Scott is responsible for making sure the proposed Trans Mountain Expansion Project is in compliance with the laws, rules, regulations and guidelines set out by regulators such as the National Energy Board. It’s Scott’s job to gain approvals as needed for the Project, along with budgeting, controlling, tracking and reporting revenue and costs.

We sat down with Scott to find out more about his role with the Project.

What is your background?

I have a Bachelor of Science in Electrical Engineering from the University of Manitoba. I then went on to the University of Calgary to earn a Master’s of Business Administration.

I’ve been with Trans Mountain for eight years. Prior to joining the company, I held positions that included Vice-President of Regulatory at Enmax, Director, Structuring at Sempra and Manager positions at BC Hydro and TransAlta Utilities Corporation.

What drew you to work for Trans Mountain?

After several decades of work in the financial and regulatory areas of the electric industry, it was exciting to change industry from electricity transportation to oil transportation. There are many similarities between the two industries, but there are enough differences that it was great to try something new in mid-career.

How important is safety to you and your coworkers?

Safety is very important. I have brothers and sisters and four children and know that at the end of the day, what’s most important is that they get home safely, every night.

We all know that safety must come first if we are to succeed in our jobs, in our communities and in our proposed Project.

Can you describe the culture of safety at Trans Mountain and why it’s so important?

Safety is our top priority. We know our public confidence depends on safely transporting oil while minimizing the impact to the environment. Based on the organizations I have worked for, our management team and the safety efforts it undertakes are the best I have seen.

Everyone in Kinder Morgan places safety at the forefront. It’s a daily consideration.

What are the main qualities of the people you work with?

I really like the Kinder Morgan organization because it is very efficient and focused on the key issues of safety, integrity and the environment. The culture of Kinder Morgan Canada leans heavily on the team environment – which really suites my ideals.

As diverse as their jobs are, the people I work with bring a variety of stellar qualities such as dedication to doing the best job possible, a strong commitment to safety and a deep respect for the well being of the environment.

How do you feel about the environment?

The environment is critical to me. As a boy, I grew up in a northern community in Manitoba – hunting, trapping, canoeing and snowshoeing. Now that I have grown up and my children are older, I spend all of my spare time taking photographs and hiking in the remote areas of Canada.

I want to protect the environment for the current generation to enjoy as well as the generations to come.

What do you love most about your job?

I love the challenges of many different disciplines coming together – communications, stakeholder engagement, legal, regulatory, finance and engineering.

This is a complex project that brings together people from diverse backgrounds with a common goal – to build an extremely safe, highly efficient pipeline expansion that benefits all the communities through which it travels. And to do that, we must all work in unison, which makes this project a special opportunity.

What do you want the public to know about the Trans Mountain Expansion Project?

This project will result in huge economic benefits and jobs for BC, Alberta and all Canadians. As a father of four, the thought of creating jobs is paramount. During construction, this project will employ the equivalent of 4,500 people. Once complete, it will result in 2,500 direct, indirect or induced jobs per year.

The Project will generate $18.5 billion dollars of benefits to provincial and federal governments with $2.1 billion accruing to BC. The Project will also enable 10s of billions of dollars of investment in Canada and 100s of thousands of jobs.