Lynn Exner, COO of Canada Action, shared her experience at the CERA week conference in Houston, Texas. CERA brings together over 6,000 people from 87 countries, over 50 of those people being senior government officials from various countries to solve issues in energy, geopolitics, and technology. Lynn says the most important thing at CERA week is that how we define the problem will determine the solution. Current issues in energy, supply chain management, geopolitics, and technology affect everyone and will involve everyone to make a difference.
Speakers at CERA discussed emission management. Specifically, there is a focus on overall emission reduction, rather than reduction of specific types of energy. Hydrogen, carbon management, and batteries and storage innovation took center stage at CERA week. This has to be an and problem, not an or problem. There is a need to consider all types of energy together, rather than vilifying certain energy sources. This will help provide a blend of energy that is reliable, affordable, secure, and accessible for everyone. Lynn maintains that one of the biggest issues in addressing the energy crisis is an infrastructure issue, since there is social and political resistance to establishing transportation and other infrastructure to supply everyone with energy.
CERA framed this as a “gigawatt problem” – there is a clear growing demand for energy that is accessible, sustainable, reliable, affordable, and secure. When energy is available to communities, quality of life increases. There has to be an emphasis on helping developing economies (and their carbon-intensive energy sources) catch up to the developed states that are already transitioning to new energy sources. The global economy will drop over $4 trillion into climate change and emission reductions, and it’s imperative that countries and technologies work together to meet emission goals. Jobs are an essential part of this, and Lynn says there will be an emphasis on how to transition jobs from one energy source to another in a way that continues to support small communities and low-income populations.
Lynn’s parting remarks: 1. The world does not have all of the things… but Canada pretty much does! Again, the world needs more Canadian resources. We are blessed with an abundance of resources that can be developed in sustainable, affordable ways. And 2. Solutions must be based on innovation, cooperation, and common ground. If a solution does not address all these things, they are not solutions.
Winona Lafreniere, a project manager at the Indian Resource Council (IRC) discussed Indigenous peoples’ involvement in energy this week. Winona is originally from Manitoba but migrated to Alberta to work in oil and gas over 20 years ago. She has started her own company, Indigenous Innovative Solutions, to help provide more renewable energy opportunities for Indigenous communities. She spoke about the importance of acknowledging the importance of truth, reciprocity, respect, and reconciliation, and that we must acknowledge the territory on which we live.
The IRC prides itself on the advocacy work done by the organization. The IRC has a commitment to meaningful engagement and opportunities in Indigenous communities, respect for First Nations groups as land title and rights holders, and supports governments’ commitments to these projects, to propel Indigenous participation in energy and resource-related projects. Winona focused on the site reclamation program, which is helping Indigenous communities claim greater autonomy and responsibility for resource development. The IRC’s Wellsite Abandonment & Reclamation program has graduated 280 First Nations students with a 97% successful graduation rate, helping 342 First Nations communities across Alberta! We loved hearing Winona say that this program is a response to Mother Earth’s calls to action, which includes taking care of the 71,000 abandoned wells in Alberta.
To help increase Indigenous communities’ knowledge and involvement in the resource sector, the IRC is working on “REDEVELOP” in partnership with graduate students in STEM careers across Canada to help implement projects in Indigenous communities. This establishes jobs in Indigenous communities and gives Indigenous youth the opportunity to learn more about things like computer coding, robotics, mathematics, and other fields essential to economic wellbeing and socio-economic stability. Such innovative programs are essential to IRC’s goals around the energy transition, to help Indigenous communities further their participation in green technology like carbon capture and utilization, geothermal energy, solar power, and tree planting.
Interested in IRC and their initiatives, specifically those that involve young people? Feel free to reach out to Winona Lafreniere via email or LinkedIn!
Lacey Rose, registered professional forester (RPF), dropped by to talk about her career and experience in forestry. No, forestry does not mean deforestation! She really highlighted why she loves her job: a great employment rate, flexibility, outdoor time, and a work/life balance. She translated her love for the outdoors into a career in forestry. She says she learned through popular media to be skeptical of cutting trees down and hunting as a way of life, but learned later that forest ecosystems are essential to sustaining life. Lacey was enticed by the University of New Brunswick’s forestry program and says young people should look to forestry or other regulated professions for solid careers. Something she wishes she’d known: there’s a college program for forest technicians that would build some field skills for forestry to get a hands-on learning experience. A lot of universities accept college transfer credits in these programs, so it’s possible to start at a college and move to a BSc like Lacey did!
Foresters are held accountable and operate according to a code of ethics and strict standards of practice. Since RPFs are knowledgeable and accountable, there are often RPFs involved in any job that concerns forests. RPFs help create plans that lay out a forest for over 100 years, and these are available to the public. This keeps industry practices standard across jurisdictions. Lacey loves that her job integrates policy, the public, the environment, and trade to provide exemplary care for the forest she manages. A lot of forests are owned by the provincial governments, and Lacey points out that this means taxpayers own these forests! It’s fascinating to think that we all have a stake in these ecosystems.
Part of the forest management process is to consider what the landscape might look like if humans weren’t around. Lacey maintains that Ontario has plenty of old growth forests, but lacks new growth and super old growth forests. She also says that less than 0.5% of Ontario’s forests are harvested every year, and there are over 64 million trees planted every year. This provides jobs for almost 48,000 people in Ontario!
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