Probus Club Vancouver West
PROBUS CLUB VANCOUVER WEST
GENERAL MEETING NOTES – OCTOBER 9, 2014
DATE:October 9, 2014
TIME:9;30 – 11:30 AM
PLACE:Marine Drive Golf Club, Vancouver, B.C.
ATTENDANCE:58 members, 1 guest
Chair:Mark White
Announcements:
- In Nancy’s absence, Mark reported that the Vancouver Art Gallery September event was successful and that participants got to see and do things that were a little different from the usual gallery tour. As an example, he cited the curator’s explanation for the use of an extensive humidifying apparatus, there being leaks in the roof that cannot be controlled – perhaps a good reason for the campaign for a new building.
- In Estelle Jacobson’s absence, Mark announced a potential event for March 2015, a special visit with the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra.
- Our December speaker, slam poet Zaccheus Johnson, was killed in a car accident. A request has been put out to members to find a suitable substitute speaker. We are also in need of a substitute speaker for January.
- The new meeting room was judged to be an improvement over the smaller room across the hall.
Trivia: Mark talked about something he found on the TED TALKS website called “Elam”, which is the largest medical school in the world and was founded in Cuba in 1999 specifically for students from poor communities, especially those in Latin America and the Caribbean. The school is fully accredited and tuition is free. The intention is that graduates will return to their home communities and provide competent and up-to-date medical care.
Speakers: Joan Hebb introduced Jessica Twemlow and Kevin Benedeau who flew in from Calgary to speak about Encana, specifically the importance of domestic energy production and the controversial subject of hydraulic fracturing or “fracking”. The oil and gas industry in Canada is an essential part of Canada’s resource economy, employs half a million Canadians, pays a substantial portion of earnings into the Canadian tax base, and contributes to numerous social causes – for instance, it is a sponsor of the Vancouver Sun Run. Nevertheless, it is supported by only 20% of the population. Another 20% are against the industry, while 60% are undecided. The industry is always in the line of fire, being in the news on a daily basis, inspite of the fact that we use petrocarbons in our cars, airplanes, buses, home heating, cosmetics and numberless domestic products. It has become an indispensible fact of modern life.
The process of “fracking” has become a particular lightning rod for opposition to the oil and gas industry, especially as it involves great quantities of another crucial resource, water. It is pumped, with sand, at high pressure into the well, where water breaks up the rock and sand forces open the fractures to release the hydrocarbons. Chemical additives are used to facilitate the process. Groundwater supplies are, we were told, not affected because Encana operates from 2500-4000 metres below the surface, while groundwater lies at approximately 30-80 metres below ground. New technologies, such as horizontal drilling and flowback recycling, responsible water management, research into using deep groundwater sources – saline water – and the application of sophisticated chemistry to ensure the ongoing integrity of each geographical zone where extraction takes place, reflect the continuing effort on the part of industry to promote as clean a process as is currently possible. As for the transport, off the west coast, of LNG by tanker to Asian markets, we were assured that the liquid form of petroleum gas is far less a danger to the sea than any other form for, if a tank is punctured, the liquid immediately turns to gas and is dispersed into the air. Bill Sexsmith thanked our two speakers for their presentation.
The meeting ended at 11:20AM.
Our next General Meeting will be held November 13th, when the speaker will be Alison MacLean from Tomboy Digital Productions.
The next Management Meeting will be November 19th from 2-4PM.