Thorunn Howatt
Northern News Services

Hay River (July 01/02) - Alberta's oil and gas industry is sneaking northward, nudging the NWT border, and Conoco Canada wants to be ready. The company is opening a Hay River office next month.

"Oil and gas activity is increasing in the North, and having a presence sooner rather than later is important," said Conoco's Ross Papirnick, who will be manning the downtown office along with one other un-named staff.

Conoco will direct Northern business interests like its Fort Liard operations from Hay River as well as northern B.C. and Alberta operations. It is also hoping to help people with oil and gas education. And it wants to be ready for the time when oil and gas exploration is a reality in the Deh Cho region.

"Increased activity is coming. It's just a matter of when and how," said Papirnick.

The Hay River site was chosen because of its central location to Conoco's northern operations and the town's availability of services.

"It does have a big trading area and we can access some of the smaller communities like Fort Providence, Kakisa, Enterprise and the surrounding area," said Papirnick.

This is not his first venture north. Nearly 30 years ago, he met his wife, Alphonsine, in Fort Providence.

Conoco is part of a Mackenzie Delta Producers' Group that wants to build a $3 billion natural gas pipeline down the Mackenzie Valley. Papirnick said pipeline issues won't be dealt with in the Hay River office.