CPA moves forward to replace key staff members

The CPA is pleased to announce the appointment of Bruce Leslie as Executive Director for the Propane Training Institute.

He has held senior executive positions with major national and international firms, including a major media and communications firm, a national economic research company, a large-scale economic development agency and most recently, with a publicly traded cannabis start-up. He was executive director, western Canada with the Conference Board of Canada and was tasked with opening a new office in Calgary, building the Conference Board’s brand in the West.

Bruce has direct and applicable experience in developing and executing national multi-stakeholder activities including strategic business development, government relations, public engagement, and public relations. He also has excellent knowledge of the energy and transportation sectors, including upstream and downstream oil and gas production.

Bruce has a profound understanding of client relationship management (CRM), C-Suite clients and corporate relationships, thus ensuring appropriate priority to large-scale transformation and success. He has been engaged in B2B sales and marketing as well as B2C and digital marketing. He is an accomplished writer and editor. He also served as chair of the Governance Committee and a member of the Executive Committee of the Board of Governors at the Southern Alberta Institute of Technology. 

Bruce will be responsible for developing and implementing the vision and strategies of the CPA/PTI, generating state of the art training programs, including online programs to assist the propane industry in meeting legal and technical training needs. Of equal importance to this role will be managing the development and updating of all courses in collaboration with Robert Loenhart, Vice-President, Regulatory Affairs & Safety, and ensuring programs, trainer procedures and certificate issuance meet regulatory requirements of jurisdictions across Canada. 

We are also pleased to welcome Tanis Fiss as Director, Government Relations, West to support our western members in British Columbia, Alberta, Saskatchewan and Manitoba. Tanis is a great addition to the CPA team, having a keen understanding of regulatory, local, provincial and federal issues. She has extensive knowledge and practice at delivering comprehensive strategic, government and stakeholder plans to influence public policy.

She has over 15 years of government, communications and public policy experience in the oil and gas industry, most recently with Pembina Pipeline Corporation. She previously worked for Keyera Energy on strategic communications programs and campaigns. Tanis has supported the development of several propane projects on the west coast, including a polypropylene facility in Alberta and the Prince Rupert Propane Export Terminal in British Columbia. She also has extensive experience with Indigenous policy.

Tanis is knowledgeable about the culture and workings of western North American politics and challenges developing hydrocarbons. She has worked on energy projects in Oregon, Washington, B.C. and Alberta, building long-term relationships with industry associations, and federal and western provincial governments.

Reporting to Allan Murphy, Vice-President, Government Relations, Tanis will develop and support our government and stakeholder relations strategies to advance the CPA objectives and reputation in BC, Alberta, Manitoba and Saskatchewan. She will be responsible for planning and coordinating activities, fostering mutually beneficial working relationships with stakeholders, and supporting senior executives in their dealings with government and other key energy sector partners so that our interactions are strategic. Key to this role is the ability to represent the CPA in various capacities thereby enabling our industry to advocate our interests effectively and thoughtfully. Of equal importance is the ability to collaboratively work with members and stakeholders to ensure that our positions are clear, consistent and well-integrated.