Aurora Land offers a full suite of surface rights acquisition services offered from initial project conception throughout project completion with a focus on providing project deliverables on time and within budget, regardless of project size. Aurora works closely with clients to ensure that project regulatory requirements are met, stakeholder concerns and commitments are tracked and addressed, third party program requirements are fulfilled, project reporting reflects client needs, and project acquisition is managed correctly and efficiently. Aurora’s team of experienced employees and team leads along with a robust quality assurance process ensure tasks are completed accurately, with Land Agents and Field Consultants being located remotely in strategic areas to maximize efficiencies and take advantage of local knowledge, ultimately resulting in client cost savings.
Aurora Land provides vast experience in all aspects of Crown projects from initial planning to reclamation. Aurora Land can successfully generate and submit all routine and non-routine applications for all formal dispositions within the OneStop Application System. Aurora works closely with all Crown disposition holders in order to obtain consents and build great relationships with all interested parties.
Aurora Land works with First Nation and Metis Settlements around the province during the initial planning phases of client projects to complete consultation. Aurora submits the client’s projects to the Aboriginal Consultation Office (ACO) to determine if consultation is required on a project or which Nations/Settlements are required to be consulted on. Aurora will then send a Notification package to the Nation/Settlement which includes an outline of the project, the File Consultation Number associated with the project, as well as survey/sketch plans for the project. Aurora will then consult with each Nation/Settlement as per the ACO Consultation Guidelines and discuss any issues brought forward as well as set up and conduct any site visits requested by the Nation/Settlement and track on the Record of Consultation (ROC) Log. Once consultation is completed, Aurora will submit all associated consultation documents, communications, and ROC’s to the ACO for consultation adequacy.
During each project, Aurora Land will consult with their client to determine their project specific preference for either pre-settling damages or settling damages once construction activities are completed. If damages are pre-settled, Aurora will provide a compensation strategy for loss of use that is being successfully employed in the project area. If directed by the client to settle damages after the construction activity has occurred, Aurora will confirm with the client if construction is complete and damages are ready to be settled. Aurora always ensures, whenever possible, to coordinate damage settlement with other projects within the area. Having Land Agents that are local to the project area ensures that they are familiar with crop prices and yields in the given area and allows the Land Agent to use accurate judgement when settling project damages on behalf of clients.
Aurora Land has successfully managed multiple Land & Property Rights Tribunal negotiations on behalf of clients. Preparation services include coordinating land appraisals with third party contractors, site evaluation, and investigating area compensation standards. Prior to hearings, Aurora will work with the client to develop a strategy for hearing attendance as well as prepare all required evidence including a record of consultation, supporting information regarding development of the final compensation offer, and established pattern of dealings information. During hearings Aurora will present formal presentations, participate in Q&A activities and provide closing statements.
Aurora Land offers services to have Land Agents on site during Construction and Post Construction to support the client’s construction inspection team as well as the project contractor. Land Agents can be provided for each spread of construction to attend morning meetings with the construction inspectors and contractor and are responsible to be on site with the front-end inspectors during access, clearing, mowing and stripping to ensure that all landowner construction commitments are adhered to. Land Agents will coordinate with landowners and occupants for notification of survey and initial access, landowner mowing for green feed (where possible), landowner access points, bores of sensitive areas, dewatering/pump-off areas, and other associated front-end activities. In addition, Land Agents will be on site to acquire Temporary Workspace and Access Agreements where required for construction for additional space at bores, log decks, HDDs, shoo-flies, sumps, and access to water. Land Agents will also update construction binders for any amendments to third party agreements for new line sweeps or any expired/outstanding agreements that may be required during Construction and Post Construction.
In addition, Aurora often utilizes Land Use Specialists in Crown areas. Responsibilities for the Land Use Specialists include attending morning construction meetings with inspection and contractors, coordination with forestry companies, communication with Project Mangers to facilitate acquisition of FMA consents and signoff on TFAs as well as coordination on timber salvage and road use, liaising with industry and counties on road use and maintenance to ensure all third-party concerns are addressed in a timely and appropriate fashion, preparation and submission of TFA approvals in support of construction for activities such as access to water (TDLs), temporary access, temporary workspace and remote sump sites, monitoring of TFA areas to ensure correct land use throughout construction, and completion of all required project reporting. Aurora has received significant positive feedback from clients for these services.
Aurora Land has a robust Quality Assurance/Quality Control process that ensures that all documentation leaving our office has been through an audit process and documented within an audit checklist. Land Agents are an important part of the QA/QC Process, ensuring that the files they receive are audited prior to acquisition and once more before they are submitted back to the office. This rigorous process provides a value-added service to clients by ensuring that acquisitions are completed correctly the first time to keep within project deadlines.
Since 1997, Aurora Land has worked diligently to build and maintain a robust suite of process and procedures manuals. These manuals are routinely updated and revised as industry standards change and evolve. These documents are without a doubt an instrumental part of Aurora’s formula for success. The manuals are used daily by our staff to ensure that no step is ever missed in the often challenging and technical land process.
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Sean Fuller has twenty years of oil and gas industry experience and fifteen years of environmental and executive management under his belt along with expertise in reclamation, remediation, environmental planning, environmental compliance, permitting, and drilling waste management. He has overseen environmental programs ranging in size from small single well cleanups to large scale reclamation, remediation, drilling waste and environmental planning programs. Sean has successfully overseen projects involving regulatory bodies throughout Alberta, BC, Saskatchewan, and Manitoba.
Meridith Ball has twenty years of oil and gas industry experience 15 of which has been with Husky Energy overseeing teams of up to 200 field and office personnel for abandonment, reclamation and remediation programs in Western Canada. Meridith has experience with oil sands developments including OSE programs as well as pipeline planning and regulatory approvals. With a Bachelor’s degree in Soils and Biotic Geography together with Project Management training and experience, Meridith is able to deliver results on a variety of projects from pre-development to site closure. Meridith also has experience developing and implementing many best management practices for Upstream Oil and Gas and has 10 years of compliance and environmental auditing experience with federal and provincial jurisdictions as well as corporate and industry best practices.
Manuel Oppel brings over 10 years of experience in the upstream oil and gas industry with a focus on gas migration, surface casing vent flow and packer isolation testing as well as drilling waste disposal. Manuel is a Professional Engineer with APEGA with a Bachelor of Science in Civil Engineering with Environmental Engineering option from the University of Alberta. During his career, Manuel has worked with Drilling, Production and Abandonment groups to characterize casing integrity throughout Alberta, Saskatchewan and British Columbia. He is actively involved with the Well Integrity & Abandonment Society, a community dedicated to designing and maintaining wellbore integrity, and also APEGA’s Elementary Science Nights to promote engineering and geoscience to elementary students.
Regional Liability Manager based out of our Lloydminster office. Devin brings with him a wealth of expertise, gained over the past 20 years during his tenure at Husky Energy. While at Husky, Devin held numerous supervisory positions related to minimizing liability through construction, reclamation, remediation, acquisitions and divestitures. Devin is also a Professional Agrologist and licensed Land Agent, skilled in stakeholder engagement, area based closure programs and contractor management.
Anhua Wei has fifteen years of experience and education in the fields of aquatic and terrestrial ecology, statistics, GIS, and remote sensing. He obtained his Masters of Science and Ph.D in Wetland Ecology, and a GIS Specialist Certification from McMaster University. Anhua is a member in good standing of the Alberta Society of Professional Biologists and is a member of the wetland practice area committee. Anhua has a wealth of experience in academic, industrial, and public sectors. He has worked as a Postdoctoral Teaching Fellow with McMaster University in Hamilton, NSERC Visiting Fellow with Canada Centre for Remote Sensing in Ottawa, Geospatial Analyst/GIS Specialist with Environment and Natural Resources, the Government of Northwest Territories in Inuvik, and Wildlife Research Biologist with the Ministry of Natural Resources and Forestry in Peterborough. Within the oil and gas industry, Anhua has experience with Cenovus Energy in Calgary where he was a Senior Environmental Advisor working on a range of land, wildlife, and wetland issues. Anhua is the Team Lead for Aurora’s environmental planning group providing technical expertise in relation to wetland, watercourse, wildlife, culvert design for fish passage, aquatic and GIS environmental services. Read Anhua Wei’s peer-reviewed research papers
Kerri Eckstadt, PMP, has over 25 years’ experience in the oil and gas industry with extensive knowledge in all aspects of Crown and Freehold Land Acquisition including Oil Sands Exploration programs in Northern Alberta. She has put her vast knowledge and exceptional leadership skills to use on a number of large-scale linear pipeline projects throughout Alberta and Saskatchewan. Kerri has been with Aurora Land Consulting since 2005 and obtained her PMP through the Project Management Institute.
Josh Vass, SR/WA, brings over 20 years of experience in the energy industry, including 13 years managing major pipeline projects. He has served six years on the Province of Alberta’s Land Agent Advisory Committee, including three years as Chair, and five years on the Canadian Energy Regulator’s Land Matters Group Advisory Committee as the International Right of Way Association’s representative.
Josh has successfully led land teams for over 3,870 km of pipeline projects across Alberta, British Columbia, and Saskatchewan. His work spans both federal and provincial regulatory environments. Known for his leadership and expertise, Josh has delivered consistent results on major pipeline projects throughout Western Canada.
Corey Nordin has 25+ years of oil and gas industry experience, 20 years of that with Aurora Land. Corey has extensive experience in Freehold and Crown Acquisition. He has focused on Crown acquisition through the province whether it be an OSE program, Thermal Padsite or Major Linear Project to ensure clients are compliant and get approvals in a timely fashion. He works closely with clients, surveyors & environment teams to place/route projects to meet clients needs and regulatory requirements. He has close ties to AER, ACO & AEP where he has been part of Industry Groups to develop systems and guidelines. Corey is team player that enjoys a challenge and working to complete a task.
Lainie Nordin has over 27 years of experience in surface land administration and project coordination. Her resume includes all aspects of freehold and Crown acquisition with regards to conventional oil & gas, Oil Sands Exploration projects, as well as the larger Linear Projects. Her current contract role in house with one of our clients as a Crossings Analyst has helped round out her vast experience with third party request reviews and issuance. With this she has gained a great working knowledge in both the technical and legal review of all crossings related requests.
Shane started his career as a Land Agent in 1997 and, together with Lainie, purchased the company in 2005. Shane has a keen ability to establish and nurture relationships based on trust and shared values with landowners, municipalities, regulators and special interest groups alike. As a leader, he trusts in, and is loyal to his team, acting with integrity and respect. Aurora’s growth under Shane’s leadership has seen the company expand exponentially, serving more clients, project teams and industries in Western Canada today than ever before. His acute understanding of farming practices is a solid asset to establishing connections with landowners while representing clients to the fullest potential.