By Keren Perla and Ailsa Popilian Originally published in The Hub , December 13, 2025

SERIES: PART 3 of 3 When a range of opportunities is on the table, spreading bets can lead to big wins — but success relies on the strategies used. Alberta can hedge across a number of emerging energy and resource sectors, yet the real challenge is where to place those bets to maximize future success. In the   first   and   second   parts of this series we introduced 16 low-emission opportunities and scratched the surface on ways to evaluate them, focusing on the potential si

Originally published on LinkedIn  | July 3, 2025 Contributors: Keren Perla , Ailsa Popilian SERIES: PART 2 of 3 Driving competitiveness as markets shift In the first part  of this series, we made the case that in today’s landscape diversification into low-carbon opportunities is a no regret move for Alberta and identified three categories of opportunity where Alberta has a potential edge: clean energy enablers, exportable business solutions, and low-emission product plays. Bu

Originally published on LinkedIn  | June 4, 2025 Contributors: Keren Perla , Ailsa Popilian SERIES: PART 1 of 3 Energy is having a surprisingly unifying moment in the Canadian public discourse. The talk of becoming an “ energy superpower ” is getting serious and inevitably, Alberta will have skin in the game. In the era of energy co-existence, where traditional and low-carbon solutions develop side-by-side, Alberta’s mix of resources, talent, and infrastructure should put it

Accelerating Investment in Emerging Net-Zero Aligned Energy Industries a Clear Priority Budget 2023 offered a much-needed response to...

As members of the Energy Futures Policy Collaborative, we spend a lot of time thinking about the future (it’s right in the name!). One way of thinking about policy is as a stated direction for how we might collectively  be  in the future, alongside the boundaries and incentives that we think might help us get there. To carve out a successful path using policy, we try to imagine and understand what pitfalls and opportunities might be just over the horizon. To help us figure th

A just transition to net-zero won’t be easy and anyone who claims it will be is either kidding themselves or ignoring the complexities of this challenge. The truth is, net-zero by 2050 is a tall order. Pair that with the need to enable a just transition and there’s a challenge spanning whole new heights. But that’s not to say that creating a more inclusive and equitable net-zero future is out of reach. With government and business leaders getting ready to converge in Glasgow

How the federal and Alberta governments can support investment in low-carbon activities that build on Alberta’s strengths Una Jefferson is a Research Associate at the Smart Prosperity Institute. She is a member of the working group for the Energy Futures Policy Collaborative. Albertans think their economy is too dependent on oil and gas, according to  a 2020 poll . Albertan firms are already working on repurposing assets from Alberta’s hydrocarbon industry towards economic ac

We are surrounded by technical achievements — often near-miraculous, even if they may get taken for granted. The electricity grid that delivers a safe, constant and predictable stream of on-demand energy. Communication systems that allow real-time conversations with people on the other side of the earth. Networks of food delivery that allows us to enjoy fresh, safe, and relatively inexpensive produce in all seasons. Each of these ‘miracles’ actually represents a complex syste

This post is part 3 of 3 exploring sustainable finance, bringing together the perspectives of three of our Core Working Group members: Patrycja Drainville (Associate Director, Sustainable Finance, Scotiabank), Chad Park (Vice President, Sustainability & Citizenship, The Cooperators), and Jamie Bonham (Director of Corporate Engagement, NEI Investments) Italian writer and philosopher Niccolo Machiavelli knew a thing or two about power, and his observations have guided politicia

This post is part 2 of 3 exploring sustainable finance, bringing together the perspectives of three of our Core Working Group members: Patrycja Drainville (Associate Director, Sustainable Finance, Scotiabank), Chad Park (Vice President, Sustainability & Citizenship, The Cooperators), and Jamie Bonham (Director of Corporate Engagement, NEI Investments) As vaccines pour in across the developed world, jobs are coming back by the thousands to industries and sectors that were hit

This post is part 1 of 3 exploring sustainable finance, bringing together the perspectives of three of our Core Working Group members: Patrycja Drainville (Associate Director, Sustainable Finance, Scotiabank), Chad Park (Vice President, Sustainability & Citizenship, The Cooperators), and Jamie Bonham (Director of Corporate Engagement, NEI Investments) If there was ever any doubt that net-zero finance was the way of the future, former Bank of Canada and Bank of England governo

Alberta’s hydrocarbon sector faced an uncertain future in a world moving towards lower-carbon energy before the pandemic, with existing trends  accelerating  since March 2020. This uncertainty towards the future of the sector offers both risks and opportunities. The province’s rich natural resource wealth and highly skilled workforce have potential to capture a growing share of the clean technology market, and play a pivotal role in reaching climate targets. In order for Albe

Around the world, countries, corporations, and people are picking up the call for a net-zero future. This global rallying cry is highlighting that we need to do more to reach a lower emissions future and we need to do it at an exponential pace. We cannot close the gap between our reality today, and our aspirations for what is possible, without developing and deploying technologies that both manage our greenhouse gas emissions and add value to our economy. The transition to a

As a second COVID wave hits the province with full force and the impacts of prolonged economic repercussions become clearer, Alberta faces challenges that will ask us to reimagine what it means to bring our ingenuity, expertise, and innovative spirit to bear. In a province already reimagining the future of its energy sector, COVID-19 has shocked demand and disrupted expectations we might have had about what the future could look like. This turbulence has been accompanied by a

On Tuesday this week, I was interviewed by host Laura Lynch on CBC Radio One’s Vancouver morning show, the Early Edition, for a segment about Alberta. The experience of the interview has me thinking a lot about the challenges we need to overcome in Canada to address energy and climate issues together. The framing for the interview was the recent announcement by Premier Rachel Notley about Alberta temporarily curtailing oil production, set against the messages from this week’s

Innovating Alberta’s Energy Future Showcase explores ways Alberta will lead the transition to a low carbon future “There are so many amazing projects in the works that are going to help with the challenge of building the energy system of Alberta’s future. I’m excited to learn more about this groundbreaking work by the EFL Fellows.” – Andrew Ference CALGARY, April 11, 2017 /CNW/ – A diverse group of innovators and influencers will take the stage April 19 to share their ideas a

If the energy transition is a journey, what are the paths to get there? Our future isn’t in a single resource based economy or a silver bullet solution. Instead, it’s a series of paths leading to the same destination, paved by diverse talents and opportunities. But we need to quickly recognize the tools and resources we have, and looking at the trailblazers in cleantech is a good place to start. To better understand the potential for cleantech in Canada, Rudayna Bahubeshi sat

In this three-part blog series, Donna provides practical advice on how to begin the sustainability planning discussion in your organization, with your stakeholder communities and with the critics. She will provide tools to accompany each blog post to assist you, as an intrapreneur, in applying the learnings. Building trust is really hard work. Working to understand what sustainability really means to your company, and what sustainability really means to your critics, and then

Your own company may be committed to closing some of your performance gaps on sustainability. Your company may even be staking new frontiers in sustainability. But, you can’t solve sustainability challenges acting alone. This is work that requires integration and collaboration. You know that business as usual isn’t possible for an energy company operating in Alberta. You have opened up conversation with people inside your company who, like you, are curious about what sustaina