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Perspectives 2019

Petro Profiles – Gord Pinard

BEING A GOOD NEIGHBOUR

Gord Pinard helps Petro-Canada Lubricants remain a valued community member.

With nearly 30 years of experience in the oil sector, Gord Pinard has witnessed his share of change. “The biggest development I’ve seen is the increased public interest in industry operations,” says Gord. “Our industry is now held to a higher standard, and we have responded responsibly. We’ve improved environmental performance, increased transparency and undertaken more stakeholder consultation.”

Gord has held a variety of industry roles over the years. “I am a technical guy at heart, but my experience with the community has broadened my business knowledge and my understanding of stakeholders’ perspectives, and made me a better engineer,” he says.

Currently, Gord is Vice President of Production at Petro-Canada Lubricants Inc.’s (PCLI) Mississauga facility. Located on Lake Ontario, the plant has an annual capacity of more than a billion litres of base oil. Gord oversees production of these oils, which are used to make more than 350 advanced lubricants, including motor oils, specialty fluids and greases.

The plant originally sat largely alone in its rural lakeshore setting. Toronto-area growth eventually surrounded it with residential neighbourhoods, underscoring the need for better communication with local citizens—particularly when PCLI launched a project to double the size of the plant in the mid-1990s.

“Before that, there was very little community interaction,” says Gord. “People had no idea what we did, and they had questions about our operation.” Nearly 25 years later, Gord is responsible for one of PCLI’s community-relations initiatives, which ensures the business is recognized as a valued member of the local community. A Public Liaison Committee (PLC) formed in 1996 has been key to success, bringing together local residents, industry regulators and representatives of various levels of government.

“We meet five times a year to discuss topics of community interest, including our operations, environmental performance and emissions results,” says Gord. “As a company, we also actively invest in the community, supporting local charities and volunteering.”

Over time, an adversarial relationship has shifted to one of trust. “We know how important it is to listen, understand and participate. I am most proud that community members are now some of our strongest advocates,” says Gord. “At a recent open house, the PLC co-chair spoke about our positive relationship and the value of transparent communications and open dialogue to local residents.”

That’s a high reward for Gord and his ongoing effort to make a real difference in the community.

Quest proves that carbon capture and storage is indeed possible and viable.

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