More than 20 people, including the wife of Canada’s former PM, were the first this season to tour a historic relic in Turner Valley. Visitors toured through various buildings at the Turner Valley Gas Plant on May 13, learning the history of Canada’s first natural gas processing and refining facility before it opens to the public weekends and holidays from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. this season starting May 19 and ending after the Labour Day weekend. The tours followed a presentation by Laureen Harper, former prime minister Stephen Harper’s wife, at the Flare ‘n’ Derrick Community Hall on May 13, attended by about 100 people. Harper talked about growing up in Turner Valley and memories of her grandfather working at the plant in the second Turner Valley Oilfield Society’s Speaker Series. “As a child we were not allowed to go there,” Harper said. “It was a work site and it was dangerous.” Harper recalls hearing the whistle go three times a day and walking across the swinging bridge near the grounds to visit her grandparents. “Everybody moved here for the jobs,” she said. “It was tough, hard work.” The Turner Valley Oilfield Society had been lobbying the government to open the gas plant to the public since it closed in the 1980s. Society member and Calgary historian David Finch said he’s glad to see it open another season. “It’s very exciting that the site is open on weekends and holidays,” he said. “This is the first time it’s been open this long.” Catherine Whalley, executive director historic sites and museum branch with Alberta Culture and Tourism, said the site initially opened to the public in 2014 in celebration of the Dingman No. 1 discovery well that became Alberta’s first major oil and gas discovery. Alberta Culture and Tourism made it a priority to open the site this year due to its historical significance, said Whalley. “It’s the cradle of commercial oil and gas discovery and development in the province,” she said. “It’s a really important story that we want to tell.” Whalley said there was interest last winter for organized weekday tours by tour group organizers and post-secondary institutions and hopes to see interest this summer as well. “I hope that people in the region will take the opportunity to see what the gas plant is about and discover why it has been designated a provincial historic resource and natural historic site and why it’s such an important part of Alberta and Canada’s history,” she said. The Province hired a full-time worker to oversee the site along with six other staff, including three regular guides, Whalley said. Little will change on the site this year due to budget constraints, Whalley said. “We didn’t get any budget increases but we were able to secure about the same amount of resources that we had last year so that we could at least maintain the weekend and holidays operating schedule,” she said. “It’s hard to really put a figure to its operations because it’s a mix of different pots of money.” This year will see some repairs to concrete pathways and ongoing management and remediation, she said. “For the most part this year it’s continuing to monitor areas where there are natural gas seeps as well as ensure that our ground water containment system and flood berm are continuing to function as they’re supposed to,” she said. An underground barrier circles the perimeter of the site and brings groundwater to a small water treatment where it’s filtered before released into the Sheep River, said Whalley. The water is tested regularly to ensure it meets safety standards. Recent improvements to the site include an office building with washrooms and interpretive centre in the historic light plant. While there are plans to further develop the site to restore some of the buildings in the government’s overall annual capital planning process, like converting a garage into an onsite class/meeting room, no additional funds were allocated this year, Whalley said. “There is a tremendous amount of potential as funding becomes available,” she said. “During these times of economic restraint within the province we are realistic about the fact that the gas plant may not be a priority when there are so many other demands on the province for critical infrastructure repairs.” Groups interested in booking tours can call 780-431-2300 or go to www.turnervalleygasplant.ca Admission to the facility is $12 for adults, $10 for seniors, $4 for youths and $30 for families. Children ages six and under are free.
