Advertise on podcast: Energy Examined

John Desjarlais believes that the media, which tended to sensationalize Indigenous action, had misrepresented indigenous experience and point of view.  He says that there is room for many Indigenous voices. Speaking up and providing more context and points of view regarding resource development is crucial.

British Columbia’s natural gas and oil industry contributes significantly to the province’s economy, individual communities and also supports Indigenous reconciliation.    iTOTEM Analytics recently conducted a study, Our Communities Care, examining the specific economic impacts of the industry’s supply chain. Energy Examined chatted with Colleen Sweet, founder of iTOTEM Analytics, to learn more about the industry's impacts, how it's spread out across the province and how money makes its way back into the community. 

Canada has a bustling offshore oil and gas industry, based mainly out of Newfoundland and Labrador. However the case to grow the Atlantic Offshore industry is a compelling one, with the region well positioned to meet global energy demand, providing energy security to European nations looking to displace natural gas from Russia. Energy Examined chats with Michelle Robichaud, president of the Atlantica Centre for Energy. Robichaud discusses the region's prospects for kickstarting liquefied natural gas (LNG) exports, as well as some of the grounbreaking work being done in cleantech to lower emissions associated with hydrocarbon development.

Bob Merasty is the executive director of the Indigenous Resource Network, an organization looking to build a sustainable future for Indigenous communities across Canada through responsible development of natural resources. "We're no longer passengers," says Merasty, highlighting the growing confidence of Indigenous groups to become owners and equal partners through equity deals on pipelines, Indigenous-led LNG projects, entrepreneurial supply-chain businesses and more. Merasty discusses with Energy Examined the impetus behind this trend, including benefits like jobs, economic growth and poverty reduction, steps needed to take things further, such as improved access to capital, and the vital role Indigenous businesses can play as land and natural resource stewards.  

Soheil Asgarpour is president and CEO of Petroleum Technology Alliance Canada (PTAC), an innovation hub that leverages industry investments to produce cleantech: technologies that help reduce greenhouse gas emissions and mitigate environmental impacts to land, water and air. Their key is building collaborative relationships among industry partners, investors, government, academia and cleantech entrepreuneurs, with a focus on solutions that address real market needs. Energy Examined chats with Asgarpour about the progress PTAC is making on hydrocarbon cleantech, including CCUS, and methane mitigation technologies that could result in close to 90 percent reduction in emissions. He also discusses the importance of finding cost-effective, marketable solutions to improving enviromental performance, and the "moon-shot" but attainable goal of achieving net-zero emissions by 2050.

Aimee Sheppard of Cenovus Energy and Kathy Hawkins of InclusionNL discuss the state of diversity and inclusion in Canada's oil and natural gas industry. Sheppard is the senior industrial benefits and diversity advisor with Cenovus Energy in St. John's, Newfoundland; Hawkins is executive director for InclusionNL.  Sheppard recently won an award from Energy NL for her work on inclusion and diversity with Cenovus. Together, she and Hawkins discuss with Energy Examined industry-led initiatives like STEM for Girls and the West White Rose Project Diversity Research Fund, as well as increasing opportunities for traditionally unrepresented groups in oil and natural gas.

Glen McCrimmon of the Clean Resource Innovation Network (CRIN) discusses Innovation Central, a new initiative designed to help bring hydrocarbon cleantech solutions to market. CRIN connects people and organizations in the clean energy innovation space in Canada: innovators, entrepreneurs, investors and governments; recognizing the power of collaboration to accelerate promising technologies into real-world environmental solutions.  

How can we ensure Canada's Atlantic Offshore oil and gas industry is safe and sustainable? From COVID to safety incidents and adapting to changing technologies, the challenges are constantly evolving, requiring the involvement of more than one approach, initiative or group.  Energy Examined speaks with Jennifer Matthews, manager of regulatory affairs at CAPP about the industry's Offshore Safety and Sustainability Plan, a groundbreaking effort to make the Atlantic offshore industry the safest in the world through collaboration and information sharing among operators, contractors, stakeholders and regulators. Matthews highlights initiatives including the development of a safety share portal, safety moment videos and safety workshops, and how barriers are being overcome by an unrelenting drive toward continuous improvement.

Lisa Baiton took the helm as president and CEO of the Canadian Association of Petroleum Producers this May, arriving with 30 years experience working as a business advisor. She most recently served on the Global Leadership Team at the Canada Pension Plan Investment Board. Baiton discusses with Energy Examined what inspired her to take on the new role, and her top priorities leading Canada's national oil and natural gas industry association--including an emphasis on industry's role as a solutions partner in reducing GHG emissions while working with allies around the world to provide energy security.

Canada's Oil Sands Innovation Alliance (COSIA) celebrates its 10 year anniversary as a one-of-a-kind environmental innovation hub where oil sands producers work as collaborators rather than competitors, ensuring the oil sands are produced in a sustainable manner. Energy Examined speaks with John Brogly, Water Director at COSIA and one of the organization's original architects. He describes the impetus for the alliance, early challenges and the key accomplishments that are enabling Canada's oil sands to be a long-term sustainable supplier of energy to the world.

Central Alberta is home to one of the world's leading hydrocarbon processing regions with $45 billion in capital investment, supporting 30,000+ jobs.  Mark Plamondon is Executive Director of the Alberta Industrial Heartland Association. He discusses some of the diverse opportunities for the area, including how world-leading carbon capture infrastructure and readily available oil and natural gas feedstocks can drive growing value for Canada's energy resources: reducing emissions associated with refining and petrochemicals, while taking advantage of emerging markets for hydrogen and battery production.

Barry Vickers discusses a groundbreaking development: 16 First Nation communities in B.C. have negotiated the option to purchase a 10% equity stake in the Coastal GasLink pipeline. Vickers is director of project development with the First Nations Major Projects Coalition, and a member of Saik'uz First Nation. He discusses the sometimes tough negotiations to get the deal done, and what it means to Indigenous communities to be owners of major projects that go through their territories: helping to bring about change, prosperity and economic reconciliation.