A local consultant in the province’s oil and gas industry is dismissing Opposition concerns about the provincial government’s decision to pause the annual $20 million dollar offshore seismic program.

Rob Strong has been involved in the oil and gas industry for four decades.

He says the decision to pause the seismic program this year makes sense and will have no impact on future exploration work in the offshore.

Strong says if the province was “flush with cash, fine, continue” but the province is not and it’s time to concentrate on the activity that will be taking place in the offshore including the Equinor project, Exxon’s drilling in the Flemish Pass, and the fact that BP is drilling in 2023.

He says the sky is not falling in terms of pausing seismic work this year and says with the amount of seismic work already done, the $20 million dollars could better be spent on health care, education and other needs.