SPRING 2011
A MAGAZINE FOR NEXEN EMPLOYEES: A TRIBUTE TO BALZAC
Balzac –
Looking back
Planning for
plant retirement
People – the heart
of Balzac
TCF – trust:
a community
foundation
Talking to
the neighbours
FEATURE SECTION – balzac: the Business, People and the community
FEATURE SECTION – Balzac: The Business, People and the community
Balzac – Looking back
Fast Facts –
Balzac gas
plant
•The Balzac gas plant lies adjacent to
Calgary’s northern city limits, just east
of Queen Elizabeth II Highway.
•The Calgary international airport is
11 kilometres (seven miles) away.
•There are 120 wells.
•More than 300 kilometres (186 miles)
of pipelines.
•Sour gas processing facility, including
LPG and sulphur recovery.
•Delivered more than three trillion cubic
feet of natural gas.
•Delivered millions of tons of sulphur.
•40 plus million cubic feet of gas
processed daily over the past two years.
•A stand-alone power plant produces
enough electricity to supply 100,000
homes with energy (this facility will
remain operational).
the view of the balzac gas plant from the west stack.
Construction of the Balzac gas plant began in
April 1961. At the time, the plant was known
as the Petrogas plant, for Petrogas Processing
Ltd., a separate company set up with numerous partners including Canadian Occidental
Petroleum (now Nexen). The Petrogas
operating structure, which had become
inefficient, was collapsed in 1995 and reverted
to a conventional joint venture system.
After eight short months of construction,
first gas was processed in November 1961.
Through the ’60s and ’70s the plant went
through a series of expansions but depressed
markets in the mid-’80s forced a decommissioning of part of the plant. Now that the
1| THE LEADER – spring 2011
plant is in its 50th year of operation, facing
poor market prices, high repair costs and
declining production from its wells, all
partners agreed to retire the Balzac gas plant.
While there’s sadness about the retirement,
there’s still a great deal of pride about what
has been accomplished at Balzac. More than
3.5 trillion cubic feet of natural gas and
millions of tons of sulphur have been
processed over the past 50 years. The plant
and the gas fields – covering approximately
400 square kilometres (154 square miles),
with 300 kilometres (186 miles) of pipelines
and 120 wells – have run safely and efficiently
since day one.
This is not a minor accomplishment, notes
Rick Jensen, Nexen’s Vice President, International Production and Development, who was
plant manager from 1987-1990. “At one time,
Balzac was the flagship of Nexen, the main
asset for the company. Now with the International division, oil sands and the Gulf of
Mexico, Balzac doesn’t have the prominence it
once did. Nevertheless, Balzac has always been
a focus. It’s a natural gas plant for Nexen that
started out located in a rural area, but as
Calgary grew, Balzac became a neighbour to
a major city, which meant the sour gas wells
and processing facilities had to be operated
safely. Engagement with the community was
fundamental to the successful management
of the entire operation.”
Current General Manager of Operations,
Bob Simpson, provides further insight into
Balzac’s half-century life. “There are countless stories that could be told by many people
over the 50 years that the facility has been
in operation. From senior and executive
management who ‘cut their teeth’ learning
the gas and marketing business at the facility
to many more whose careers or children’s
careers have at one time been enhanced
directly or indirectly by what was happening
at Balzac.”
Balzac over the years. “Ask anyone who has
grown to know the essence of Balzac
personally, and they will point to a sustained
sense of community, pride, professionalism
and commitment.”
•Over the life of the facility it has been
very profitable helping to finance many
of Nexen’s growth opportunities in
Yemen, the North Sea and the oil sands.
And in the end, Bob laments, “Eventually
the steel will cool and the skyline will change
but this legacy will remain for years to come.
In some form or fashion, the Balzac story
has provided our organization with a
‘Freedom to Fly’.”
The business value that Balzac has brought to
Nexen cannot be overstated as many other
projects have benefited from the knowledge,
experience and cash flow generated from
THE LEADER – spring 2011 |
2
FEATURE SECTION – balzac: the Business, People and the community
FEATURE SECTION – Balzac: The Business, People and the community
Planning for Plant Retirement
a panoramic view of the balzac gas plant.
A gas plant is all about the gas, and in
Balzac’s case declining production from the
gas field means the economics are no longer
favourable. But that’s not to say Nexen
didn’t try to extend the life of the plant.
Over a 15-year period beginning in the
1980s, Nexen tried five times to combine
the production from sour gas plants owned
by other companies. There was renewed
optimism in 2006 when Nexen undertook
an ambitious strategy to license 15 new sour
gas wells and five new pipelines. Unfortunately,
3| THE LEADER – spring 2011
results from the first wells drilled were
disappointing and the project was cancelled.
In addition to declining production, urban
encroachment was another factor considered
when determining the future of the plant. In
1961, Calgary’s population was 250,000. Today
about 1.3 million people live in the Calgary area,
and the Balzac gas plant is longer isolated from
the city; it is on Calgary’s doorstep. Some of the
gas wells are now in the middle of residential
communities. Nonetheless the plant, wells and
pipelines have an impeccable safety record.
When the plant stops producing gas in May
2011, the abandonment and reclamation
process begins in the plant and field. Planning
for shutdown, decommissioning and salvage
is underway led by Larry Fraser’s team in the
plant and Ray Rowland’s operations team in
the field. This phase involves the safe
shutdown of equipment and thorough
equipment and pipe cleaning.
Non-protected wells, pipelines and equipment
will be abandoned, following strictly regulated
procedures for shutdown and remediation of
the land. Pipelines will be cleaned out and cut
off but not removed.
The final stage is remediation and reclamation,
managed by Greg Dehnam’s team, who will
return the land to a state suitable for a final end
use. The end land use for the plant site has yet
to be determined but options include industrial
land site, agriculture, a park with a wetland, or
a residential development. Nexen will make a
recommendation for the end land use based
on a wide-ranging consultative process with
internal and external stakeholders.
In the meantime, the plant continues to
operate safely. “We are proud of what we
have accomplished over the years, making
sure we all go home safe, uphold our
commitment to Responsible Care® and
maintain our excellent reputation with
the community and regulators,” says
Bob Simpson, Balzac General Manager
for Operations.
emotional and difficult time for employees.
People have worked here for a long time, the
plant is a very important part of their life and
they see each other as family. The morale I’ve
seen and the way people have stayed focused
on maintaining safe and good operations is
amazing. The level of professionalism at
Balzac is second to none.”
Andrew Hamilton, Project Manager for
Balzac Abandonment and Demolition,
echoes Bob’s sentiments. “This is a very
THE LEADER – spring 2011 |
4
FEATURE SECTION – balzac: the Business, People and the community
FEATURE SECTION – Balzac: The Business, People and the community
Janet Lillies, Materials Purchasing Co-ordinator
checks inventory at the Balzac Gas Plant warehouse.
PEOPLE –
THE HEART OF BALZAC
The Balzac gas plant’s iconic incinerator
stacks were clearly visible from Brian
McAusland’s family home in Calgary’s
Huntington Hills subdivision although the
plant was in a rural area. “We had just moved
to Calgary from Edmonton, and I needed a
summer job. I landed a job at the plant as
a labourer.” That job paved the way for
employment every summer when Brian
returned to Alberta from college in California,
where he had a baseball scholarship and was
studying pre-medicine.
But tragedy struck in two consecutive years
– first with the death of his father and then his
mother. “My younger brother and sister were
still living at home. I didn’t return to school
so I could look after them but I needed a job.
I met Balzac’s gas plant Field Superintendant,
Joe Trac, and he just said, ‘You can start right
now – did you bring your boots and lunch?’
Those guys were family to me. They treated
me like I was one of their own. For me, the
5 | THE LEADER – spring 2011
‘company’ was the guys I worked side-by-side
with, through thick and thin.”
we talked to landowners, management came
along. Everyone chipped in.”
Brian started in the field, became Field
Superintendent and eventually Plant Manager
and is now Nexen’s Responsible Care®
Manager. “I consider many of the people
I worked with, whether in the field or plant,
as being legendary contributors to this
company,” says Brian.
Current General Manager of Balzac Operations, Bob Simpson, reflects about the people
and operating environment. “For me, the
Balzac facility has been a paternal symbol for
our organization over the years — it’s been
the cash flow from Balzac that has provided
funding for new growth projects, the
exposure of people to our field applications,
and it’s our public reputation and the pride in
our organization and doing the right thing.”
Don Gabruck also started at Balzac as a
summer student. After graduating from SAIT
in 1971, Don worked vacation relief. By
August he had a permanent job; he retired
from Balzac in 2004 but is back at the plant
helping out with the decommissioning work.
“It was a great place to work,” says Don.
“That’s why people like me stay at Balzac
for 20, 30 years.”
“The attitude at the plant was if something
needed to be done, you did it. We did a lot
of good things outside the plant too. When
In Bob’s 32 years working for Nexen, he has
seen many incredible employee contributions
and achievements in support of our culture
and values. “Since we announced Balzac’s
retirement, I’ve witnessed tremendous resiliency
and dedication of employees at this facility in a
time of change and uncertainty. I am proud to
be associated with them. It has been a highlight
of my career and their finest moment.”
Talking to the
Neighbours
“I’ve always been impressed with how Nexen
reaches out to the community. The Balzac gas
plant has been a very good neighbour to
Calgary. It’s disappointing to see the plant
retire,” says Jim Stevenson, Calgary city
councillor for the neighbouring community
adjacent to Balzac.
The Balzac plant’s excellent track record
is also recognized by Alberta’s industry
regulator, the Energy Resources Conservation
Board (ERCB). “It’s a testament to Nexen and
their operating practices that public complaints
regarding operations at the Balzac gas plant
have been minimal,” says Brad Olive, team
leader of the ERCB’s Midnapore Field Centre.
“This is a benchmark that indicates the
relationship they’ve built with the community.”
Another feather in Balzac’s cap is Nexen’s
work on the Balzac Crossfield Expansion
Public Consultation project. Nexen’s project
team was committed to demonstrating that
such a project (15 new sour gas wells and five
new pipelines) was viable and achievable
through careful planning and consideration
of the needs of all stakeholders. As a result
of their success, the ERCB granted Nexen
unrestricted approval for its Balzac Crossfield
Expansion application in 2009. This achievement was recognized by a 2009 award for
Social Performance from the Canadian
Association of Petroleum Producers (CAPP).
Ray Maceachern, team lead – surface land agents, (left), and
Judy hutchinson, surface land agent, (right), meet with john
church (centre) a land-owner near the balzac gas plant.
THE LEADER – spring 2011 |
6
FEATURE SECTION – balzac: the Business, People and the community
a brief history of
the balzac gas plant
FEATURE SECTION – Balzac: The Business, People and the community
1954
1957
1959
Discovery of sour gas
by Mobil a few kilometres from what
was to become the Balzac gas plant.
Crossfield
sour gas and Elkton fields
discovered by Jefferson Lake.
Jefferson Lake and
Mobil form a partnership to produce
and sell 100 million cubic feet of gas
from Crossfield and Elkton.
1960
1961
1961
1962
1965
1967
1968-1969
1971
1975
1976
1986
1990
Petrogas
Processing formed from agreement
with 28 local area operators
including Jefferson Lake.
Debottlenecking to allow operations
to be at maximum design rates in both
winter and summer conditions.
Plant construction
at the Balzac gas plant site begins,
and is supervised by Plant Manager
Jim Leeper from Jefferson Lake.
Canadian Occidental
Petroleum (now Nexen) created by a
merger between Jefferson Lake Petro
Chemicals of Canada and New
Hooker Canada Ltd.
Construction is
completed by 500-600 workers at a
cost of C$13 million and wells costing
$3.5 million. First gas is produced.
Construction
of more compression for higher
levels of sulphur recovery.
1992
1995
2000
2006
2007 -2008
2009
Balzac makes
news with ground breaking public
consultation process.
Balzac Crossfield
Expansion Project plans for multi-well
drilling program. Results from first
wells are disappointing and the
program is cancelled.
7| THE LEADER – spring 2011
Petrogas Processing Ltd.
is collapsed and returns to a joint
venture arrangement – becomes known
as the Balzac gas plant.
Two-stage compression work. Major
sulphur plant work completed.
Nexen forms
a joint venture with then-PanCanadian
Petroleum (now Encana) to construct
an electric power generation facility
at Balzac.
Nexen recognized
for community engagement and public
consultation efforts during the Balzac
Crossfield Expansion Project.
Petrogas Balzac
gas plant officially opened by
then-Alberta Premier Ernest
Manning with 700 guests attending.
Production unit
built to produce 110,000 tons
of sulphur pellets per year.
2001
Power generation
facility begins operations.
2010
Nexen reviews
viability of the Balzac gas plant and
announces plans to retire the plant.
Occidental
Petroleum buys Jefferson Lake
Sulphur Company. LPG facilities
are installed.
Petrogas celebrates
25th anniversary. Depressed market
conditions force shutting down part
of the plant.
2002
Balzac is the
first upstream oil and gas facility
in the world to be Responsible
Care® verified.
2011
Balzac gas plant
retires at the beginning of May.
Plant expansion
includes additions to the gas treating,
sulphur recover and LPG units.
Second Crossfield
formation discovered.
Plans for:
•Horizontal drilling
•3D seismic
2003 -2004
Drilling of solid sulphur.
2011
Decommissioning,
salvage and demolition of the
Balzac gas plant begins at the
end of May.
THE LEADER – spring 2011 |
8
FEATURE SECTION – balzac: the Business, People and the community
Balzac’s
unsung heroes
When Lead Operator Ken Kolibar reflects on
his 35 years working at Balzac, his thoughts
are on the operators who came before him.
“I totally admire the people who worked at
the plant for the first 15 years. Fellows like
Cliff Hawkey, Terry Valen, Scotty Johnstone,
Larry Fox and Ian Longmuir.” The plant was
up and down – there were challenges. They
were modifying it all the time until they got
things streamlined.
Ken was hired in 1976 and it was the early
plant workers who taught him the ropes.
“Absolutely nothing phased them. If anything
happened, they just said ‘Let’s go fix it.’ At
that time, nothing was written down, there
were no training manuals. Everything was in
their heads. The company was lucky to have
them and I was so fortunate to have these
experienced guys teach me. As a young guy
coming in, they were an inspiration.”
FEATURE SECTION – Balzac: The Business, People and the community
Rural
traditions
Rodeo and farm life
make up the fabric of
rural Alberta. And,
this is especially true
for the communities
around the Balzac gas
plant. Every year
Nexen helps organize
a free community
Stampede breakfast.
A favourite throughout
southern Alberta,
a typical Stampede
breakfast consists
of bacon, sausages,
pancakes and
scrambled eggs.
Brian McAusland,
former Balzac Plant
Manager, was one of
the visionaries behind
making the Stampede
breakfast a tradition.
“We wanted this to
Bob simpson, general manager, balzac gas plant operations,
be a community event
serves pancakes with the community mascot, balzac billy.
rather than just a
‘Nexen’ event for the community, so we contacted a number of local businesses
and organizations to provide many of the services that we needed to pull this off.”
“Our small group of community organizers would be at the Balzac hall the night before
the event, pre-cooking sausages, mixing pancake batter and hand-cracking more than
100 dozen eggs,” says Brian. “Although it was hard to look at another egg for the next
six months, it was a lot of fun.”
25 years later: Many of the dedicated men and
women in this 1986 shot are still working at
the Balzac gas plant.
9| THE LEADER – spring 2011
Nexen in the
community
•Balzac gas plant employees are often
seen as “Citizens on Patrol” in
recognition of helping members of the
community with broken-down vehicles
and grass fires.
•Nexen is a proud member of the Balzac
Community Advisory Panel (BalCAP).
Topics such as fire prevention, changes
to local roads and highways, proposed
commercial construction and agriculture
news are discussed.
•In 1992, Nexen launched extensive
public consultation programs to address
local area concerns about health and
safety. Some of the groups Nexen met
with included leaders of various
northeast Calgary communities, fire and
police departments and government
representatives at the municipal,
provincial and federal levels.
•Nexen supports the annual Groundhog
Day breakfast where the community
mascot, Balzac Billy, visits every year
to predict the arrival of spring.
•Well site work uncovered two archeological sites. Archeology students from
the University of Calgary spent 10
summers excavating one of the sites to
learn more about Alberta’s First Nations
and Aboriginal heritage.
•A nearby community playground site
was prepared by Nexen employees and
contractor volunteers.
•The Balzac gas plant uses local
suppliers for catering, event space
and entertainment needs.
Attendance at the first Balzac Stampede breakfast was approximately 300 and by 2009
that number had grown to 1,500. In 2010, the breakfast was moved to a local shopping
centre and there were more than 4,500 attendees.
THE LEADER – spring 2011 | 10
FEATURE SECTION – balzac: the Business, People and the community
SUMMER STUDENTS
LEARN THE ROPES
FEATURE SECTION – Balzac: The Business, People and the community
Sharing the
spirit of
Christmas
When Christmas rolls around each year, a
group of employees at the Balzac gas plant
get ready to do some shopping, but not for
each other.
A few years ago, Balzac employees started the
Christmas tradition of participating in an
annual Adopt-a-Family Program. A local
charitable organization provides a brief
description of the families including the
number, ages and gender of family members.
And that’s when the fun starts and the
shopping begins.
When one of the longtime Balzac operators
went to a new dentist last year, he was
surprised to see a familiar face. Turns out the
dentist had been a summer student at Balzac.
“We’ve had summer students who went on
to become dentists, geologists, engineers,
engineering technologists, trades people,
just about any career you can think of,” says
Ray Rowland, Balzac Field Superintendent.
Hundreds of summer students have worked
at Balzac over the years and the plant has a
11| THE LEADER – spring 2011
reputation as one of the best summer
experiences available.
In return, the students received a complete
education – not only technical training but
exposure to the work ethic behind Balzac’s
“This was never a make-work program,” says success. “We have a lot of ownership in what
Ray. “The kids worked right alongside field
we do and it rubs off on the students,” says
operators on shift. They learned the jobs,
Ray. “They see the dedication, the ownership,
they took the training. They were a huge part what it takes to be an effective member of
of the development of Balzac. We wouldn’t a team. Moms and dads would come to our
have accomplished what we did without the open houses and tell us how impressed they
summer student program.”
were. I like to think we had an impact.”
•At one time there was only one stack.
The two stacks seen today were
constructed later and the first stack was
taken down.
“Although we enjoy the process of selecting
and buying everything, the best part is
knowing that we have made a difference in
people’s lives,” says Jaymie Richardson,
Administration and Compliance Co-ordinator.
It’s not unusual for employees to hear back
from the families they adopt. “We received
a thank you card from a family who had a
connection to the Balzac plant years ago.
When the family found out we adopted them,
they were especially touched.”
Responsible Care
the dedication and pride of ownership exemplified by employees
like ray rowland, impacted hundreds of summer students at the
balzac gas plant.
Stack facts –
Iconic Calgary
landmarks
®
In 2002, the Balzac gas plant was the first upstream oil
and gas facility in the world to be Responsible Care®
verified. Responsible Care® is a voluntary global
initiative established to improve health, safety,
social and environmental performance.
•At 121 metres tall (400 feet), the stacks
were the tallest structures in Alberta
when built in 1961.
•Used by Calgary air traffic controllers
as markers for aircraft.
•Constructed during a single, continuous
pour of reinforced concrete.
•The highest temperature reached is
538˚ Celsius (1000˚ Fahrenheit) to
help burn exit gas to convert to
sulphur compounds.
•The stacks measure eight metres
(27 feet) wide at the base and three
metres (nine feet) wide at the top.
•Last painted in 2002 and took nearly
1,500 cans of paint and 300 hours
to paint.
•Halfway up the west stack is a peregrine
falcon nest. Since 1995 the Balzac
peregrines have hatched 46 new chicks.
At the time, Brian McAusland was plant manager; he is now Nexen’s Responsible Care®
Manager. “Responsible Care® demonstrated to the company that we really knew what
we were doing at Balzac. We had open relationships with neighbours, we were
implementing a lot of technical innovations, and process safety was of utmost
importance. We actually had the ethic of Responsible Care® already. What we did was put
the management system in place. After Responsible Care® came in, when the phone rang,
you had the confidence that no matter who the caller – a regulator, a neighbour, or one
of the guys in the field – you would know what you needed to do.”
THE LEADER – spring 2011 | 12
FEATURE SECTION – balzac: the Business, People and the community
FEATURE SECTION – Balzac: The Business, People and the community
TCF – Trust: a Community
Foundation
TCF usually refers to trillion cubic feet . But when it comes to Nexen’s involvement
in the community, tcf could also refer to trust: a community foundation.
organize appointments with his neighbours
so they too could understand what we were
doing. A lot of mutual respect can be earned
if both parties take the time to talk.”
Balzac employees were active in the
community. “It wasn’t unusual for us to
plow the snow on the local roads, in the
parking lot at the community hall and our
neighbours’ driveways.”
Brian recalls fondly, one summer when a field
crew helped a neighbour with her portable
pump so that she was able to water her trees.
“She didn’t have the proper fittings for the
hoses. It was a minor thing for our employees
to help her out, but the gesture went a long
way in building a relationship of respect with
her and her family.”
an environmental study group monitors air, water
and soil quality around the balzac gas plant.
Brian McAusland, Responsible Care
Manager, was plant manager at Balzac for
more than 10 years. “One of the early
lessons I learned was that the community
viewed any activity thought to be associated
with oil or gas in the area to our operations.
Did seismic contractors (whether they were
working for us or not) leave a gate open?
Neighbours called us. Did pipeline
construction workers drive through the
pasture instead of on the right of way? We
got a call. Did rig activity kick up dust?
Again, we were called. We took the calls, got
to the bottom of issues and checked back to
make sure things were resolved. Although we
did not have control or sometimes even
knowledge of what other operators were
doing in the area, we made the decision to
get out in front of issues. We took a
®
13| THE LEADER – SPRING 2011
leadership role in seeing that things were
done responsibly.”
Building a foundation of trust takes time and
requires effort. “At one open house, we had
a gentleman who was upset with Nexen. He
wanted all the neighbours to sign a petition to
stop our development. Both myself and our
Balzac safety coordinator left right from the
open house and spent a couple hours with
him,” says Brian. “We drove to the nearest
well site and explained the entire process to
him: the purpose of the equipment, the safety
and environmental precautions we took and
even how the plant control room can
remotely shut down a well.” Although he’d
been vehemently opposed to Nexen, the
resident went on to become one of the plant’s
greatest supporters. “He insisted on helping
“Balzac employees went out of their way to
make sure we were good neighbours,” says
Brian. “One cold winter night, not far from
the plant, one of our guys reported that
someone drove their vehicle off the county
road, across the ditch and through a
neighbour’s barbed-wire fence. The vehicle
was gone. Although it could have been anyone
from the public or from one of the other
businesses in the area who travel that road and
went through the fence, we made sure the
pasture was secured that night and had the
fence repaired permanently the next morning.
We called the landowner to let him know and
he really appreciated our actions. In fact, he
wasn’t even aware the fence was down before
we called. Just neighbours being neighbours.”
In the 50 years that Balzac has operated,
we’ve produced millions of tons of sulphur
and trillions of cubic feet of gas. In Brian’s
eyes however, we also produced tons of
respect and trust in the community.
glenna ferguson, senior administrator
– SAP, Jaymie Richardson, administrator and
compliance co-ordinator, and lynn mcqueen,
analyst–social responsibility, represent
nexen at the farm women’s conference
the balzac community centre used for many community events
and is supported by the generosity of nexen over the years.
the centre of
the community
Less than a 10-minute drive west of the Balzac
gas plant site stands a white community hall.
Like the site, it’s been around for many years
and it’s the heartbeat of the community.
Weddings, funerals, dance recitals, scout
meetings, political debates, stampede parties
– these walls have seen it all.
In addition to helping with maintenance work
and plowing the parking lot in the winter, the
Balzac gas plant employees and contractors
have been involved in the community hall for
years. In 2005, they built a new cookhouse
beside the hall. “Our employees and
contractors did an outstanding job in
developing the design and engineering – it’s
probably the best engineered cookhouse in
all of Canada,” says Glenna Ferguson, Senior
Administrator, SAP at the Balzac gas plant.
In 2010, a new commercial stove was purchased
and installed at the hall with donations from the
annual Balzac Stampede breakfast.
The support and generosity of Nexen
employees and contractors has helped pump
new life into the community hall.
Keeping
families
happy
For many women living in the communities
around the Balzac gas plant, the Farm
Women’s Conference is a highlight each
year. The day is filled with workshops,
socializing and lots of laughter.
As a sponsor of the conference for more
than five years, Nexen proudly supports
the women in the community. “It’s a great
opportunity to hear from women in the
community. Women at the conference
make a special effort to visit the Nexen
booth and thank us for participating,” says
Glenna Ferguson, Senior Administrator,
SAP at the Balzac gas plant.
Over 300 attendees come to hear about the
latest agricultural and land management
news, learn new skills and visit with friends.
Seminar topics include self-defence, farm
accounting and tips on healthy living.
THE LEADER – spring 2011 | 14
Pencil crayon artwork by ali simpson
Summer student at the balzac gas plant