Don’t expect Bill C-15 to be perfect, just better
I’m finding there just aren’t that many perfect solutions to problems as I’d like there to be. One example is Bill C-15, the federal government’s response to its latest promise to implement the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples. If passed, Bill C-15 would require the federal government to take all measures […]
We cannot afford to be naive about climate change—renewables and nuclear must work together
The issue of climate change is so colossal, and the emission reduction goals are so enormous. The stark reality is we must leverage a vast array of complementary solutions to navigate the pathway to net-zero greenhouse gas emissions in 2050. This includes the right, dynamic energy mix of existing and developing technologies. There is no […]
Political opposition growing to new nuclear reactors
Many Canadians are anxious to see what our energy future will be. Politically, it’s a question that stirs passions from Alberta’s oil patch to Ontario’s cancelled wind farms. But political debate is picking up around our nuclear energy future. And with good reason. Government-funded expansion of the nuclear industry, and a simultaneous watering-down of regulations, […]
Renewables are driving a clean and just recovery towards a low-carbon economy
There is a clear and urgent need to hasten the transition to a low-carbon economy. Indeed, the transition we sorely needed over the past few decades has been so delayed and unenthusiastic that we now require a transformation in order to meet our Paris Agreement commitments, including limiting dangerous warming to 1.5 C. Nonetheless, the […]
Feds’ tree-planting program faces hurdles, with many questions left unanswered, say experts
The government’s recent fall economic statement provided the first official costing of its pledge to plant two billion trees by 2030, pegged at $3.2-billion, a promise experts warn will face big ecological and logistical hurdles given the short timeframe. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau (Papineau, Que.) first promised to spend $3-billion “to clean our air and […]
While building back better we need #naturenow
Pre-pandemic, the climate crisis was already critical. The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change had released its landmark report, the United Nations had declared 2020 a “Nature Super Year,” and a record number of communities across Canada declared climate states of emergencies. COVID-19 may have slowed our pace of life and created a temporary dip in […]
Changing dynamics need changing focus in natural resource sector
Canada’s natural resources have always been the backbone of our national economy, supporting workers and rural communities across the country, while driving central financial markets. But we live in interesting times, and changes in resource prices, international trade tactics, technological innovations, and global environmental concerns have significantly changed the dynamics of this critical sector. The […]
Is the time right for nuclear energy?
Right now, there is both a problem and an opportunity that nuclear energy—particularly in the form of small modular reactors—may be ready to step in and fill. The COVID-19 lockdowns of 2020 highlighted just how difficult it is going to be to reach our goals for decreasing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, the main driver behind […]
Resource sector making progress on reconciliation
The resource sector is moving hand in hand with Indigenous peoples in Canada and the outcomes will be theirs to own together—literally. From early equity to preferred procurement, Canada’s resource sector has been making strides toward implementing the Truth and Reconciliation Commission’s Call to Action 92 (CTA 92), which implores the private sector to bring […]
It’s not too late to make Canada a world biodiversity champion with conservation finance
If you believe COVID-19 was a costly calamity and climate change a global disaster, just wait for the biodiversity crisis set to be in full motion 10 to 15 years from now. We are actually entering the sixth period of mass extinction since the Earth was formed. Between 1970 and 2016, more than 68 per […]
