New Study Finds Natural Gas Industry Responsible for Nearly 600,000 Jobs in
Canada

First-of-its-Kind Report Looks Specifically at Natural Gas Jobs; Finds Annual Economic Impact Exceeds $106 billion

TORONTO, Feb. 16 /CNW/ - Nearly 600,000 Canadians were working in jobs supported by the natural gas industry in 2008, providing a substantial impact to the nation's economy, according to a new study released today by IHS Global Insight. The study, titled "The Contributions of the Natural Gas Industry to the Canadian National and Provincial Economies," is unique in that it specifically calculated the number of jobs supported by the natural gas industry, numbers usually found only in combination with oil industry employment figures.

The report also details the significant economic benefit the industry has for Canada, contributing more than $106 billion in 2008 to the nation's GDP. In fact, IHS Global Insight found that the economic impact of the natural gas industry in Canada was larger than the total GDP of all but four Canadian provinces that year.

"This study represents the first systematic attempt to measure the impact of natural gas alone on the total Canadian economy as well as on individual provinces' economies," IHS Global Insight said in the report. "All of the provinces...have natural gas related jobs. Even those with no natural gas production have direct jobs in other areas, such as natural gas distribution, pipeline transportation, or upstream support and construction services."

Comparing Canadian results with its similar study of the U.S. natural gas industry, IHS Global Insight found that natural gas had a greater relative impact in Canada, accounting for 3.5 percent of all Canadian jobs and roughly 6.7 percent of Canada's GDP, as opposed to only 2.1 percent of all U.S. jobs and 2.7 percent of U.S. GDP.

"This study shows definitively that clean, abundant natural gas is a significant driver of Canada's economy and supports a substantial number of jobs in the country," noted Eric Marsh, Executive Vice-President, Natural Gas Economy of EnCana, one of the largest producers of natural gas in North America. "As we make decisions about job creation, energy production and our transportation future, it's crucial we keep in mind just how central natural gas is to Canada's economy and Canadian families' lives."

Major national findings from the IHS Global Insight study include:

    
    -  Total natural gas employment in Canada was nearly 600,000, including
       more than 189,000 who were directly employed within the industry. The
       rest were either indirect jobs (those in companies that provide goods
       and services to the natural gas industry), or induced jobs (those
       created by direct and indirect employees' spending) - an additional
       calculation that provides the most complete picture of an industry's
       impact.
    -  Natural gas has a significant impact on Canada's economy, including
       nearly $73 billion in direct value added and more than $106 billion
       in overall value added impact.
    

Among the top provinces in terms of jobs and economic impact:

    
    -  Alberta (324,700 total jobs in 2008), British Columbia (111,743) and
       Ontario (99,314) were the top three provinces in terms of overall
       jobs supported by the industry.
    -  Over 16 percent of Alberta's employment was attributable to the
       natural gas industry, with BC (4.8 percent) the second most dependent
       on natural gas, and Saskatchewan third (4.5 percent).
    -  Alberta has the largest financial stake in the natural gas industry,
       which supports 27.7 percent of the province's total GDP, or
       $80 billion in total economic impact. Saskatchewan ranked second,
       with natural gas supporting 5.1 percent of total provincial GDP, at
       over $3 billion; and BC ranked third, at 4.5 percent of total
       provincial GDP, or $9 billion.
    

A full summary of the impact of the natural gas industry on provincial employment follows:

    
    -  Alberta: 324,700 total jobs representing 16.1 percent of the
       province's employment;
    -  British Columbia: 111,743 total jobs representing 4.8 percent of the
       province's employment;
    -  Ontario: 99,314 total jobs representing 1.5 percent of the province's
       employment;
    -  Saskatchewan: 23,121 total jobs representing 4.5 percent of the
       province's employment;
    -  Quebec: 21,561 total jobs representing 0.6 percent of the province's
       employment;
    -  Atlantic provinces: 9,440 total jobs representing 0.9 percent of the
       provinces' employment;
    -  Manitoba: 7,000 total jobs representing 1.2 percent of the province's
       employment, and
    -  The Territories: 2,026 total jobs representing 3.1 percent of the
       province's employment.
    

IHS Global Insight generated its findings by looking specifically at five broad industry categories:

    
    -  Natural gas and gas liquids extraction (production);
    -  Natural gas "upstream" support and drilling establishments
       (contractors);
    -  Natural gas pipeline transportation (long distance), including
       storage;
    -  Natural gas distribution, which includes both local utilities as well
       as marketers and brokers, and
    -  Natural gas engineering construction services at all levels.
    

The study was commissioned by America's Natural Gas Alliance (ANGA), an education and advocacy organization formed in March 2009, representing 33 of North America's leading independent natural gas exploration and production companies in Canada and the United States. ANGA is dedicated to increasing appreciation of the environmental and economic benefits of clean, abundant, dependable and efficient North American natural gas. EnCana, which is based in Canada, is the largest member of ANGA, and several other ANGA companies have Canadian operations, including Apache Corporation, Cabot Oil & Gas, Devon Energy, EOG Resources, Talisman Energy, and Williams. ANGA has a Cross-Borders Committee dedicated to addressing the unique issues that the industry faces in Canada. Learn more about ANGA at www.anga.ca.

To view a copy of this report online, please go to www.anga.ca. To speak with Eric Marsh of EnCana, please contact Amanda Perry at [phone] or [email protected]. For questions regarding the study methodology or to obtain a copy of the study via email, please contact Robert Hoffman at [phone]or [email protected]

About IHS Global Insight

IHS Global Insight (www.ihsglobalinsight.com), an IHS company, provides the most comprehensive economic and financial information available on countries, regions and industries, using a unique combination of expertise, models, data and software within a common analytical framework to support planning and decision-making. Through the world's first same-day analysis and risk assessment service, IHS Global Insight provides immediate insightful analysis of market conditions and key events around the world, covering economic, political, and operational factors. IHS (NYSE: IHS) is a leading global source of critical information and insight, dedicated to providing the most complete and trusted information and expertise. IHS product and service solutions span four areas of information that encompass the most important concerns facing global business today: Energy, Product Lifecycle, Security, and Environment supported by Macroeconomics. IHS has been in business since 1959 and employs about 4,100 people in 28 countries.

IHS is a registered trademark of IHS Inc. All other company and product names may be trademarks of their respective owners. Copyright (C) 2010 IHS Inc. All rights reserved.

For further information: Amanda Perry, [phone], [email protected]; Robert Hoffman, [phone], [email protected]; IHS Press Desk, [phone], [email protected]