History of the CGPSA

The development of the TransCanada Pipeline and the export of natural gas to California in the 50's and 60's spurred the development of the gas industry in Western Canada. The challenges of the early gas industry in Canada were distinctly different to that of the American Gas Industry of the time. Thus, the early US-designed Canadian gas plants required many changes to accommodate the climatic and "sour" differences.

These challenges were met on an ad-hoc basis by the pioneers of the time. It was soon recognized that in order to develop the required expertise within Canada, that Associations of gas persons in the processing industries and companies supplying services to those industries were required. The organizing meeting of what was to become the Canadian Gas Processors Suppliers Association (CGPSA) took place in December, 1959. The first joint meeting with what was to become the Canadian Gas Processors Association (CGPA) was held on February 25th, 1960 at the Palliser Hotel in Calgary. The CGPSA was incorporated in August of that year.

Since their inception, the Associations have provided a forum for the dissemination of information to the participants in the industry. They have brought together designers, operators and equipment suppliers, so that mutual concerns and problems could be discussed.

Today
The reasons for the existence of the CGPA and CGPSA are the same today as they were at the beginning:

• To meet and discuss the problems and concerns of the industry.

• The Associations meet at four Technical Sessions each year, where topics of current interest are presented.

• In addition, there are several annual social functions to allow networking amongst industry members. These include : the Safety Awards banquet; the Northern and Southern Chapter Golf Tournaments; and the President's Ball.

• If you wish to participate in the Canadian Gas Industry, seriously consider joining the over 750 persons and 300 member companies who presently service the industry.

Individuals can join the CGPA, and companies can join the CGPSA. If you are interested in joining or receiving membership information, please visit our Member Services page.

Reference
Jim Belding, a Past President of the CGPSA has put together a document describing progress and highlights in the history of the CGPSA and the CGPA over a 20 year period (1959 to 1979). You can download and view this PDF formatted document by Clicking Here (you need Adobe Acrobat Reader installed on your computer to view this file).