The Media Room

Geological Survey of Canada Labs

Project: Geological Survey of Canada Labs

Department: NRCAN-RNCAN

Location: Calgary, Alberta

Name and function of Laboratory/Facility: Geological Survey of Canada Labs

The Geological Survey of Canada (GSC) Calgary facility is a key federal institution in the exploration, identification, management and monitoring of Canada’s energy and mineral resources, including the oil, gas, coal and mineral deposits of Canada’s northern and western regions. GSC Calgary provides the federal government with the baseline geoscientific knowledge essential to developing regulatory frameworks for these resources and is a fundamental means by which the government contributes to economic development and environmental mitigation.

As a result of these activities and the federal government’s existing investment in GSC Calgary, the program has developed several federal laboratories and a Core and Sample Repository that are unique centres of expertise in the specialized fields of oil, gas and coal research. For example, the organic and inorganic laboratories put the federal government at the leading edge of oil analysis definition and characterization and also of emissions analysis of heavy metals and related pollutants. GSC Calgary is currently seeking to enhance this capacity of the federal government even further through the engagement of universities in memoranda of understanding.

Project description

The 2007 building condition report for GSC Calgary identifies infrastructure issues that, if unaddressed, would compromise the ability of the federal government to continue providing the services mentioned above. These issues include such items as replacing roofs, ductwork, the control centre, and heating and ventilation systems with environmental efficiency solutions — such as geothermal heat pumps and wind turbine technology — that raise the public profile of energy technologies while generating power to the site as well as addressing maintenance issues.

This program of activities addresses the deferred maintenance at GSC Calgary at a cost of $7,203,771. Jobs created by the delivery of this program will be in the construction sector and in supporting services and industries. Direct jobs are created in the construction sector, from construction workers to experts in advanced building retrofits and energy efficiency; indirect jobs are created in industries serving the construction material supply chain, from resource extraction to manufacturing.

Prepared by: Geoff Munro, Chief Scientist and Associate Deputy Minister, Innovation and Energy Technology Sector, 613-947-1435 and Dr. Richard Tobin, Associate Deputy Minister, Corporate Management and Services Sector (613) 995-4252 with the Earth Sciences Sector.

NRCan's news releases and backgrounders are available at www.nrcan.gc.ca/media/index-eng.php.