The only offshore drilling activity taking place currently in Canadian jurisdiction is at Chevron Canada's Lona 0-55 exploration well, northeast of St. John's in the Orphan Basin. Chevron spudded the well in May.
The Standing Senate Committee on Energy, the Environment and Natural Resources said in its report that it does not recommend halting offshore drilling "either permanently or temporarily while Canada's government regulators re-evaluate the regulatory regime, safety measures and contingency plans."
Given increased concerns raised by the Macondo incident, the Senate committee conducted public hearings and heard testimony for six weeks to determine if current offshore drilling in Canada was safe.
The committee was not charged with making recommendations on future drilling, but did say that Canada's "regulatory regime is a good one" and that "any future offshore operations authorized to take place in Canadian jurisdiction ... will be well and carefully regulated and controlled."
The committee also recommended in its report making sure that there are no conflicts in the roles of the petroleum boards that regulate oil activity, discussing when and under which circumstances relief wells should be used, collaborating with all entities responsible for responding to an oil spill,
organizing a spill response plan for critical situations such as a blowout and reviewing the issue of liability.
China Chemical Weekly: http://news.chemnet.com/en/detail-1403616.html
