Alberta inactive assets trial balloon shot down

Alberta inactive assets trial balloon shot downCleaning up inactive assets continues to hang over the energy sector like a dark cloud Bad policy happens to good people. Like Albertans. But bad policy, paradoxically, can often start in a good place. Here’s an example. Alberta’s UCP government recently floated a trial balloon entitled the Liability Management Incentive Program (LMIP). In a nutshell,…

Alberta’s blueprint for its energy future works in the shadows

Alberta’s blueprint for its energy future works in the shadowsPremier Smith’s retread energy panel seemingly out to please only one particular constituency  It’s a pretty tall order, one that will define much in terms of how Albertans see themselves – and how the rest of Canada sees Alberta. After all, who knows what energy life will be like in, say, 2033? 2039? 2044? How…

How to fix Alberta’s old-school energy panel

How to fix Alberta’s old-school energy panelPremier Smith should create a parallel panel of energy players from the constituencies neglected in the first kick at the cat Here’s an idea, Ms. Premier. But first, some reflection. You’re all about competitiveness – and driving to where Alberta needs to be as a competitive energy jurisdiction. As an avowed libertarian, you have a…

One on One with Perry Kinkaide: Getting the energy transition right

One on One with Perry Kinkaide: Getting the energy transition rightPerry Kinkaide is joined by Bill Whitelaw, Managing Director, Strategy & Sustainability at geoLOGIC Systems Ltd. & JWN Energy. The interview was triggered by Ottawa’s announced “Just transition,” Bill’s Troy Media commentary If we don’t get energy transition right, we’re screwed, and Alberta’s reaction concerning the implications on jobs in the energy sector. Troy Media…

Smith’s energy panel representative of a by-gone era

Smith’s energy panel representative of a by-gone eraWhere are the wind players, the solar players, the geothermal players, the First Nation communities, the young professionals? So close. Yet so far away. That’s the paradox in Alberta premier Danielle Smith’s latest advisory pronouncement, via which five oilpatch veterans are charged with a weighty task: mapping Alberta’s energy future. Whew. That’s a big ask,…

Alberta premier’s latest scheme blares BOONDOGGLE (ALL CAPS)

Alberta premier’s latest scheme blares BOONDOGGLE (ALL CAPS)The Liability Management Incentive Program is both bad politics and bad policy Psssst. Ms. Premier... Quick question: have you lost your ever-loving mind? I had always figured you to be more astute than the average bear, but yeesh, this one ought to have you rethinking your internal advisory team and how you act on their…

How to save ESG from charges of wokeism

How to save ESG from charges of wokeismESG is not new. It’s easy to find drivers of ESG values and principles that date back hundreds of years By now, pretty much everyone who ought to be familiar with ESG fundamentals has at least basic literacy around the notion of how corporate environmental, social and governance behaviours should be recognized, rated, and rewarded.…

The “bass-ackward” state of energy transition in Canada

The “bass-ackward” state of energy transition in CanadaUntil politicians get out of the driver’s seat, we will never get energy transition right You’ve heard about getting things “bass-ackward”? That self-explanatory term pretty much describes the state of energy transition in Canada. That also means there’s no way Canada’s oil and gas sector, to channel prominent business thinker Jim Collins, is going from…

If we don’t get energy transition right, we’re screwed

If we don’t get energy transition right, we’re screwedBut politicians are fiddling while Canada combusts Have you heard about Canada’s unjust energy transition? Better pay attention: it’s unfolding before your very eyes. The unjust transition will cost people jobs, create new and more insidious types of energy poverty, and accelerate negative environmental impact – the very opposite effects of what the putative notion…

Indigenous land acknowledgements have outlived their usefulness

Indigenous land acknowledgements have outlived their usefulnessReconciliation should not be the stuff of soothing platitudes Is it time to rethink indigenous land acknowledgements that often open energy-sector conference sessions? Are we ready to question their utility and effectiveness in advancing the interests of Canada’s indigenous peoples? Are they moving the reconciliation needle – or have they become little more than meaningless,…
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