canada will export Canadian natural gas to Asian markets, and in the process, put Canada on the map of LNG exporting countries.

With a capital cost of $17 billion, LNG Canada represents one of the largest energy investments in Canadian history – and Waddington is excited about the company’s role in helping reduce emissions – providing LNG to jurisdictions currently reliant on coal-fired power. She’s also determined to ensure LNG Canada’s workforce reflects the communities in which the company operates.

“We are trying to ensure that we are helping upskill a Canadian workforce for an industry that’s never existed here on this scale before,” she says. “Our ability to affect massive change both on how Canada plays a role in the energy transition and decarbonizing and offering lower emissions fuel to the globe is profound – anything that impacts global climate in a positive way is a good step forward for everyone.”

The unaltered reproduction of this content is free of charge with attribution to Canadian Energy Centre Ltd.

It’s 6 a.m. on a Saturday morning – you wouldn’t usually be up so early on a weekend, but the mountains are calling, and your alarm clock is begging you to answer them. 

A fresh pot of coffee waits for you in the kitchen as you quickly fry up an egg and toast some bread as you check hill conditions on your phone before warming up the car, loading your gear, and hitting the road.  

The sun peaks over the mountains to light your way to the hill. The parking lot is beginning to fill with other early risers, and you are eager to avoid a long line at the gondola.  

You hustle to bundle up in warm fleece layers, boots, and a jacket, grab your skis, goggles, poles, helmet, and extra wax before riding the lift to the resort – if you’re lucky, that chairlift may even be heated.  

With temperatures hovering above zero degrees, it’s the perfect day to fly down a mountain on one or two sticks, then head home to curl up on the couch in front of your TV and gas fireplace to cheer on the nation’s athletes as they compete on the world stage.  

These cold weather pastimes are made possible by petrochemical-based materials; products made from oil and gas and plastics. 

The Chemistry Industry Association of Canada estimates 70,000 products used by Canadians every day are made from plastics.  

Whether it’s a leisurely skate, or showing off aerial acrobatics in the snowboard park, the various outdoor sports Canadians indulge in during winter would look a lot different without these products.  

Sports equipment relies heavily on chemistry to help athletes reach peak performance and provide critical safety and protective functions: 

• Lubricants and waxes allow snowboards and skis to carve effortlessly through powder and glide over icy conditions.  
• Polycarbonate lenses and visors have built-in UV resistance and deflect harsh glare off the bright snow, are thin and lightweight, and have high impact resistance. 
• Helmets are made from polycarbonate: both their hard outer protective shells, and the soft inner padding.   
• Flexible spandex gear for downhill skiers, speed skaters, and curlers is made from polyurethane, as are nylon and polyester for your everyday winter jacket.  
• Made from organic polymers, carbon fiber’s high-strength and lightweight properties, combined with its versatility and durability make it the chosen material for high performance skis, snowboards, hockey sticks, even fabric.  

If enjoying winter sports from the comfort of your own home or in the stands is more your style, even spectator sports depend on oil and gas. The power to keep the lights on and heat the arena, as well as the fuel to transport athletes to competitions around the globe, and the materials used to manufacture your tablet or television are all a result of oil and gas activity.  

Beyond the fuels that heat our homes and make things go, petrochemical products from Canadian oil and gas drive the $35 billion Canadian plastics industry that employs nearly 100,000 people in businesses that make and recycle plastic.   

Canadian producers have set goals to make this $85 billion industry a circular economy by advancing technologies to allow for 100 per cent of plastic packaging to be recoverable and recyclable by 2030. 

The unaltered reproduction of this content is free of charge with attribution to Canadian Energy Centre Ltd.