'People were excited to learn about Canadian energy, they understood that Calgary remains a global epicentre for the world oil and gas industry, and here’s a chance to showcase our innovation, our environmental stewardship and our sustainability,' Calgary Mayor Naheed Nenshi said after the announcement.Jeff McIntosh/The Canadian Press
Calgary will play host to the World Petroleum Congress, the so-called “Olympics of the oil and gas industry,” in 2023, and business leaders hope that it will serve as a tonic for the city’s economic funk.
Alberta’s largest city has been through a deep recession and little recovery over the past four years as tens of thousands of workers were laid off as low energy prices battered the oil sands. After a proposal to host the 2026 Winter Olympics was rejected by voters last year, hopes settled on the energy congress, which attracts thousands of business leaders and politicians to a different city every three years.
“What a shot in the arm for the Canadian energy sector. People were excited to learn about Canadian energy, they understood that Calgary remains a global epicentre for the world oil and gas industry, and here’s a chance to showcase our innovation, our environmental stewardship and our sustainability,” Calgary Mayor Naheed Nenshi said in a video posted online from St. Petersburg, Russia, after the city’s bid was selected.
Calgary was tapped to host the event after four rounds of voting in Russia on Sunday, edging out Baku, the capital of Azerbaijan, by a single vote, 21 to 20. The United Arab Emirates, Argentina and Kazakhstan were also competing for the congress. Mr. Nenshi was at the vote to support the city’s bid.
Hours after Calgary was selected to host the energy congress, the Italian cities of Milan and Cortina were awarded the 2026 Winter Olympics for which Mr. Nenshi had been a strong advocate.
Calgary organized the energy event for the first time in 2000, during which hundreds of protesters took to the city’s core to demand less use of fossil fuels. The city expects 5,500 delegates from 80 countries will attend the 2023 energy congress, bringing an estimated $65-million in economic activity to the city. The event will require up to 25 hotels and will fill two convention centres.
“I think it’s an opportunity for us to take a small step in our recovery. It might be a significant step. We’ve had a lot of bad news, now there is an opportunity for people from all over the world to come here,” Jim Gray, a Calgary oilman who was chairman of the 2000 congress, told The Globe and Mail.
According to Mr. Gray, the 2000 conference pocketed $5-million in profit, which was used to fund a number of university scholarships.
“It’s good that we’ve won and it’s great timing for us to showcase our innovation,” said Sandip Lalli, president of the Calgary Chamber of Commerce.
The congress could come at a good time for the oil patch, with construction on the Trans Mountain pipeline expansion planned to be finished by mid-2022. Approved by Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s government last week, the pipeline would be the first new link between the oil sands and Canada’s Pacific Coast since the early 1950s.
George Brookman, a businessman who was on the board of directors of the Calgary Stampede during the 2000 congress, said the event will help bring some energy to the city. “It’ll help us get some of our moxie back as the centre of energy for the country. Most of the show is at the Stampede Park. The hotels are full, the restaurants are full, these fellas are coming here to learn, make deals and party. And they’ll do all three.”
We have a weekly Western Canada newsletter written by our B.C. and Alberta bureau chiefs, providing a comprehensive package of the news you need to know about the region and its place in the issues facing Canada. Sign up today.
Justin Giovannetti