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Home > 50^th Anniversary > Staff Stories > Brenda Kenny

Brenda Kenny

Brenda Kenny worked at the NEB from 1981 to 2006, including a five-year leave when she relocated and raised a young family. In her last position as Business Leader of Planning, Policy and Coordination, she was charged with strategic planning and regulatory development as well as advancing new ways of approaching the Board's mandate. Now President of the Canadian Energy Pipelines Association, Brenda vividly recalls her time at the NEB and the impact it had on her career.

What is your most memorable work experience at the NEB?

My most memorable work experience revolves around some of the major hearings I was involved in. I managed small teams of professionals whose shared expertise would be brought to bear on the fundamental question of whether or not a proposed project was in the public interest. Our role was to support the three Board members who were accountable for the decisions around each case.

I recall one instance where we were holding a public hearing in an area of the country that was not used to public development. A gentleman who wanted to share his perspective with the Board arrived. When he walked into the room and realized that it was set up in a very, very formal way with the three Board members on a podium and lots of lawyers in the room, he got very uncomfortable and wanted to leave. We managed to encourage him to stay and to be heard because the Board was very interested in listening to his point of view.

I found that memorable because it really highlighted for me the importance of a tribunal being always rigorous in its focus on evidence and facts, but also trying as much as possible to make the atmosphere approachable, welcoming and open to all perspectives. It's really easy for tribunals to feel that they are set up like a court of law and as such have all the trappings. What that can inadvertently do is undermine the goal they are trying to achieve.

What is your fondest memory of the NEB?

I would say my fondest memories at the NEB revolve around United Way campaigns because they really exemplified the NEB's unique culture. It's inclusive and very welcoming. Staff work hard and they are very, very serious about the work that they do. But they also kick back and make a point of having fun which, I think is very important.

Some of those memories include the music that a variety of NEB staffers would put together. The rock band that we heard every year became almost an institution. As well, multi-cultural potlucks held as fund-raisers reflected quite a diversity of staff who proudly presented dishes from all over the world. This was an amazing opportunity to sell plates and raise funds for the existing community that we all shared in Calgary. It was also indicative of a wonderful blend of people pulling together to help the community.

Of the projects you have worked on, what had the most impact on Canadians?

I think that any of the major hearings could have had a major impact on Canadians, but I also recall a project I worked on earlier in my career with Jake Abes. Jake and I were engineers with the engineering branch who tended to ask a lot of questions about why we regulated industry the way we did. As good managers are wont to do, our leaders turned to us and said, well, do you want to try and fix it?

We worked collaboratively and came up with the idea to first, focus exclusively on major Canadian Standards and remove anything from the regulations that duplicated those, and secondly, because we were using Canadian Standards, to eliminate the need for separate regulations on oil and gas pipelines and say instead this is really about all pipelines. Ten years later, the Canadian Standards Association merged their oil and gas standards into one set.

In the end, this regulatory change opened the door for the Board to focus more attention on high risk areas rather than re-evaluating everything that companies themselves were doing around safety. Even though this occurred over 20 years ago, it was an important first step in terms of how we look at risk-based regulation. It enabled us to use the tools that contributed the most to safety and environmental protection.

Ultimately, this project radically changed the way in which the regulations are structured.

Who among your colleagues at the NEB has most influenced you?

There's been so many. One would be former Chair Roland Priddle. Roland had a very clear view of where he wanted to lead the organization. His style as a Chair was interesting. He was the kind of individual who would come and speak to you about the specific question that was on his mind – just dive right in and find out what it is you know and take that away. I think he exemplified the quest for specific results and that influenced me because it suggested the opportunity to be focused.

I think that the NEB's current Chair has also been influential. Gaétan was a peer of mine in the early days, and then my boss for years. I think Gaétan leads from the heart a lot. That again is a different approach. It shows the humanity of what the NEB stands for.

In your time at the NEB, has anything significantly affected your career?

I would say that the NEB is a really good place to work because even though it is a relatively small organization, there's lots of opportunity to move around and do new things. During my time at the Board, I learned about managing major information technology projects, finance and project management. All of these opportunities had a cumulative impact on my career. The focus on professional development was strong and presented lots of opportunities to grow.

Is there anything you would like to say to today's NEB staff?

I would say they should be extremely proud of being a part of an institution that has served Canada well for over 50 years. As citizens in this great country we need people who are seriously engaged in the public service. It's a noble profession and we should never lose sight of just how critical it is to have an excellent public service. They should be proud to be a part of it.

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Date Modified:

2011-10-26