Celebrating 100 Years Est. 1911
1911-1919
Our Company
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1919
The first commercial natural gas well in Canada was completed in Essex County in
1889 and the natural gas industry was still finding its way when
The Union Natural Gas Company of Canada, Limited was founded
December 19, 1911.
At its founding on Dec. 19, Union Gas was called The Union Natural Gas Company of Canada, Limited merging Volcanic Oil and Gas Company, United Fuel Supply Company Ltd. and the Ridgetown Fuel Supply Company. The former rivals were intent on controlling and conserving natural gas from the Tilbury Oil Field for their customers in southwestern Ontario.
Field and Pipeline operations were directed from a former residence on the North side of Wellington Street in Chatham while the head office for the new company was in Niagara Falls.
Drilling was booming and operations were now underway in Essex, Kent, Middlesex, Elgin, Brant, Wentworth, Norfolk, Welland, Haldimand, Lincoln, Oxford, Waterloo and Wellington. Union had a new rival in the Southern Ontario Gas Company, which like Union Gas was taking gas from the Tilbury field. Southern had built a compressor plant so Union decided to build the Port Alma Compressor plant.
The McDermid well in Dawn Township starting flowing, which would later play a large role in Union's growth as a company.
Ontario introduced legislation ensuring the safety of natural gas products and construction began on the Port Alma Compressor plant to scrub natural gas from the Tilbury fields of hydrogen sulfide.
WW1 created a vast munitions industry with a huge appetite for inexpensive natural gas, which became a supply problem for gas companies. Early in 1917 Union notified its customers that industrial consumption would have to be curtailed or even cut off. There were real worries whether there would be enough natural gas for the coming winter.
The Big Blizzard hit in early January and later forced the federal government to close all stores and factories for three days to save fuel.
It was before the era of storage, and a natural gas shortage coincided with the Big Blizzard. The province stepped in under the powers of the Ontario Railway and Municipal Board (ORMB) to investigate supplies and impose gas restrictions on many non-residential customers. It also led to the first rates hearing and a requirement that every service pipe would have to have a regulating meter. More
At the request of Ontario's Mines Minister, an Advisory Board made up of rural and urban interests, gas producers and distributors produced an extensive list of recommendations in January to protect all interests including government and consumers. By April, The Board's recommendations formed the basis of the Natural Gas Act of 1919.
Union Gas also decided in 1919 to move its Head Office from Niagara Falls to Chatham where it already operated its field and pipeline operations.
The World
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World events would dominate the 1910's almost overshadowing the many changes about to occur that would dramatically change the way people would live and work.
Canada was still a very young country 44 years after Confederation and a decade after the death of Queen Victoria. Women in most countries, including Canada, could not yet vote. In the US, Orville Wright set a world record that would stand another ten years for keeping a glider in the air for 9 minutes and 45 seconds.
Immigration boosted Canada's population to 7.2 million by 1911 but fewer than half lived in urban areas. Toronto would get its first hydroelectric power from Niagara Falls in May 1911.
After introducing the Model-T Ford in 1908, Henry Ford installed the world's first automotive assembly line to mass-produce his cars. Seeing his workers as potential consumers, he raised workers wages to $5 a day so they could afford to buy the vehicles in four months. The demand for gasoline would drive the oil industry for years to come.
First World War began in June with the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand in Sarajevo. Eventually 70 million military personnel worldwide would be mobilized during the combat, with 9 million combatants killed in one of the largest wars in history.
On a lighter note, tinker toys were invented as a wartime amusement and Charlie Chaplin made his movie debut.
In April, Canadian troops won the three-day battle of Vimy Ridge. It was the first time that all four divisions of the Canadian Expeditionary Force, made up of troops from across the country, fought together. The Battle of Vimy Ridge came a week after the US declared war on Germany and entered the war.
The Spanish Flu is declared a pandemic in August. In the following six months, 30 million people died from the flu outbreak, more than twice the death count from the First World War.
After four long years, the First World War ended with an Armistice on the 11th hour, of the 11th day of the 11th month. Over 600,000 Canadians fought the war in Europe which killed 70,000 Canadian soldiers and left 173 000 wounded.
Canadian soldiers returned from war to find cities crowded with new immigrants, high unemployment, inflation and labour unrest fuelled in part by the success of the Russian Revolution in 1917. All that contributed to the Winnipeg General Strike in May and June when almost every worker in Winnipeg went on strike. The strike became a riot on Bloody Saturday, June 21, and fearing more violence, workers ended the strike five days later. It would take another 20 years before collective bargaining was recognized in Canada.