Tomorrow marks 13 years since the Cougar 491 helicopter tragedy, and Sunday will be 37 years since the crash of the Universal helicopter. Many who will read this have deep connections to those lost, and my condolences and thoughts are with you. Everyone has personal memories and ways to acknowledge sad anniversaries like these. These are the difficult milestones by which we also mark the passing of time.

Tomorrow’s Telegram will be full of touching tributes and photos, which I take some time to read and reflect upon every year. I’ve come to realize that’s forever established as one of my March 12 rituals.

But on March 12, 2013 I had just recently returned to the province to begin work with the Board and through a quirk of timing and capacity at a very full venue, I was directed to an empty seat that I soon realized was among the families of those being remembered at the fourth memorial service. The service was well underway by the time I realized and there was no way to move to another seat without being disruptive, nor was there anywhere else to sit.

The multi-faith program included a reading of the names as the family members were asked to stand. An industry executive and I had arrived at the same time and were seated together. We were the only two left sitting in our whole section once all the names had been called and the candles were lit. It was by far among the most powerful, saddest moments of my life to witness and be among the heartbreak of the family members.

I later left the service alongside Ed Williams, who had also just started his term as Vice-Chair of the Board. I had only known Ed for a couple of weeks at that point and we made the briefest but most knowing eye contact and walked silently together out to the parking lot. Like me, he’d clearly been struck by the most poignant of statements of the most fundamental responsibility of a regulator in offshore oil and gas. While he was uncharacteristically speechless that night, Ed and I spoke often about it in the years following. I still use the moment as a touchstone with respect to the importance of offshore safety and the risks of the work that we regulate.

Dan Chicoyne and our Safety team, others on our staff, our Board members including my predecessor, Max Ruelokke, operators, offshore workers, helicopter service providers, governments, and of course the late Justice Robert Wells spent the years following the Cougar 491 tragedy in dedicated pursuit of improvements in offshore aviation safety, which have made a meaningful difference for which I am very grateful.

We remember all of those lost and extend our deepest sympathies to their families and loved ones. We also offer our best wishes to Robert Decker, the lone survivor of Cougar 491.

Blog 2022