Biomass Awards 2025 Lifetime Achievement Award HE YEAR025 LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT AWARD Ian ThomsonMUNITYOJECT T here are few people whose names are more synonymous with biofuels in Canada than Ian Thomson. Just ask Fred Ghatala, president of Advanced Bio -fuels Canada. “Ian is a pioneer leader in the devel-opment of Canada’s renewable and low carbon fuel sector,” he said. Ghatala cites Thomson’s dedication to the industry since 2002, when he first fo -cused on the potential use of biodiesel for reducing emissions from diesel fuel engines. “In 2002, I started looking at fuels and alternatives and zeroed in on biodiesel as something that had potential, but no-body was really doing anything with it in Western Canada,” Thomson said. Over his impressive career, Thomson has been a key player in the establishment of the Canadian renewable fuels industry. One of his many career highlights was es-tablishing the BC Biodiesel Association (2005) and the Alberta Biodiesel Associ -ation (2006). “These two entities led industry de -velopment in Western Canada, eventually becoming the Western Canada Biodiesel Association in 2014. In 2015, the scope of representation expanded, and the associ-ation became Advanced Biofuels Canada Association (ABFC). ABFC is Canada’s leading renewable fuels industry orga-nization, promoting the production and use of sustainable, low carbon fuel alter-natives to gasoline, diesel, and jet fuels,” Ghatala said. Thomson served as president of the association from 2005 to 2024, stepping aside in 2025 to serve as past-president to assist the new executive team. In 2005, Thomson co-founded the Ca -nadian Bioenergy Corporation (CBEC), the first biodiesel distribution business in B.C. Ghatala said the company “quickly grew from importing 1,000 litres totes of U.S.-made biodiesel to establishing tank -age at terminals in North Vancouver and Calgary, and shipping railcars as far east as Nova Scotia.” While serving as president of CBEC, Thomson also worked on the Canadian bio -diesel sector’s testing and standards work with the Canadian General Standards Board. “The first quality standards for biodiesel and biodiesel blends were finalized around 2011, which were key to providing function -“Ian is a pioneer leader in the development of Canada’s renewable and low carbon fuel sector.” 16 Canadian BIOMASS al fuel assurance,” Ghatala said. That same year, Thomson and his part -ners shut down CBEC to co-found Water-fall Advisors Group, which staffs ABFC’s operations and serves the Canadian bio-fuels sector with consulting expertise and coast-to-coast coverage. Between 2010 and 2012, Thomson led the industry associations in assisting governments with adopting the first diesel fuel RFS blending regulations in B.C., Al -berta, Saskatchewan, Manitoba, and fed -erally with the Canadian Renewable Fuel Regulations. “In 2013, B.C. finally implemented its ground-breaking Low Carbon Fuel Stan -dard; and Ontario followed with its hybrid (RFS/LCFS) Greener Diesel Regulation in 2014,” Ghatala notes. Thomson has also played a key role in helping develop what eventually be-came Archer Daniels Midland’s biodiesel project, which commissioned Canada’s largest biodiesel facility (320MLY) in Lloydminster, AB. in October 2013. “At that point we had enough demand, we reckoned, to build a plant. So, with a small group of other colleagues, put to-gether a company that eventually co-ad-ventured with a large global agribusiness company to build the Lloydminster bio-diesel plant run by Archer Daniels Mid -land,” Thomson recalled. Over the next 12 years, Thomson con -tinued to lead the way in the growth of the renewable fuels sector with milestones such as: • Assisting with the six-year regulatory de -velopment phase of the Clean Fuel Reg-ulations that were finalized in June 2022, and became effective July 1, 2023; • Helping develop the first low carbon fuel regulations in Quebec (2023); and SPRING 2025
Canadian Biomass Spring 2025: Page 16
