3 Women, 1 Crew – An IPL 1st
This past summer, Inter Pipeline achieved a notable first — an all-female crew operated the Pioneer 1 offgas plant near Fort McMurray.
On that day, Kim Dennis, Lisa Ashley, and Olivia Hurley worked together to manage both the control room and outside operations, a lineup that emerged due to vacation schedules and staff absences.
“It wasn’t planned — we just ended up on the schedule together. It was only when we started our shift that we realized it was a unique situation,” said Lisa.
IPL’s Pioneer 1 offgas plant extracts a mixture of NGL from the offgas, a byproduct of Suncor’s bitumen upgrading operations, helping to reduce GHG emissions. Once extracted, the liquid mix is then transported to the Redwater Olefinic Fractionator via the Boreal Pipeline System before being processed into products that IPL sells elsewhere or uses as feedstock for our polypropylene. Conducting the operation safely and efficiently is something the entire plant takes pride in, and a strong control room crew is a crucial piece of the puzzle.
Three Generations, One Goal
“First and foremost, our focus was like any other shift – keep our coworkers safe and our plant running efficient,” said Lisa.
Neither Lisa nor Kim ever had many women to share a shift with when they were coming up in the industry, so they appreciated the mentorship opportunity sharing the shift with Olivia.
Olivia is a student in the Women Building Futures (WBF) program sponsored by Inter Pipeline, and those students will spend part of their practicum in IPL facilities learning the craft from experienced professionals.
Both Lisa and Kim credited the support from their knowledgeable colleagues at Inter Pipeline when talking about their own career growth. “We have such a great group,” Lisa says of the Pioneer 1 team. “Kim and I have both worked in places over the years where people have not been treated with the respect and appreciation you see here.”
As we celebrate Women in STEM Week, it’s important to recognize moments like these that highlight the contributions of women in the industry. The team is proud to be part of a supportive environment and is committed to inspiring more women to succeed and advance their careers.
Our Partnership with WBF
WBF is a not-for-profit organization fostering economic prosperity by removing barriers and providing industry recognized training in the construction trades, maintenance, transportation industries and more.
In 2019, Inter Pipeline announced its investment to support WBF in raising awareness and providing pre-apprenticeship training to women in Alberta’s Heartland area. Inter Pipeline saw alignment with its commitment to diversity and inclusion and the opportunity this partnership provided for women looking to enter the trades and unlock rewarding careers. This training is offered through WBF’s Journeywoman Start program, a 17-week classroom and hands-on pre-apprenticeship training program that introduces students to six different industrial trades.
WBF & IPL
Learn a bit more about our history supporting Women Building Futures and a joint initiative with Pembina Pipelines to create opportunities for more women to be trained as power engineers.
Community Initiatives
At Inter Pipeline, we support programs and initiatives whose goals include building a self-sustaining legacy in the community.
Our Stories
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