Sidney Martin Blair

Sidney Martin Blair (1897-1981) played not one, but two pivotal roles in the Bitumount story. One came at the beginning and was indirectly related to Bitumount. The second, at the end, brought all the years of research and experimentation together.

Blair was, by all accounts, an outgoing if not aggressive character. He was described as energetic, shrewd and driven. These attributes made him a striking contrast to the quiet, intellectual Karl Clark. Despite this, the two men hit it off immediately—perhaps Blair’s sense of humour and love of the outdoor life cemented their friendship. In any case, Blair, newly registered as a master’s student at the University of Alberta, presented himself at Clark’s office in 1922 in hopes of finding work. He was successful and became Clark’s assistant in the oil sands separation project in November.

Blair’s departure for Chicago in 1926, and a life in the private sector, brought

the first part of his contribution to the oil sands to an end. He had been an able assistant to Clark, and a co-author of a significant scientific report that demonstrated the viability of oil sands separation.

Fast forward now to 1949 and Blair’s second appearance in the Bitumount story. Blair has returned from over two decades in the petroleum industry around the world. World War II has come and gone, and much has occurred in the Alberta oil sands. Significant among these events was the construction of the model separation plant at Bitumount using the hot water separation process developed by Karl Clark. Bitumount has proven that the oil sands can be continuously separated on an industrial scale. But could it be profitable? Who better to determine this than Sidney Blair, a respected petroleum engineering consultant with a background in the oil sands?

Over the years, Clark and Blair kept in touch and corresponded about the possibility of a Bitumount visit as early as 1946. In September 1949, Blair flew up north with Clark to view the plant. Later that year, the Alberta government asked Blair to analyze the potential of the oil sands in light of what he had seen. His report, entitled Report on the Alberta Bituminous Sands, was published in December 1950. Generally known as the “Blair Report”, this document’s endorsement of the oil sands as a viable commercial enterprise caused a stir in the international oil community. Riding the wave of interest, the 1951 Athabasca Oil Sands Conference was convened,

and the Alberta government launched a policy for the commercial development of the oil sands.

The plant at Bitumount was never put into commercial production, but the Blair Report assured its place in history. Blair was involved in the Alberta oil sands story over an extended time. He made major contributions, early and late, to both the scientific and commercial development of the resource. Blair went on to a distinguished career in Canada’s petroleum industry, including a role in the Great Canadian Oil Sands pioneer plant which opened in 1967, southwest of Bitumount.