Bearspaw Feeder Main Independent review
The purpose of this review
The Review will examine what happened during the Bearspaw South Feeder Main incident, why it happened and what changes are needed to prevent this type of incident from re-occurring.
The Review will examine all aspects of our utility infrastructure, including our water, wastewater and stormwater systems. They will focus on the areas of the water utility systems operations and maintenance, assurance and risk management, planning, design and engineering, budget and financing, and governance and organization responsibility.
What is the expected timeline for the review?
The Review aims to be completed by the end of 2025. To ensure transparency, the panel will be responsible for how they share information and results of the review.
What is the cost to undertake this work?
The City has allocated a high-level estimate of $1M to $2M to cover all necessary expenses related to the investigation. This includes fees for the Chair, administrative support, and any other incidental costs. The goal is to have sufficient finances to make sure that the Review is thorough and impartial.
Meet the panel
How were the panel members selected?
The Chair, along with the Advisory Group, selected five industry experts to sit on the Panel.
In total, the Panel represents over 200 years of industry leadership experience. Read their bios below.
Siegfried W. Kiefer
Siegfried Kiefer is the past Honorary Director, Office of the Chair, ATCO Ltd., and former President & Chief Executive Officer of Canadian Utilities Limited and Member, Office of the Chair, ATCO Ltd. He retired on July 1, 2021.
Mr. Kiefer spent 38 years as a member of the ATCO group of companies and shaped some of the company’s most transformative initiatives in recent memory. He was instrumental in the strategic divestiture of ATCO’s retail energy business in 2003, as well as the sale of ATCO I-Tek in 2014. He also oversaw the construction and early energization of Canadian Utilities’ award-winning Alberta PowerLine project—the longest 500 kilovolt (kV) AC transmission line in Canada. Once completed, seven Indigenous communities in Alberta purchased a combined 40 per cent equity ownership in the line—an example to the world of how industry and Indigenous communities can work together to develop world-class energy infrastructure that benefits customers and communities alike.
Prior to his appointment as President & Chief Executive Officer in May 2019, Mr. Kiefer held the title of President & Chief Strategy Officer for both ATCO Ltd. and Canadian Utilities Limited. He was President, Canadian Utilities Limited, from May 2015, and Chief Operating Officer, Power & Utilities, from July 2013.
Formerly, Mr. Kiefer was Managing Director, Utilities Business Group, where he oversaw the operations of ATCO Gas, ATCO Electric and ATCO Pipelines, along with subsidiaries Northland Utilities Limited and ATCO Electric Yukon. He also oversaw the formation and operations of ATCO Energy Services and served as Chief Information Officer for ATCO Group for more than 11 years, until late 2009.
Mr. Kiefer’s distinguished career with ATCO and its subsidiaries began in 1983 with Canadian Western Natural Gas as a Financial Analyst. He was later appointed to various technical and management roles within Canadian Utilities’ Information Services.
Mr. Kiefer has a Bachelor of Commerce degree from the University of Calgary.

Michael J. Crothers
Michael J. Crothers is a senior leader with 37 years of Canadian and international experience in operations, business development and mega-projects. The majority of his career was with Shell plc, known for its safety and reliability track record. He holds a B.Sc. in Chemical Engineering (with Distinction) from the University of Alberta and has completed the INSEAD residential Executive Leaders program, and the Directors Education Program at Rotman School of Business, attaining the ICD.D designation. He is a lifetime member of APEGA. His career includes over five years as President and Country Chair of Shell Canada Limited.
As President and Country Chair of Shell Canada, Mr. Crothers had oversight for the national business with responsibility for strategy, government relations, energy policy, and talent development. He has also served as Executive Vice President Oil Sands, VP Unconventionals North America and Vice President Canada Integrated Gas where he and his team secured Shell’s investment in LNG Canada.
His leadership in these roles has been instrumental in achieving strong profitability with industry leading safety, environmental compliance and reliability. Mr. Crothers serves on various boards, including Cenovus Energy, Keyera Corp, Northern RNA, United Way of Calgary and Area, Nature Conservancy of Canada, and served on the Executive Committee of the Canadian Association of Petroleum Producers.

Gordon M. Engbloom
Gordon M. Engbloom has 45 years of energy sector experience, the last 43 years as a sole consultant with Confer Consulting Ltd. He holds an M.A. in Economics from Queen’s University and a B.Sc. in Chemical Engineering from the University of Alberta. He has worked for a wide variety of clients, including natural gas aggregators; regulated electric and natural gas pipeline utilities; crude oil, natural gas and natural gas liquids producers; independent power producers; regulatory agencies; and governments. Mr. Engbloom has appeared before regulatory boards and gas price arbitration panels as an expert witness.
Throughout his career, Mr. Engbloom’s work has focused on economic and financial matters including those associated with regulated utilities. He also has extensive experience in crude oil and natural gas matters includes estimating supply and demand, price deregulation, contracting, pricing, and pipeline costs, as well as experience related to electric energy, including market design and industry structure, deregulation, transmission access, generation procurement options and strategies, market demand and forecasts, independent power contracts, and natural gas supply to electric generation plants.
Mr. Engbloom has volunteered in the community over an extended period, including service on the Board of Heritage Park Society and Chair of the Board at the Canadian Energy Research Institute.

Nancy F. Foster
Nancy F. Foster has 38 years of oil and gas industry experience, including 12 years on the leadership team of Nexen and 8 years on the executive leadership team of Husky Energy. She has direct experience in health, safety, environment, crisis management, and leadership, including governance and crisis management.
Her roles included SVP, Human and Corporate Resources at Husky, and in-country Manager, Norway and SVP, Human Resources and Corporate Services, both at Nexen. At Husky Energy, Ms. Foster was responsible for managing an organization of over 450 people in Human Resources, Information Services, Corporate Responsibility, and Corporate Services. She led the development and roll-out of Husky’s Emergency Response Plan and was accountable for crisis management as the in-country head for Nexen Norway.
Her leadership in strategic planning, financial management, and risk management has been instrumental in the success of various initiatives. Ms. Foster has also been recognized for her contributions to the community, including being named United Way of Calgary and Area Campaign co-chair for 2019 and receiving the Senate 150 Anniversary Medal in 2017.

Bob B. Kerr
Bob Kerr recently retired from ExxonMobil Canada after 33 years.He has worked all over North America and Europe in various leadership roles. His last role was Environment, Socioeconomic and Human Rights Manager with ExxonMobil Corporation in Houston. His most relevant experience for our work is associated with asset integrity management systems.
He led teams that implemented these systems in ExxonMobil’s Canadian offshore operations in the North Atlantic (Hibernia and Sable), the world’s first offshore LNG Terminal (Adriatic LNG) 40 km south of Venice, Italy and Imperial’s Kearl Oil Sands northeast of Fort Mac.
He has been an asset integrity management system auditor and also been audited several times for systems his teams managed. In addition, he has led teams investigating literally hundreds of industrial accidents (personal injuries, loss of containment, equipment failures, etc.). Fortunately, most of these accidents were relatively minor but some regrettably not so.

Stephen Stanley
Stephen Stanley is a retired executive with 25 years of experience at EPCOR Utilities Inc., including roles such as Senior Vice President Strategic Initiatives, SVP Drainage Service, SVP Commercial Service, and SVP Water Services. He has a broad range of experience in water, electricity, and gas utilities, supporting water utility management in a municipal context. Prior to EPCOR, Mr. Stanley was a Professor at the University of Alberta.
At EPCOR, Mr. Stanley was responsible for overseeing the operations, maintenance, engineering, and planning of EPCOR’s treatment, distribution, and collection systems. He managed a staff of 350 water professionals and an operations budget of $75 million annually.
His leadership in large projects such as the Blue Sky Water Reclamation Facility, Darlington Nuclear Plant Water Treatment Facility, and Trans Mountain Electrical Services Contract has been instrumental in the success of these initiatives.

Frequently asked questions
How was the Chair selected?
The Chair was selected by an Advisory Group of three volunteer community leaders – Dawn Farrell, Wayne Stensby, and Dr. Edward McCauley. They were tasked with searching for a qualified Chair to lead the Independent Review Panel.
When does the panel start in the role?
With the Panel fully in place, a terms of reference established and mandate finalized, they will now begin the Review. Calgarians can expect a full report, including findings and recommendations, from the Panel by the end of 2025.
I put my name forward for Panel participation/what happened to names put forward?
All names that were put forward were passed along to the Chair. The Chair selected the Panel members, in collaboration with the volunteer Advisory Group.
The Chair and the Advisory Group would like to thank those who did put their name forward, and to the selected Panel members for agreeing to take on this important work.
What is the scope?
The full scope of the Review has been determined by the Chair. A terms of reference and mandate for the Panel have also been finalized.
How will The City support the Review?
The City has established a dedicated liaison position and secretariat to make sure the Panel receives all the necessary information to conduct a thorough independent review.
We are committed to providing the Panel with the information and data they need in a fulsome and timely way.
How do the other Bearspaw reviews connect to this one?
As information and recommendations are available from the other reviews, it will be shared with the Panel.
When can the public expect further details or updates on the review process?
To support public transparency and sharing the Panel’s findings, The City will share updates and information from the Panel when available on calgary.ca.