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Articles by Merran Smith
Carbon cents and sensibility on Ontario’s climate change action plan
With the release of the Ontario government’s full climate action plan, we should dispel any lingering fear or uneasiness and replace it with a sense of accomplishment. Ontario is proposing is a sensible strategy to reduce emissions, one that allows the province to meet its legislated emissions reduction goals — only Ontario’s neighbour to the east, Quebec, has anything similar to Ontario’s plan. Ontario’s climate advantage began in 2014, with the shuttering of the last coal plant in the province.
The path to energy security now runs through electrification
The path to energy security now runs through electrification Author(s) Source National Newswatch Posted Share With the spreading Middle East conflict disrupting oil and gas markets, we’re reminded that producing those commodities doesn’t insulate Canadian households and businesses from geopolitical price spikes. But electricity does.
Carney’s plan to double electricity supply would power a stronger,…
Topics Carney’s plan to double electricity supply would power a stronger, more resilient Canadian economy. Author(s) Source National Newswatch Posted Share What’s Canada’s secret weapon to supercharge our economy? Something most of us rarely think about until it’s missing: electricity. Affordable, reliable energy sits at the centre of how we live and work, and how our industries compete.
Canadians want to accelerate our competitiveness – and our path to a…
The world heading into 2026 looks very different from a decade ago. New geopolitical tensions, trade disruptions, and surging energy demand — driven in part by AI and other energy-intensive industries — have countries scrambling to secure supply chains and shore up energy security. And while fossil fuels remain in that mix, the larger story is the rapid acceleration of clean energy adoption and the strong flow of investment into markets building clean capacity.
Premiers should look to global market signals while planning Canada’s…
Topics Premiers should look to global market signals while planning Canada’s economic future Author(s) Source National Newswatch Posted Share When Canada’s premiers meet in Muskoka this week, tariffs, trade and Canada’s economic future will be top of mind. But while Prime Minister Carney talks about making Canada a conventional and clean energy superpower, there’s been far more chatter about pipelines and LNG than batteries, EVs, clean tech, and the critical minerals they need.
What if Ontario’s Limit on Getting Things Built is People?
Topics What if Ontario’s Limit on Getting Things Built is People? Author(s) Source National Newswatch Posted Share When it comes to investing in the long-term growth and future of good jobs, Ontario is doing a lot of things right. Let’s take its foresight in building the first small modular reactors (SMRs) in the G7.
Opinion: B.C. clean economy growth can help us face an uncertain future
Between the uncertain future of our federal government, the unpredictability of President-Elect Donald Trump and an unsettled global economy rife with talk of trade tensions and tariffs, 2025 is off to a choppy start. But there are bright spots too that suggest B.C. can weather this storm.
Electrification plan can empower B.C. to win in the new economy Original
At 98 per cent clean and renewable, British Columbians can be proud of our clean electricity system. But in the 21st century, this statistic doesn’t just represent an environmental benefit – it’s an economic advantage. It is unequivocally good news for B.C. that the provincial government and BC Hydro have announced a $36 billion capital plan to build out the electricity system over the next decade.
Clean energy transition brings social and economic rewards
It wasn’t long ago that most of the news about climate action was driven by some new government policy or program to encourage emission reductions. But today, you’re just as likely to hear about a breakthrough technology or a massive investment in the technologies needed to cut pollution, from solar projects to battery manufacturing, or the supply chains that feed them.
Opinion: Most oil jobs will vanish by 2050 – that’s why the federal budget’s clean-energy stimulus is vital
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Most oil jobs will vanish by 2050 – that’s why the federal budget’s clean-energy stimulus is vital - Clean Energy Canada
With its half-a-trillion dollars in clean-energy incentives, the U.S. Inflation Reduction Act threatens to siphon away similar investments from other countries, including Canada. In the face of this reality, the substantial industry incentives in Tuesday’s budget are not just a welcome development but also a vital one. That’s because this country’s resource-fixated economy is changing. Canada’s oil and gas lobby is right about one thing: There is indeed a bright future for Canadian energy.
The worst plan is no plan when faced with an inevitable energy transition
Much hullabaloo has been made about the federal government’s clean energy transition plan. Alberta’s premier went so far as to suggest that 2.7 million jobs would be “eliminated” in the process. This is, well, nothing close to accurate. Rather, 2.7 million Canadian jobs currently exist in sectors that will be transformed by the global energy transition, according to a ministerial briefing note.
Mark Zacharias and Merran Smith: Canada’s LNG export dreams could leave B.C. powerless to pursue other opportunities
Advertisement 1 This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. Opinion: If LNG Canada’s Phase 2 expansion proceeds and uses electricity rather than natural gas for liquefaction (as it must to fit within the province’s climate targets), the electricity equivalent of three more Site Cs will be needed by 2040.
There is only one path to long-term energy security and affordability: clean energy
Great journalism takes time and money. We need $150,000 by May 31 to accelerate urgent climate coverage. Will you pitch in? Europe’s recent spike in electricity prices — made worse by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine — lays bare one of the major economic risks of depending on fossil fuels: it exposes countries to the whims of a global market.
Will the new Conservative leader miss the forest for the trees?
As people who work on climate policy for a living, the news that Conservative leader Erin O’Toole had been unseated brought to mind four unsettling words: Here we go again. While it’s true that, had they won September’s election, the Conservatives under O’Toole would have taken Canada’s climate efforts backward, his party’s climate platform also took the party forward from Andrew Scheer’s smoke-and-mirrors offering.
Can Canada actually produce enough clean electricity to power
TORONTO - By Merran Smith and Mark Zacharias Canada is an electricity heavyweight. In addition to being the world’s sixth-largest electricity producer and third-largest electricity exporter, Canada can boast an electricity grid that is now 83 per cent emission-free, not to mention residential electricity rates that are the cheapest in the Group of Seven countries. Indeed, on the face of it, the country’s clean electricity system appears poised for success.
British Columbia in need of a radically retooled economic strategy
B.C. has a once-in-a-generation opportunity to do what few places in the world have managed. The province will soon release its new economic strategy, following the recent release of its Roadmap to 2030, a revised climate plan to meet its 2030 climate targets. And in doing so, B.C. will have a unique window in which to bring together its economic and climate goals.
Data Linkage in Australia: The First 50 Years
Open AccessReview by Merran Smith * and Felicity Flack Population Health Research Network, University of Western Australia, 35 Stirling Highway, Crawley 6009, Australia * Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.
Governments must invest in retraining for energy workers during transition: Mark Carney
The time is now for Canada to invest in retraining to help workers affected by the transition to a greener economy, former Bank of Canada and Bank of England governor Mark Carney said Monday. "(We need to ensure) that the resources of a country, Canada in this case, can be properly dedicated to retraining, to building the resources of the future, to reinvest in the areas that are undergoing these adjustments," Carney said.
GreenPAC debates put climate crisis front and centre
On Sept. 8 and 9, up to 100 debates on the environment will take place across Canada, giving voters a chance to see where their candidates stand on environmental policy. 100 Debates for the Environment, organized by GreenPAC, aims to facilitate as many non-partisan all-candidate debates as possible to draw attention to environmental issues. So far, there are 75 confirmed debates in eight provinces.
Canada’s election comes at a critical time in the climate fight
Canada is entering an election amid record-breaking wildfires, heat waves, and floods that have wiped out towns and destroyed communities. There’s no doubt this is a critical time in the climate fight, and the party that governs after Sept. 20 will play a huge role in Canada’s ability to tackle the crisis in the years to come. The good news is that the political landscape is shifting in the right direction.
Innovation can help ensure hydrogen becomes B.C.’s new natural gas
The B.C. government’s recently released hydrogen strategy – a thoughtful plan to create and use clean hydrogen – contains an implicit acknowledgement: the world is moving away from fossil fuels and toward low-carbon alternatives. B.C. isn’t the only jurisdiction to see clean hydrogen as the new natural gas.
BCBC launches economic dashboard
Publicly available site designed to give users an up-to-date snapshot of the provincial economy By Hayley Woodin | April 27, 2021, 11:00am A screenshot of some of the insights available on the dashboard | BCBC Economic Dashboard A new collaboration launched Tuesday will give investors, business leaders, policymakers and consumers the opportunity to better understand the health of British Columbia’s economy at any given time.
Thinkific’s $160m IPO delivers surging shares upon TSX debut
Greg Smith’s first experience with an initial public offering came 15 years ago when he was a summer student at a law firm, drafting documents and performing due diligence. Flash forward to 2021 and the CEO of Thinkific Labs Inc. (TSX:THNC) is now overseeing an IPO of his own. “I remember being super excited to be just a small part of it then,” said Smith, whose Vancouver-based tech company debuted Tuesday morning on the TSX.
Trudeau won’t rule out vaccine certificates for international travellers Original
PM won't offer timeline on when such a decision might be made By Tyler Orton | April 27, 2021, 10:01am Vancouver International Airport | Photo: Chung Chow, BIV As the European Union paves the way for bringing in fully vaccinated Americans travellers by the summer, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau says Canada is “working on” a plan to facilitate international travel.
Largest Privacy and Security Summit comes to Vancouver
Privacy and Security are the number one issues facing government and industry over the next decade as COVID has accelerated the move to digital platforms. Data is the new oil as we shape the Fourth Industrial Revolution. There is an untapped potential in data that if harnessed in the right-respecting manner, could have positive implications for solving the world’s problems and create new economic value.
Legaltech giant Clio hits unicorn status after US$110m raise
Once a rare sight in Vancouver, yet another unicorn has emerged this year from the West Coast tech scene following a US$110-million capital raise for Clio (Themis Solutions Inc.). The legaltech firm’s valuation now sits at US$1.6 billion with the close of the Series E round led by T. Rowe Price Associates Inc. (Nasdaq:TROW), with participation from Toronto’s OMERS Growth Equity.
OPINION | Bold national climate targets matter, but real climate action matters more | CBC News
When it comes to climate policy, clean infrastructure investments are necessary but most emission reductions will come from a combination of carbon pricing and regulations, such as fuel, vehicle and power standards, write Merran Smith and Sarah Petrevan. U.S. President Joe Biden, on screen to the left, listens as Prime Minister Justin Trudeau delivers his statement in Ottawa during their teleconference on Feb. 23.
Canada’s burgeoning clean economy also includes heavy industry
When imagining what will build and power a net-zero world, it’s hard not to contemplate the future of Canada’s largest export: crude oil. One might even conclude that the energy transition puts Canadian industry at a disadvantage. The truth, fortunately, is that Canada has a number of advantages as global markets undergo this historic shift.
Sightings of billion-dollar homegrown unicorns are rare in B.C.
Galvanize CEO Laurie Schultz navigated the US$1 billion sale of her Vancouver-based software company last month | Rob Kruyt/BIV files When Vancouver tech mainstay ACL Services Ltd. rebranded as Galvanize in 2019, an initial public offering was still on the horizon as the company’s next monumental splash.
There’s money to be made from a cleaner economy
U.S. President Joe Biden is "leaning to a greening” of the economy. The cancellation of the Keystone XL pipeline was among his first orders of business. A call to environmentally driven ally Justin Trudeau was also on Biden’s immediate to-do list. We are all expecting the new American president to place more emphasis on the "economy of environment” than the previous administration.
Keystone XL fits Biden agenda thanks to union jobs, Indigenous support, TC Energy exec says
The creation of union jobs and support by Indigenous investors will help convince U.S. president-elect Joe Biden that the Keystone XL pipeline fits into his "Build Back Better" agenda, an executive with proponent TC Energy Corp. said Tuesday.
Forget Keystone - Canada needs a cross-border clean energy economy
It was our current prime minister’s father, former prime minister Pierre Trudeau, who once described sharing a border with America as akin to sleeping with an elephant. “No matter how friendly and even-tempered is the beast,” he said, “one is affected by every twitch and grunt.” And while the simile broadly summarizes Canada’s long-standing relationship with its closest trading partner and ally, it proves doubly true at times. Such as with climate action and the future of our economy.
Merran Smith and Trevor Melanson: British Columbians of all political stripes want a cleaner economy. Parties are missing an opportunity
Opinion: B.C. faces a generational juncture: invest in “business as usual” or recognize that investing in a clean recovery positions B.C. to create lasting jobs and economic resilience. Author of the article: Merran Smith, Trevor Melanson Publishing date: Oct 17, 2020 • • 3 minute read A technician inspects equipment inside the main production and testing area at the Ballard Power Systems facility in Burnaby.
Clean Growth is More Than a Goal-It’s a Reality
Just as social media upended communications, the transition to clean energy is rapidly undoing century-old expectations around electricity, transportation and oil—and it’s happening faster than most Canadians realize. Dan Woynillowicz and Merran Smith Protests. Politics. Polarization. Whether you’re reading a newspaper, tuning into the news, or scrolling through Twitter, you’ll notice a common theme: coverage of energy and climate change is dominated by pipelines. Are pipelines a serious matter?
Ottawa wants more electric vehicle manufacturing in Canada. What will it take?
By Merran SmithContributors Sarah Petrevan Tue., Sept. 22, 2020timer3 min. read For Canada’s auto sector, the news is coming in fast and furious. On Sunday, the federal government reportedly offered up to half a billion dollars to attract electric vehicle (EV) manufacturing to Ontario. By Tuesday, Ford reached a tentative deal with Unifor to invest nearly $2 billion into the production of five EVs in Oakville.
Ottawa wants more electric vehicle manufacturing in Canada. What will it take?
By Merran SmithContributors Sarah Petrevan Tue., Sept. 22, 2020timer3 min. read For Canada’s auto sector, the news is coming in fast and furious. On Sunday, the federal government reportedly offered up to half a billion dollars to attract electric vehicle (EV) manufacturing to Ontario. By Tuesday, Ford reached a tentative deal with Unifor to invest nearly $2 billion into the production of five EVs in Oakville.
The Conservative Party has a new direction on climate. Will it work?
Already, Conservative Party leader Erin O’Toole is striking a different tone on climate than his predecessor. Like former leader Andrew Scheer, O’Toole has rejected the current Liberal government’s carbon tax. And like Scheer, O’Toole has been friendly toward emissions-intensive oil and gas in Western Canada.
Memo to O’Toole: The road down the middle is paved with a credible climate plan
Most Canadians are only now learning the name Erin O’Toole, who has taken over as leader of the Conservative Party of Canada. And as many pundits were quick to point out, while O’Toole campaigned to the party’s right, his victory speech sounded like that of a moderate extending an olive branch to Canadians who might be wary of joining their ranks. He appealed to women and people of colour and the LGBTQ community, Canadians the party has struggled to connect with.
‘Clean stimulus’ isn’t idealistic, it’s good economic policy
You may have missed it, but an interesting evolution happened here in Canada over the past two months: the country’s clean energy sector, which employs 298,000 Canadians, rallied together as it has never rallied before. Canada’s clean energy sector has long been especially quiet compared to its fossil fuel counterpart. Unlike in oil and gas, clean energy jobs are not regionally centralized, most companies are relatively small, and industry associations are numerous.
Merran Smith and Randy MacEwen: B.C.’s clean-energy sector has message for province: Consider the return on your investment
Author of the article: Merran Smith and Randy MacEwen Publishing date: 8 minutes ago • 3 minute read An Island Class hybrid electric ferry conducts sea trials. / PNG Article content From tourism to the province’s film industry, many of B.C.’s most prominent economic sectors have been hit hard by measures to contain the coronavirus. And surely you’ve seen the headlines lamenting cratering oil prices. But what about the other side of energy? We apologize, but this video has failed to load.
It’s time Canada caught the electric bus
April 15, 2020 While Canada is home to four prominent electric bus makers, our fleets have been slow to adopt these climate change fighters We asked Canada’s thought leaders to weigh in with ideas for how the government should spend stimulus money as part of a Green Recovery. To read the entire report series, head to Planning for Green Recovery. First, the good news.
Let’s come out of Covid 19 with a new economy
For those who grew up in the ’80s, the three Rs — reduce, reuse and recycle — are seared into our brains. Grocery stores suddenly had bulk bins to reduce wasteful packaging. Arts and crafts time was all about reusing things otherwise destined for the garbage bin. In the face of an economic shock unlike anything modern society has ever experienced, perhaps it’s time for three new Rs: relief, recovery and resilience. The first thing Canadians need? Relief, and fast.
The Frontier decision is symbolic, but not in the way you’ve been led to believe
Back in 2015, the founder of Bloomberg New Energy Finance, Michael Liebreich, penned his annual predictions for what would unfold in the energy world. To set the scene, he took the reader back 60-odd million years ago to when both dinosaurs and mammals wandered the earth. The mammals were industrious, quick, clever and adaptable, and were multiplying—but hardly noticed by the enormous dinosaurs, who were principally concerned with battling each other for dominance.
Merran Smith and Dan Woynillowicz: Western Canada’s great energy story is being written in B.C.
Aerial photo of the Tsilhqot'in solar farm, a 1.25-megawatt independent power project owned by the First Nation, located 80 km west of Williams Lake. PNG If you’ve heard the terms energy and Western Canada in the same breath of late, odds are the story was about fossil fuels. Maybe it was about job losses, the price of oil, or a pipeline. It’s a phenomenon British Columbians know well: In our national conversations, B.C.’s economy is overshadowed by Alberta’s.
On climate, remember: Canadians don’t see policy, they see results
Every year, the World Economic Forum tracks the biggest threats facing our planet, from cyberattacks to food and water scarcity. If you’ve been alive over the last decade, it won’t come as a surprise that climate change also cracks the list. In fact, the new 2020 report is dominated by climate concerns, neatly summarized by this quote: “This is the first time one category has occupied all of the top slots since the report was launched in 2006.” That’s only fitting.
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