Canadian Lawyer

owners and the impact of the high- strength fracs on your neighbours." In Quebec, the provincial govern- ment placed a moratorium on the practice last March pending a detailed environmental review. Quebec sits over a large part of the huge Utica shale forma- tion which it shares with New York and Ohio. Ohio seems intent on tapping the resource while New York currently has a fracking ban in place. British Columbia, which has large shale gas deposits, has taken the lead in the regulation of the new extrac- tion technology with the introduction this year of legislation requiring energy companies to publicly file detailed rec- ords including fluid ingredients, con- centration of additives, trade name and supplier of ingredients, and total vol- ume of water injected in a new public registry to be maintained by the prov- ince's Oil and Gas Commission. B.C.'s new fracking registry will allow anyone to find out about ingredients used in natural gas extraction, search- able by province, region, well, or oper- ator. The provincial government said the site is designed to allow future par- ticipation by other jurisdictions which could lead to a Canada-wide registry down the road. Alberta, which has the most experi- ence and history with oil and gas resource extraction, now finds itself behind its western neighbour when it comes to regulating hydraulic fractur- ing. In February, the province's energy regulator said it expects to draw up rules by the end of this year requiring oil com- panies to publicly disclose the chem- icals they use in hydraulic fracturing. Alberta's chief regulator said it has been slow to create regulation in this area compared with some U.S. states as well as B.C. because industry in the province has been slow to embrace so-called dry- gas fracking, instead focusing on oil or liquids-rich gas from existing reservoirs which utilize less fluids. Still, drillers have been busily frack- B.C.'s fracking registry is online at ing away in the province. Alberta says since 2008, oil companies have complet- ed 3,300 horizontal wells and multistage fracs during which sand and chemicals are pumped deep into the horizontal section of a well, where it cracks the shale rock, allowing the hydrocarbons to flow into the well bore for extraction. Rising scrutiny of the U.S. energy industry, illustrated in the controversy over the Keystone XL pipeline and environmental criticism and regulation of fracking in many states, will mean more regulation for fracking in Canada sooner or later, concluded Stikemans' Grant. "Take a look at what is happen- ing in the U.S.; things will ultimately make their way up here," he said. "Just looking at that, regulations are likely coming." ONTARIO LAWYER'S PHONE BOOK 2012 YOUR MOST COMPLETE DIRECTORY OF ONTARIO LAWYERS, LAW FIRMS, JUDGES AND COURTS With more than 1,400 pages of essential legal references, Ontario Lawyer's Phone Book is your best connection to legal services in Ontario. Subscribers can depend on the credibility, accuracy and currency of this directory year after year. More detail and a wider scope of legal contact information for Ontario than any other source: • More than 26,000 lawyers • More than 9,300 law firms and corporate offices • Fax and telephone numbers, e-mail addresses, office locations and postal codes Perfectbound • Published December each year On subscription $66 P/C 0514140999 One time purchase $69 P/C 0514010999 ISSN 0845-4832 Multiple copy discounts available Prices subject to change without notice, to applicable taxes and shipping & handling. Includes lists of: • • Federal and provincial judges Federal courts, including a section for federal government departments, boards and commissions • Ontario courts and services, including a section for provincial government ministries, boards and commissions • The Institute of Law Clerks of Ontario • Small claims courts • Miscellaneous services for lawyers Visit carswell.com or call 1.800.387.5164 for a 30-day no-risk evaluation CANADIAN LAW LIST www.CANADIAN Lawyermag.com A PRIL 2012 53 OLPB 2012 - 1-2 Island - CL.indd 1 1/20/12 10:36 AM www.fr acf ocus.c a.

• Cover