ProACTIVE Planning’s Russ Leedham, Blaise Fontaine, and Ed Plant will be presenting (virtually) at the Alberta Professional Planners Institute annual conference on October 4th 2021. This year’s conference is all about personal and professional evolution in the planning profession in a challenging pandemic world. ProACTIVE is thrilled for the invitation to share information about the CSA Standard “Z663-18: Land Use Planning in the Vicinity of Pipeline Systems” and some of the feedback we’ve heard during our education sessions across the country.
 
When it comes to pipelines, everybody seems to have an opinion. Often times, those opinions have been founded by inaccurate information, and inflated beyond recognition. The hyperbolic misperception that pipelines are unsafe has dominated the public conscious, but, just like cars and airplanes, pipelines ARE SAFE until a rare incident occurs.
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Many Planners may not want to deal with the topic of pipelines, but the consequences of not adequately considering pipeline infrastructure in the planning profession is leading to persistent planning oversights, fractured relationships between operators and development stakeholders, and decades of issues ahead for long range planning.
 
The integrity and evolution of the professional planner is continuously broadened through understanding stakeholders’ and other industry’s unique priorities. As the pipeline industry is continuously supplying energy to our communities and fueling our lifestyles, it is necessary for municipalities, planners and developers to consider the obligations and responsibilities of such critical stakeholders in our communities.

Register for the conference:
www.albertaplanners.com/events/appi-2021-virtual-conference-evolution
 

Everybody has heard that the real estate sector is hot right now, but what does that have to do with pipelines?

Real estate markets drive the development industry. As the development industry continues to grow at unprecedented rates, this means that the risk of damage and encroachment for pipeline infrastructure is also growing.

We recognize that our clients have an urgent and critical need for Class Location Predictive Assessments to understand how upcoming development will impact their infrastructure or trigger a class upgrade. Operators want to know where and when short and long range development plans within the class assessment area will occur, and need to know when a class upgrade will be needed.

Since 2019, ProACTIVE Planning has completed over 110 Class Location Predictive Assessments, totaling over 10,000 kilometers of infrastructure in urban and rural areas across Canada. Our reporting has caught over 9,000 new and future dwellings within the class assessment area of our clients’ infrastructure. We have also identified over 200 urban development projects and over 100 major transportation and utility projects that may also have damage and class implications.

We are here to help our clients with CER class filing requirements related to new development and to support class location obligations of CSA Z662-19. To learn more about this service or ProACTIVE’s other solutions for pipeline operators, please get in touch with us and we’d be happy to work with you!

ProACTIVE Planning has been invited to serve as panelists at the 2021 Banff Pipeline Workshop to share our experience working with pipeline operators and municipalities to implement CSA Z663-18 and to adhere to the class location regulatory obligations of CSA Z662-19.

The session, “Working Group 2 Session A – Class Location Changes: Regulatory Expectations and Impact of Standards”, is scheduled April 8th at 10:45am – 12:15pm. This collaborative session will also feature representatives from the Canada Energy Regulator and the Canadian Standards Association. This workshop is an incredible opportunity to explore how stakeholders are integrating their responsibilities set forth in CSA Z663 and Z662. 

“From our company’s inception, we have been driven to be the leading service provider for pipeline operators to monitor land use and predict class location changes through our comprehensive service model and proprietary solutions” says Russ Leedham, ProACTIVE’s President and Director of Operations. “Being invited to serve as panelists at the Banff Pipeline Workshop is a tremendous privilege. This is one of the biggest platforms in North America for pipeline operators to engage with service providers and regulatory bodies to advance their safety and sustainability objectives, and to explore emerging best practices.”
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To find out more about the 2021 Banff Pipeline Workshop, please visit https://www.banffpipelineworkshop.com/
Early bird registration ends on March 15th so register today!

ProACTIVE Planning is thrilled to announce a new project with the Canadian Energy Pipeline Association (CEPA), in partnership with the Canadian Standards Association (CSA) – ProACTIVE will be delivering education sessions for municipalities and planning institutions across Canada for effective land use planning in the vicinity of pipelines.

Based on the guidelines from CSA Z663-18: Land Use Planning in the Vicinity of Pipeline Systems, ProACTIVE will be providing online sessions to select municipalities and institutional audiences with CEPA member infrastructure within their boundaries. The goal of these sessions is to tell the story of development from the perspective of pipeline operators, and to provide municipalities and development stakeholders with a toolkit for addressing issues related to land use planning in the vicinity of pipeline systems.

“The issue of land use planning around pipelines is a topic that has been discussed by CEPA’s Damage Prevention Community of Practice for several years. Addressing the risks of land use planning around pipelines lead to CEPA being instrumental in the development of this standard. Since 2018, CEPA members have been exploring ways to increase awareness of the standard and educate municipalities on the shared responsibility of preventing damage to this critical infrastructure. CEPA is looking forward to working with ProACTIVE in engaging municipalities to promote an increased awareness of the standard and how it can be used to proactively reduce the risk of pipeline damage, which can have significant impacts on the public and environment.” Patrick Smyth, Vice President, Performance, CEPA. 

Looking at the year ahead, this strategic partnership with CEPA and CSA will enable ProACTIVE to reach municipalities across Canada to share the issues that currently exist in land use planning and development in the vicinity of pipeline systems and the key messaging and guidelines released in 2018 by the Canadian Standards Association. Ed Plant, ProACTIVE’s Municipal Relations and ROW Advisor states: “We feel highly equipped to do this work – we have three team members including myself who served on the CSA Z663-18 Technical Committee, we have an impeccable engagement record, and strong relationships with municipalities, as well as municipal and industry associations across the country. Municipalities and pipeline operators have long needed guidance for working together, and when CSA Z663-18 was released we knew there was huge potential, and now we need planners to implement it.” 

​On March 31st, ProACTIVE Planning presented to the Canadian Energy Pipeline Association’s (CEPA) Damage Prevention Community of Practice to share their innovations and solutions in the field of integrity and damage prevention in the pipeline industry. This unique and privileged opportunity came at an ideal time in ProACTIVE’s growth as a business.
 
CEPA is a world-class and world-renowned organization comprised of Canada’s leading pipeline companies and in the global pipeline community, Canada’s safety and pipeline integrity governance is routinely recognized. The Association’s ‘Integrity First’ program is devoted to “zero pipeline incidents” and “to help pipeline companies share and implement leading practices, keeping pipelines safe and communities protected”. CEPA’s Mission, goals and objectives align with ProACTIVE Planning’s vision, momentum and enthusiasm  contributing to the responsible growth and sustainability of Canada’s municipalities and transmission pipeline industry.
 
“Our work is about improving collaboration and sharing best practices across the industry to resolve issues of land use planning and development in the vicinity of pipeline systems. It was a privilege to be invited to the CEPA table to explore ways our company and the Association can collaborate on messaging, best practices, and potential joint programming opportunities.” - Russ Leedham, Director of Operations, ProACTIVE Planning
 
In Q1 2020, the ProACTIVE  team discovered significant instances of unaccounted for and unmonitored development near pipeline infrastructure. Mike Sullivan of ProACTIVE believes the inherent value of the company’s work simply speaks for itself: “It’s an issue that affects all parties -  municipalities, developers, and pipeline operators alike are enduring immeasurably financial and societal costs when development remains undetected. Addressing these issues in a cost-effective and sustainable way today will save pipeline operators from making multi-million dollar class upgrades in the future”.
 
In a time of uncertainty for the oil and gas sector, the need for enhanced technologies and innovation to keep up with an ever-changing market is becoming increasingly critical. ProACTIVE was excited to share their own contributions with CEPA’s influential audience, and demonstrate how they are bringing relief to their pipeline operator clients through the implementation of Z663. ProACTIVE Planning’s primary objective is resolving land use planning issues and the related challenges of development in the vicinity of pipelines, and “we are thrilled by the opportunities we’ve had in the last six months to share our solutions with our current and prospective clients, stakeholders, and pipeline regulators.”

Last month, ProACTIVE Planning was privileged to be invited by the Canada Energy Regulator to present to their Safety & Security Community of Practice.
 
The CER and Damage Prevention organizations alike have expressed a continued concern for the lack of awareness on issues of land use planning in the vicinity of pipeline systems, and ProACTIVE was excited to share its solutions and experience working with clients who have made addressing these issues an operational commitment.
 
“For us, it’s really happy news that we get to share with the CER”, says Mike Sullivan of ProACTIVE. “It’s an opportunity to speak one-on-one with an actively engaged regulator that worked on Z663 and show them how ProACTIVE has built the best land use monitoring tool in Canada. We’re proud of what we’ve achieved! And more so, we’re excited about how we can improve the industry as a whole. That has always been the end goal”.
 
ProACTIVE’s goal is to have all primary CER regulated companies equipped with its services by the end of Q4 2021. “It’s not a lofty goal”, Mike adds. “Land use monitoring is an ongoing, everyday area of operations where the transmission pipeline industry relies heavily on manpower and it’s challenging at the best of times. ProACTIVE Planning eliminates those struggles and delivers certainty 100% of the time.”

In their presentation, ProACTIVE gave an overview of the issues surrounding land use planning in the vicinity of pipelines, and how all stakeholders in the equation share a collective responsibility to improve communication, strategies and processes to address these issues. Blaise Fontaine, ProACTIVE’s Director of Engagement, also explored  concepts of “stakeholder psychology” and how classic approaches to engagement with municipalities can fall short for the widespread adoption of Z663.

ProACTIVE Planning had the special opportunity to provide an educational session to three major municipalities: Spruce Grove, Stony Plain, and Parkland County. These three municipalities have a unique interest in ProACTIVE’s work with pipeline operators, as they have significant amounts of pipeline infrastructure within their boundaries.
 
The session was focused on the best practices and recommended guidance of CSA Z663-18, and provided participants with a mini toolkit for collaborating with pipeline operators when planning new developments, and how to work with ProACTIVE for future development applications.
 
Municipal education sessions are just one objective for ProACTIVE’s overarching engagement strategy. There has been significant unaccounted land use planning and development in the vicinity of pipeline infrastructure, and the need for municipalities and ProACTIVE’s clients to work together more effectively provides immediate and long term benefits for all stakeholders involved.
 
If you’re a municipality or Indigenous community looking for an educational session on land use planning in the vicinity of pipeline systems, please get in touch with us at info@proactive-planning.ca and someone will be in touch with you very shortly!

The CCGA Damage Prevention Symposium is only one week away, and the ProACTIVE team is looking forward to presenting on how pipeline operators can create internal strategies for implementing the best recommendations of CSA Z663.
 
ProACTIVE Planning is proud to be a champion of CSA Z663, and we have woven this standard into the fabric of our entire operations. Our processes and technologies are developed specifically for this work, and we want to share our company’s best practices with all participants at the symposium so that Z663 can be implemented to its fullest potential.
 
For us, this represents a very exciting time for our company…this will be our first time presenting at a conference as ProACTIVE Planning, and doing so at the CCGA Damage Prevention Symposium is entirely an honour and privilege.
 
The reception we’ve received as an emerging start-up has been something we only ever dreamed of, and the client base we’ve been building has already far exceeded our wildest ambitions. Our team at ProACTIVE makes our work and our reach possible.  
 
Michael Sullivan has been alongside ProACTIVE since the beginning when our technologies were mere concepts, and our vision as a company was just coming together. Michael expresses that  “while this is probably something many have thought of in the past, ProACTIVE is the first to launch. Nothing else out there comes close to what ProACTIVE can do for the pipeline industry”.
 
Michael believes that ProACTIVE “is setting the bar for managing land use planning near pipeline systems…using automation and technology as a fresh set of eyes on an age old challenge for pipeline operators”.
 
The guidance of ProACTIVE’s advisors helped shape our greatest asset, the ProACTIVE Portal, our web-based platform capable of managing all aspects of land use planning in the vicinity of pipelines. Michael explains that “the ProACTIVE Portal provides clients with a full spectrum window of all activity in the vicinity of their assets - directly where their view needs to be. From this early vantage point, ProACTIVE's clients can plan and manage capital projects long in advance without burden or risk to operations and without consequence to neighbours”, further protecting our clients’ social licence  and reputation, as well as contributing to the field of damage prevention in unprecedented ways.
 
We’re looking forward to ProACTIVE’s milestones ahead! We have a lot in the works after the CCGA Damage Prevention Symposium, and along with some other strategic growth initiatives, Michael envisions that ProACTIVE “will expand into the United States in the very near future”.
 
Looking forward to seeing familiar faces in Niagara Falls next week, and just as excited to meet some new ones. Be sure to check out our session on Thursday at 9:45am!

​ProACTIVE Planning is thrilled to announce that Blaise Fontaine and Russ Leedham will be presenting at the Canadian Common Ground Alliance’s 2019 Annual Damage Prevention Symposium in Niagara Falls this October!
 
This exciting opportunity for ProACTIVE comes during an even more exciting time for our company. As we continue to grow and gain traction in the industry with our innovative technologies, we will have the chance to share more about our internal strategies related to stakeholder engagement, and how we designed our Engagement Framework for the specific purpose of creating widespread implementation and adoption of CSA Z663-18.
 
The Canadian Standards Association (CSA) Z663-18 is a key foundational document that was made possible through the collaboration and hard work of many industry experts who had a vision of addressing land use planning and development issues in the vicinity of pipeline systems. This document has gained recognition in the pipeline industry as the new “go-to-guide” for formalizing roles and responsibilities of all stakeholders involved in this enduring and complex issue.
 
ProACTIVE’s session is titled “Implementing CSA Z663-18: Addressing the limitations and gaps in stakeholder awareness and engagement”, and during our discussions we will share stakeholder engagement theories, strategies, and tactics that we employ in our day-to-day operations that help all development stakeholders and pipeline operators implement this critical standard into their companies and organizations.