Canadian Association of Oilwell Drilling Contractors
Authors: Lemire Anne , Herring Don 
Published: March 2010

"The Canadian Association of Oil well Drilling contractors (C.A.O.D.C.) was formed in June 1949, for the purpose of providing a means of close cooperation between all of the drilling contractors and to bring about an improvement in the status of the oil well drilling contracting industry as a whole, with a view to in" creasing its value and its efficiency as an integral part of the petroleum industry. The C.A.O.D.C. has provided a ready means of contact and cooperation with Federal and Provincial Governments, municipal authorities, and others, in matters relating to the oil and gas well drilling industry. "

This description written in 1960 by C.A.O.D.C. President S.W. (Steve) Shambaugh, still stands as a definitive description of the "raison d'etre" of the Association.

Currently the C.A.O.D.C. is governed by a Board of Directors, elected for two year terms, by their industry peers. This volunteer Board is comprised of 16 member senior executives drawn from drilling and service rig contractors. Three Board members are nominated from the executive of the service rig division (now the Canadian Service Rig Contractors), of which one must be from Saskatchewan. An additional member is nominated from the East Coast Committee of the C.A.O.D.C.

The remaining 12 members of the Board represent the contract drilling industry of which four serve on the Technology, March-April 1984, Montreal Executive Committee, comprised of the President, Past-President, Vice-President, and in-coming Vice-President. In addition to the two-year term expected of all Directors, the Executive Committee members serve an additional two or three-year term.

Each Board member, with the exception of the Executive, assumes responsibilities for a committee of the C.A.O.D.C. They in turn select committee representation from among the staff of the drilling/service rig industry.

The permanent staff of the Association reports to the Board through the General Manager, who also serves as Secretary-Treasurer. The staff complement is comprised of three managers, each with an additional support position. The managers, including the General Manager, are each responsible for one revenue-generating activity and the associated services required of that activity.

Over the past thirty-two years, the C.A.O.D.C. has maintained a high level of involvement in all matters relating to the Canadian drilling industry and this has necessitated an expansion of the original mandate, particularly into the areas of training and safety.

The C.A.O.D.C. now represents industry in its relations with various levels of government concerning Safety and Training, Accident Prevention, Taxation, Workers' Compensation, Labour and Public Relations, Accounting, Transportation, Engineering, Manpower and Government Policy, with appropriate committees.

The Association has grown from ten founding drilling contractor members, operating 52 rigs in 1949, to the present 92, with 505 across Canada. Significant technological changes have taken place, and the C.A.O.D.C. has strived to maintain a knowledge base commensurate with the level of service demanded by its membership, and ultimately the memmember'sclients. Much of this knowledge base is reflected in a wide selection of available publications, printed material and audio-visual aids, developed for arid directed at the industry.