Trust in Transition – Public Panel and Planning Workshop

The Role of Public Authorities
Jan 23, 2018 to Aug 24, 2022 — All day

This two-day event was composed of a public panel and a workshop. The public session focused on exploring opportunities and challenges in four areas that affect public confidence and trust in energy transition decision-making: the information base for long-term evidence based policy making; expanded roles for municipal and Indigenous communities; uneven social acceptance of technology; and the role of the conventional resource sector (oil and gas, nuclear) in energy transition.

ISSP event poster

Trust in Transition – Public Panel and Planning Workshop

The planning workshop focused on identifying promising areas of research and engagement for the second three-year phase of Positive Energy to start fall 2018. Positive Energy – Trust in Transition focuse on trust and public confidence in low-carbon energy transition decision-making. Transitioning Canada’s energy systems to lower carbon configurations will entail, in the relatively brief span of 30 years, a transformation of a nature and scale approximating that last seen at the beginning of the twentieth century, when power grids and petroleum-based transportation came to dominate energy systems.  Public confidence and trust in energy transition decision-making will be an essential driver of the speed and effectiveness with which Canada can transform its energy systems.

Financial support for the panel and workshop came from the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC), the Canadian Wind Energy Association (CanWEA), Ontario’s Independent Electricity System Operator and the University of Ottawa’s Faculty of Social Sciences.

Documents and links
Date and time
Jan 23, 2018 to Aug 24, 2022
All day
Format and location
Virtual
Language
Fauteux Hall
Audience
Conference agenda (PDF, 353KB)

Public Session - Energy Transition Decision-Making: Is Canada Up To The Task?

Moderator 

Dr. Monica Gattinger, Chair, Positive Energy

Opening remarks 

Jay Khosla, Assistant Deputy Minister, Energy Sector, Natural Resources Canada

Keynote Speakers

Michael Cleland, Senior Fellow, Positive Energy

Chris Henderson, President, Lumos Energy

Brenda Kenny, Adjunct Professor, University of Calgary

David Runnalls, Visiting Professor, Institute for the Environment, University of Ottawa

Planning Workshop - Positive Energy - Trust in Transition

Session 1: Gaps in The Energy Transition Decision-Making System And Proposed Research Priorities? (Discussion Paper) And Key Concepts

Moderator

David Morton, Chair and Chief Executive Officer, British Columbia Utilities Commission

Presentation of Discussion Paper

Dr. Monica Gattinger, Chair, Positive Energy (PDF, 1MB)

Discussant

Brenda Kenny, Adjunct Professor, University of Calgary

Key Concepts

Trust, motivated reasoning and public confidence: Stewart Fast, Senior Research Associate, Positive Energy (PDF, 827KB)

Policy learning: Louis Simard, Associate Professor, Political Studies, University of Ottawa (Positive Energy Research Team) (PDF, 683KB)

Clean innovation: Geoff McCarney, Research Director, Smart Prosperity, Assistant Professor of International Development and Global Studies, University of Ottawa (PDF, 1.4MB)

Session 2: Role for Municipal And Indigenous Authorities

Moderator

Stewart Fast, Senior Research Associate, Positive Energy

Discussant

Richard Carlson, Director, Energy Policy and Energy Exchange Program, Pollution Probe

Indigenous Clean Energy: Chris Henderson, President, Lumos Energy (PDF, 518KB)

Smart Energy Communities and transition: Tonja Leach, Managing Director, Quality Urban Energy Systems of Tomorrow (QUEST) (PDF, 1.5MB)

Conflicts over the roles and responsibilities of municipal authorities in Canada’s federation: Xavier Deschênes-Philion, PhD candidate, Political Science, University of British Columbia (Visiting researcher, Positive Energy) (PDF, 701KB)

Luncheon Speaker 

Cameron Cross, Visual artist and Education Consultant (PDF, 15MB)

Session 3: How Do Oil, Gas and Nuclear Energy Contribute To Energy Transition?

Moderator

Bryson Robertson, Program Manager, Institute for Integrated Energy Systems, University of Victoria

Discussant

Warren Mabee, Associate Professor Geography, Queen’s University, Canada Research Chair, Renewable Energy Development and Implementation

Past and future global and Canadian trends in energy supply and demand: Ralph Torrie, President, Torrie Smith Associates (PDF, 1.5MB)

Reducing the carbon footprint of Ontario electricity production: Chuck Farmer, Director, Stakeholder and Public Affairs, Independent Electricity System Operator (PDF, 1.1MB)

Role of nuclear sector in low carbon energy transition: Ahmed Abdullah, Post-doctoral fellow, School of Global Policy and Strategy, University of California San Diego Deep Decarbonization Initiative (PDF, 2.7MB)

Session 4: Social Acceptance of Evolving Technologies and Transition

Moderator

Dr. Monica Gattinger, Chair, Positive Energy

Discussant

Tracy Walden, Director of Media and Communications, Canadian Wind Energy Association, CanWEA (PDF, 1.4MB)

Re-imagining Energy Futures in Canada: John Parkins, Professor, Agricultural Life and Environmental Sciences, University of Alberta (PDF, 578KB)

Regulation and the policy-regulatory nexus: Stephen Bird, Associate Professor of Political Science, Clarkson University (Positive Energy Research Team) (PDF, 880KB)

Policy responses and public resistance to hydraulic fracturing and wind energy: Heather Millar, PhD candidate, Political Science, University of Toronto (incoming postdoctoral fellow, Positive Energy) (PDF, 385KB)

Session 5: Getting the Right Information for Transition

Moderator

Michael Cleland, Senior Fellow, Positive Energy

Discussant

Chuck Farmer, Director, Stakeholder and Public Affairs, Independent Electricity System Operator

Techno-Economic Modelling and Public Confidence in Energy Transition: Bryson Robertson, Program Manager, Institute for Integrated Energy Systems, University of Victoria (PDF, 985KB)

Policy foresight and energy transition: Jesse Toor, Manager, Technology Innovation and Foresight, Alberta Energy CoLab (PDF, 1.4MB)

Mediated Modelling: Taking Stakeholders inside the Black Box: Brett Dolter, Postdoctoral Fellow, University of Ottawa (PDF, 2MB)