With the reputation of Bantrel firmly established in Alberta, it was time to set its sights on opportunities in Eastern Canada. Bantrel opened its first Toronto office in 1999 to pursue refinery and mining projects in Ontario and Quebec. The Toronto office was built on diversity and the forging of new relations, as the first employees were seconded from Bechtel, supported by the Calgary and Edmonton offices.
In 2000, Bantrel was awarded the Shell Gasoline Hydrotreater EPCM project, a $150 million EPCM contract in Sarnia, Ontario—firmly establishing itself as competition to the more well-established EP houses in Toronto.
By 2001, Bantrel’s influence and value could be felt Canada-wide; Bechtel opted to increase its controlling interest in Bantrel to 89%, while Trimac maintained an 11% ownership. With the approach of 20th anniversary, the immense growth of the company was evident in the fact that Bantrel had worked with more than 90 different clients across Canada and the United States, and the number of employees had grown from a mere 5 in 1983 to over 1,200 in 2001.
In 2002, Bantrel was now involved in some of the largest and most prestigious EPC projects across Canada. These included the Suncor Millennium project and expansion in Fort McMurray, the Canadian Natural Resources Horizon project in Fort McMurray, the Athabasca Oilsands Downstream project, and Petro-Canada’s Edmonton Diesel Desulphurization project.