Communicating Benefits Of Pipelines In Canada

Communication Benefits of Pipelines in Canada
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Communication Benefits of Pipelines in Canada
Part 1: Research
The Canadian oil and gas industry is in a state of decline. Much of this can be attributed to the difficulty the industry has had to undergo when it comes putting up new pipelines. There has been more negative public coverage of the industry that has created a negative perception of what the industry stands for. One of the more recent campaigns that have hurt the Canadian oil and gas industry is the “Tar sands” campaign. The campaign against the expansion of Tar Sands helped in creating negative perceptions among the citizens, and they have since remained fixated with the idea that the expansions within the oil industry, especially the introduction of new pipelines can only contribute to negative consequences on the environment (CBC News, 2018). The effect has been so enormous, but this can also be attributed to the failure of the people within the industry to communicate effectively with the general population and make them see that much good can come from the industry and that it is not only about the negative consequences. The Canadian government has only worked to make the situation even worse through restrictive legislation that limits the ability to get mines approved within Canada. Morgan (2019) argues that it can take close to 15 years for this to happen. This is a sharp contrast to other countries where it takes between two to eleven years for the same to happen.
Synopsis
A report by Howe Institute argues that the Canadian government loses close to $100 billion annually in lost investments following recent declines in mining, planned energy and forestry investments in Canada (Morgan, 2019). It is apparent that there is a need for a better communication strategy to ensure that people can see beyond the presupposed environment impacts in pipeline investments so that they can begin to think positively. Currently, the media and the general public at large have opted to boycott pipelines without having a clear understanding of the benefits underlying investments in the pipeline. The boycott only continues to get worse without efforts to encourage the people to change their perception. Hopper (2018) argues that Canada loses close to $80 million per day to the U.S because of these failed policies and negative perception. Companies in the Canadian oil and gas industries now have to do more to remain relevant in the eyes of the general public. For example, as opposed to the companies in the U.S, Canadian companies have to sell their oil at a relatively lower price. A great case is that of WCS which sells at close to $20 per barrel when compared to the West Texas Intermediate which sells at $70 per barrel (Hopper, 2018). The negative perception has made it difficult for Canadian companies to expand and bridge this gap. Therefore, there is a need of the industry players to do more in terms of their communication strategies to reconnect with the media and the general public to give them a better chance of expanding and reducing the losses that are currently incurred in the industry. One of the major concerns for the players in the industry is the continu...