Helium Industry
Roundtable
Presented by WCEF
ABOUT
The Helium Industry Roundtable (HIR) is a private sector forum launched in 2024 to help define the Canadian helium sector’s role in national and international helium markets.
Founded by the Western Canada Economic Forum (WCEF), The Helium Roundtable brings together industry, government, academia and the public to discuss, debate and deliberate on the vital role of helium in the future economy.
Our goal is to help create, promote and advocate for a dynamic helium sector that enhances Canada’s role in the international market and creates economic development opportunities in Western Canada.
AGENDA
9:00am to 10:00am Registration & Networking
10:00am to 11:00am Part 1: Government Updates
To start the Roundtable, Provincial and Federal Government attendees will be invited to provide an update on respective helium strategies and government programs. The group will discuss what more government can do to help unlock investment / development in Western Canada. Invited participants:
Government of Saskatchewan: Ministry of Energy & Resources
Government of Alberta: Ministry of Energy & Minerals
Ministry of Natural Resources
Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada
Prairies Economic Development Canada
11:00am to 12:00pm Part 2: Industry Updates
Participating industry players will be invited to share corporate updates and share views on what is needed to unlock additional investment and development.
Helium Evolution Incorporated
North American Helium
First Helium Inc
12:00pm to 1:00pm Working Lunch: International Markets – USA, China & More
Guest Speaker: Helium Market Analyst (to be confirmed by March 17).
1:00pm to 2:00pm Part 3: Supporting the Helium Industry
Helium Liquefaction
Dr. Calvin Winter
Quantum Technology Corp
Helium Development Association of Canada
Chris Bakker, Co-Chair
2:00pm to 3:30pm Part 4: Roundtable Takeaways and Action Items
What are the key findings from today’s discussions? A summary will be shared with all participants.
What action items can be assigned? (e.g. letters to government).
Role of HeDAC/WCEF going forward.
-Close-
Key Themes
Exploration: We discuss what more can be done to support successful exploration activities and how technology (including artificial intelligence) can be used to support high-quality geological data that leads to economically viable helium projects.
Production: We advocate for the safe and economically viable production of helium deposits in Western Canada that combine technology, innovation, and economic development opportunities to create a thriving helium sector.
Supply, Demand and Price: We support the analysis of global helium supply and demand models to better understand the market and future price forecasts.
Government Policy: We monitor Canadian and International government policies that impact helium exploration, production and markets.
Education: We help educate the wider business community on the uses of helium and how a growing helium market can support economic development strategies in Canada and beyond.
Economic Reconciliation: We take a proactive role to engage Indigenous economic development organizations in the helium industry by acting as a forum for networking and relationship building.
About Helium & The Global Market
About HeliuM
Helium is a rare and non-renewable resource that can be segmented into three general product types: crude helium gas (less than 99 per cent purity); processed Grade A helium gas (over 99 per cent purity); and liquid helium (made from Grade A helium gas).
Crude helium is typically used as a lifting agent, whereas Grade A helium gas and liquefied helium are used primarily in advanced technology sectors.
As global growth in these advanced technology sectors continues to accelerate so does the demand for helium. (Source: Government of Saskatchewan, 2023)
The Global Helium Market
Canada and the US have identified helium on their respective national lists of critical minerals for economic and national security (helium is the only non-mineral on the lists). In 2020, the Canada-US Joint Action Plan on Critical Minerals Collaboration was signed to coordinate efforts on developing critical supply chains within North America.
The European Union, Japan, South Korea, China, India and several other countries have growing helium demand and are seeking to reduce reliance on helium imports from unstable regions.
Western Canada offers an abundant, stable and reliable source of helium that is not reliant on being sourced as a byproduct of natural gas production.
To capitalize on the sector’s future growth, the West must take advantage of the current window of opportunity and scale existing production and processing capacity, or risk losing the initiative to other jurisdictions.
Team
Alex Fallon, Interim Chair, The Helium Roundtable
Advisory Board Members will be added following The Helium Roundtable
Supporters
The Helium Roundtable is supported by the following organizations:
Western Canada Economic Forum
Partnerships to be announced at WCEF 2025