Advisory Council Biographies

BRENDA ALLBRIGHT
Brenda Allbright has had a close relationship with CAPLA from its inception and enjoys all the interactions she has with the members over the years. Brenda graduated from the University of Alberta with a BSc in Microbiology. She started working with the Government of Alberta in 1979 and has worked for the departments of Health, Sustainable Resource Development and since 1988 with Energy. Brenda was the business team lead for the successful implementation of e-postings and e-bidding.  She has experience all areas of Tenure, in progressively responsible positions and is currently the Executive Director of P&NG Tenure with the Department of Energy.

LINDA BERNIER
Linda Bernier is the Team Lead, Mineral Land Asset Management - Encana Corporation Canadian Division. She began her career in Land in 1977 and obtained a Petroleum Science Certificate from Mount Royal College in 1990.  Linda was a member of CAPLA's founding Board of Directors and served two terms as CAPLA Communications Director during which she and her committee launched the Nexus newsletter and the association's Annual Report.  She continues to volunteer for CAPLA and in addition to serving on the CAPLA Advisory Council, she is also a member of the CAPLA Leadership Forum.  Other volunteer work includes serving on the Founding Board of Directors of the Centre for Energy Asset Management Studies (CEAMS) and various CAPL volunteer positions. Linda.Bernier@encana.com  

JONATHAN CHAPMAN
Jonathan Chapman is President of Legacy Land and Title Company Inc. a private firm providing Land expertise in negotiations, title administration, due diligence, property evaluation, litigation support, land information systems assessment and acquisition/divestment services. A founding Director of CAPLA; Jonathan served as Vice-president from CAPLA's inception in 1993 through 1997 and currently serves on the Board Advisory Council. He has served as member and chair of the Canadian Association of Petroleum Producers Mineral Rights Committee, member of the ERCB Orphan Well Peer Review Committee and is currently an advisor to the Mount Royal College Petroleum Land Certificate Program. Jonathan has been a member of the American Association of Petroleum Landmen, the Petroleum Joint Venture Association and is an active member of the Canadian Association of Petroleum Landmen as well as CAPLA.

CRAIG JOHNSTONE
Craig Johnstone is an oil and gas lawyer who has been practicing for 20 years and is currently in house legal counsel at Enerplus Resources Fund.  He began his career at Bennett Jones and after four years, joined Blain & Company (now Thackray Burgess) where he worked for 15 years.  He has extensive experience with oil and gas acquisitions and divestitures, title reviews and opinions, and issues arising out of industry agreements such as the CAPL Operating Procedure.  He incorporated CAPLA as a society and has been pro bono counsel for CAPLA since its inception.  He has been a sessional instructor at SAIT, teaching oil and gas law for over ten years, and has spoken on many topics at CAPLA conferences.

KEVIN MACFARLANE
Kevin MacFarlane grew up in Calgary, received his Commerce Degree from U of C and his Law Degree from the University of Toronto.  After working in private practice in the area of oil and gas for about 5 years, Kevin worked in Suncor's Law Department for 5 years and Petro-Canada's Law Department for 3 years.  In 1991, Kevin became manager of Petro-Canada's Western Canada Land Department and retired as Manager of Land Services and Contracts in 2009. 

Kevin has taught oil and gas law courses at Mount Royal College, at the University of Calgary and for the Canadian Association of Petroleum Landmen over the first 12 years of his career, commencing in 1980.  In 1999, Kevin became engaged once again in supporting the continuing education of the broader community of experienced land professionals as Chair of the Canadian Association of Petroleum Land Administration's Certification Committee, a position which he held until 2009.

During 2007, Kevin assumed the role of Vice-Chair of the Centre for Energy Asset Management Studies, an initiative which he saw as an opportunity to support the development of a full time post secondary program and thereby provide an exciting new career horizon for future high school graduates.  Kevin’s role on the Board of the Centre for Energy Asset Management Studies extended from its formation in 2005 until 2009.      

BONNIE-LYNN MACLAREN
Bonnie-Lynn works for Terra Consulting her own consulting company. She started in Land Administration in 1976 and has worked for various companies from a small one man land department to one of the largest land departments doing and/or managing a broad range of lease and contract administration in surface and mineral land administration, land contracts and joint interest. She has volunteered on various committees for CAPLA before her role on the Advisory Council. She also brought forth the idea of a CAPLA Managers/Supervisors conference which is now known as the CAPLA Leadership Summit. She has volunteered in many other organizations and served as a director of various boards such as City of Calgary, Transportation Committee, Storybook Theatre, and served as President of the Scarborough Community Association.

JIM MACLEAN
Jim MacLean is Manager of Mineral Land Asset Management at Talisman Energy. Prior to this, he had a consulting practice that specialized in training and mentoring, problem resolution and assisting clients with complex agreements, and he also worked in diverse assignments with Chevron Canada Resources for many years. He has worked directly on a number of industry standardization and work process improvement initiatives, including the C2C Task Force on industry dispute resolution processes and the Industry Advisory Committee working with the Alberta Department of Energy on the Alberta Land Tenure Review Project. He has also been the principal draftsman of a number of industry documents. These include: (i) the 1990 CAPL Operating Procedure; (ii) the 1997 CAPL Farmout & Royalty Procedure; (iii) the 2000 CAPL Property Transfer Procedure; and (iv) the 2007 CAPL Operating Procedure. He is an instructor of courses on the Operating Procedure, Acquisitions and Divestitures and the Farmout & Royalty Procedure, and is a regular speaker at oil and gas industry meetings and conferences. 

GARY MONTGOMERY
Gary Montgomery began his career in Land at Shell Canada in the Title and Rental Section in 1971. It was there he got his preliminary training in administration, surface and mineral negotiating. Gary subsequently held land management positions with small, medium and major E&P companies and has worked both in Canada and the USA. In the early 90's he helped develop and instruct, CAPL's original course on Asset Acquisitions and Divestitures. Prior to forming his current company, Gary consulted for Gulf Canada from 1987 to 1995 when he became Director of Land and subsequently Land Manager of Gulf / ConocoPhillips until December 2006. Gary is a Past President and Life Member of the CAPL and a Past Director and Vice-President of the AAPL. He is a strong advocate of professionalism in our industry and was very involved in the implementation of CAPL’s Professionalism program. Today, Gary is President of Tri Mont Resources Ltd. a consulting company which provides land and business related services to industry clients.

JAY PARK
Jay Park is a Partner, and Chair of the Global Resources Practice Group with Macleod Dixon, where he has practiced oil and gas law since 1980. Based in Calgary, Jay leads a team of our international energy lawyers. Jay has represented oil and gas producers, consumers, marketers, pipeline companies and local distribution companies, governments, banks and investors. His practice has included oil & gas asset acquisitions and divestments, share acquisitions and divestments involving oil & gas companies, advising on production sharing agreements, concession agreements, product marketing, gas sales and purchase contracts, pipeline transportation matters, oil and gas pipeline asset dispositions, drafting legislation and regulations, oil and gas regulatory hearings, and joint venture and participation agreements.