About Us

History

During the late 1980s through 1990s several multi-stakeholder, community-based groups were formed in an effort to address the pressures of oil and gas development. These groups were similar in that they were seeking more communication and opportunities for greater cooperation.

In 2002 several of these groups along with related government and industry organizations came together at a conference to share ideas. They realized they were on to something- the simple idea that stakeholders coming together in a respectful manner could make a real difference in ensuring community engagement. In 2003 they began a formal collaborative process to develop a new provincial, organization that would help support, coordinate and grow this emerging network of groups which were beginning to refer to themselves as ‘synergy groups’.

In 2006 Synergy Alberta was formally incorporated as a not-for-profit society and marked its first year hosting the Synergy Alberta Conference. Existing and newly developed groups across the province joined the Synergy Alberta network. Today Synergy Alberta continues to provide guidance and support to its member groups and newly developing groups and offers tools, resources and networking opportunities across Alberta.

Vision & Mission

Our Vision

Alberta communities use the synergy model as supported through Synergy Alberta as a catalyst to achieve a principled, balanced and sustained approach to resource development for Albertans. Working together we can achieve more.

Our Mission

Synergy Alberta fosters and supports mutually satisfactory resource development outcomes in Alberta communities by providing information, mutual learning, communication, skill development, facilitation and resources.

Our Guiding Principles

Respect - Participants in Synergy Alberta are respectful to one another
Transparency - Participation in Synergy Alberta is open to all stakeholders
Accountability - Synergy Alberta serves its members, funders and stakeholders
Responsiveness - Synergy Alberta strives to meet the changing needs of its members and stakeholders

Board of Directors

The Board of Directors consists of 10 members with four community representatives, three industry representatives and three government representatives.

Community Representatives

Everett Page

Elected Term 2020 - 2023

Everett grew up on a three generation farm east of Didsbury. Graduating from Olds College in 1966, he settled in the area to establish his own grain, hay and beef cattle operation. Actively involved in the community, Everett volunteered on many boards over the years including Kneehill REA, Linden Senior's Lodge, Olds Institute for Community and Regional Development, Mountain View Power and Central Mountainview Advisory Group. He sat on Mountain View County council and Ag Service Board, 2007 - 2010.

Everett and his wife Susan are now happily retired and living in Olds.

Oil and gas are here to stay. We can work towards a better way. It's all about community.

Brenda Knight

Elected Term 2022-2025

Brenda Knight is pleased to be a part of synergy and believes that synergy groups are a great resource to both oil companies and landowners. She is a born and raised Albertan, 3rd generation on the family farm. Brenda's career was as a municipal administrator for many years and for the past 7 years she has been a Lacombe County Councillor.

Brenda and her husband Leonard raised 4 children on a cow calf farm with Leonard also working in the oil patch for 35 years. As a landowner, Brenda is familiar with oil wells, pipelines, risers and other infrastructure of the oil field as well as the challenges of land leases and compensation.

Bryce Liddle

Elected Term 2021-2024

Bryce Liddle farms east of Ponoka with his wife Bonnie. Bryce is going into his fifth year as Ponoka County Councillor for Division 1 and has also been the deputy Reeve for 5 years.

Bryce currently sits on a number of boards - Rimoka Housing board for seniors housing in Ponoka and Rimbey; Ponoka Seed Cleaning Coop; Ponoka Coop Oils board; President of the Ponoka Rural Crime Watch. He is also involved in the Ponoka Agricultural Service board and the Calumet Synergy group.

With his job as a county councillor, Bryce is also involved in a great number of other community projects. He believes he can have a role in Synergy Alberta as a voice for agriculture and that he also has an understanding of people living in rural Alberta who aren't directly involved in agriculture.

Dewly Nelson

Elected Term 2021-2024

Industry Representatives

Vanessa Cartwright

Elected Term 2022-2025

Vanessa Cartwright is a Community Relations Coordinator At Keyera Energy Ltd. since 2013. Vanessa has worked in the oil and gas industry with landowners and community stakeholders since 2004. She has been involved with four Synergy Alberta groups across Alberta since 2013.

Vanessa enjoys her role in community engagement and working with communities and municipalities to facilitate long term meaningful relationships. She seeks to understand the culture and values of communities to support development that respects the unique character of each community.

Originally from Calgary, Vanessa holds a Bachelor of Arts degree from Queen's University and a Master of Arts, Dispute Resolution from the University of Victoria.

Kelly McTaggart

Appointed Term by Canadian Association of Petroleum Producers (CAPP) 2020-2023

Kelly McTaggart currently serves as the Advisor, Exploration & Production Engagement for the Canadian Association of Petroleum Producers, the voice of Canada’s upstream oil and natural gas industry. In this capacity, Kelly leads CAPP’s stakeholder engagement efforts in communities impacted by oil and gas development and acts as a CAPP spokesperson.

Prior to joining CAPP in May 2018, Kelly spent 5 years working for Spectra Energy and Enbridge in Fort St. John, BC and Calgary in Indigenous and Community Relations for Major Projects. She has also worked in private practice providing consulting services for stakeholder engagement on municipal and industrial projects.

She is a transplant from Ontario and has worked in five different provinces representing resource development interests, and has called Western Canada home for the last decade.

Behn Morris

Elected Term 2020 - 2023

Behn Morris began working in the oil and gas industry in 2010 after earning a Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of Calgary. In his current role, Behn works as an Indigenous & Community Affairs Advisor at Pembina Pipeline consulting with First Nation communities on pipeline projects.

Prior to joining Pembina, Behn spent 7 years as an Engagement Specialist at the Alberta Energy Regulator (AER) working with landowners, municipalities, indigenous communities and various multi-stakeholder groups, including synergy groups.

Behn has always been drawn to working with communities and understands the value Synergy Alberta groups provide. He and his wife Tara, who is a veterinarian, live in Calgary with their daughter Harper.

Government Representatives

Carey Patterson

Appointed term by Alberta Energy Regulator 2020 - 2023

Peter Dobbie

Appointed Term by Alberta Agriculture 2021-2024

Peter J. Dobbie, Q.C., was appointed as the Farmers' Advocate for Alberta in April of 2012 bringing to the position more than 20 years of experience as a lawyer advising farmers and agribusinesses, and as a resident of rural Alberta.

Peter holds a Bachelor of Arts from the University of Western Ontario, as well as a Bachelor of Law and a Master of Business Administration from the University of Alberta. For more than 20 years, he has worked as a lawyer advising farmers and agribusinesses in financing, purchase, sale, leasing, surface rights, dispute resolution, succession planning and estate administration matters, giving him direct knowledge of the laws and regulations.

He also has years of experience as a volunteer with organizations such as the Rotary Club of Vegreville, the 4-H Foundation of Alberta and the Vegreville and District Chamber of Commerce, and as a Commission Member of the Alberta Electoral Boundaries Commission.

Paul Tsounis

Appointed Term by Alberta Energy 2022-2025

Paul Tsounis is currently responsible for leading the Department of Energy’s community relationships and engagement activities. In the 14 years that Paul has been a part of the Department of Energy, he has also led the department’s economics team that was responsible for monitoring global and North American energy market conditions and trends, and also served as Chief of Staff to the Deputy Minister of Energy.

Prior to his current position in Alberta Energy, Paul also was Chief Economist with the City of Edmonton for 5 years, Senior Economist with Alberta Treasury Board and Finance for 3 years, and an Economist with the Oil Sands Business Unit at Alberta Energy for one year.

Paul holds a Master’s Degree in Economics and Finance from the University of Alberta, and an undergraduate degree in Economics from the University of Calgary.

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