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Articles by Scott MacDougall
What should Canadians expect from the Ottawa-Alberta MOU talks?
On November 27, 2025, Prime Minister Mark Carney and Alberta Premier Danielle Smith signed a Memorandum of Understanding. The five-page document signals their governments’ willingness to put years of acrimony behind them, and to negotiate agreements on the future of energy and climate policies and projects.
What should Canadians expect from the Ottawa-Alberta MOU talks?
On November 27, 2025, Prime Minister Mark Carney and Alberta Premier Danielle Smith signed a Memorandum of Understanding. The five-page document signals their governments’ willingness to put years of acrimony behind them, and to negotiate agreements on the future of energy and climate policies and projects.
Powering ON | Pembina Institute
Ontario’s electricity system is at a crossroads as the province anticipates an unprecedented growth in electricity demand of 75 per cent by 2050. The provincial government released an integrated energy plan in 2025 that it described as a "comprehensive roadmap" to meet those needs. The decisions the province makes about how to power its future economy will determine whether or not it meets its goals of balancing affordability, reliability and energy security.
Powering ON | Pembina Institute
Ontario’s electricity system is at a crossroads as the province anticipates an unprecedented growth in electricity demand of 75 per cent by 2050. The provincial government released an integrated energy plan in 2025 that it described as a "comprehensive roadmap" to meet those needs. The decisions the province makes about how to power its future economy will determine whether or not it meets its goals of balancing affordability, reliability and energy security.
Amendments to Alberta's TIER Policy
The Pembina Institute welcomes the opportunity to provide input on adjustments to the Technology Innovation and Emissions Reduction (TIER) program, as this review comes at an important juncture. With several years of weakening credit prices, inadequate benchmarks set for the province’s highest emitters, and a continued oversupply of credits still on the horizon, there is an opportunity to re-commit TIER to the principles of good policy design.
Ontario’s Integrated Energy Plan must strike right balance between wind, solar and other resources
OTTAWA — Scott MacDougall, director of the Pembina Institute’s electricity program, made the following statement in response to the Government of Ontario’s release of its Integrated Energy Plan: “Ontario’s commitment to meeting the province’s growing demand for energy while significantly reducing emissions over time is commendable.
Ontario’s Integrated Energy Plan must strike right balance between wind, solar and other resources
OTTAWA — Scott MacDougall, director of the Pembina Institute’s electricity program, made the following statement in response to the Government of Ontario’s release of its Integrated Energy Plan: “Ontario’s commitment to meeting the province’s growing demand for energy while significantly reducing emissions over time is commendable.
Down But Not Out
Since 2023, Alberta’s renewable energy sector has been faced with an unprecedented level of policy and regulatory uncertainty. The most widely reported example is the sudden moratorium on new renewable project approvals that was in place from August 2023 to February 2024. However, there is now a number of other new policies and contemplated changes that directly affect the sector.
Investor confidence in Alberta’s renewables sector remains dampened
EDMONTON, AB — Investor confidence in Alberta’s renewables sector is lagging behind peer jurisdictions, according to a new report from the Pembina Institute.
Fork in the Road
Since a successful coal phase out in 2014, Ontario has been vying to attract international investment by building a reputation as a source of abundant non-emitting electricity. However, progress towards this goal has stalled thanks to the province’s rising reliance on gas-fired generation. The 2024 Independent Electricity System Operator (IESO) Annual Planning Outlook (APO) forecasted that 14% of Ontario’s generation will be gas-fired in 2025, with that number rising to 25% in 2030.
Walk the line | Pembina Institute
Alberta’s power grid is essentially an electricity island, isolated from its neighbours except for three small connections. Adding more capacity in cross-border transmission, otherwise known as interties, would dramatically increase the cost-effectiveness, reliability and resilience of the power grid.
Protecting Ontario means leaning into the new energy economy
TORONTO — Canada’s most populous province has all the elements needed to thrive economically, if its leaders choose to lean into the era of low-carbon economic growth, according to a new report from the Pembina Institute.
Assembling the Future
Today, Ontario, along with all other governments across Canada, faces a new economic reality. The threat of a significant and prolonged trade dispute with the United States is creating justifiable unease about Canada’s future and the impact on all Canadians, including on their livelihoods and quality of life. Regardless of the extent to which tariffs are ultimately imposed, it is clear that a period of major economic realignment has begun.
Wiring Up for Resilience
January 28, 2025 Publication Link copied to clipboard! × The affordability, reliability, and sustainability of Alberta's electricity system depends on becoming sufficiently resilient to meteorological, wildfires, floods, and other weather events that are intensifying and worsening due to anthropogenic climate change.
I'll Have What They're Having
December 5, 2024 Publication Link copied to clipboard! × Decreasing costs of wind and solar have driven a wave of renewable energy integration across the globe. Six jurisdictions — California, Texas, Ireland, Germany, South Australia, and Denmark — have surfed the leading edge of this wave and demonstrated how renewables can contribute to a modern grid.
Land Use Pressures in Alberta
The Pembina Institute participated on a panel of witnesses for the House of Commons' Standing Committee on Natural Resources (RNNR) as part of its study of Canada's Electricity Grid and Network. This briefing note is a follow up to questions received during the hearing regarding wind and solar electricity development in context with other land uses in Alberta. It shows: Wind and solar power plants are minor users of land in Alberta.
A place to grow | Pembina Institute
Ontario licence plates are boldly emblazoned with the slogan “A Place to Grow.” In the early stages of the energy transition, Ontario has been just that, attracting significant industrial investment due to the province’s clean energy advantage. However, increasing reliance on gas generation to meet rising demand is jeopardizing the province’s reputation as a clean energy powerhouse. In 2022, 10% of Ontario’s electricity generation came from natural gas, marking a 25% increase from 2021 levels.
Electricity from renewable projects cancelled since moratorium represent same amount of power used annually by all Alberta homes
CALGARY, AB — Fifty-three renewable energy projects have withdrawn applications from Alberta's electricity grid development process in the last 12 months since the provincial government announced a moratorium on renewables development, new analysis from the Pembina Institute has found.
Forecasting matters for grid planning
The Alberta Electric System Operator (AESO) forecasts energy supply and demand in the province through its Long-term Outlook (LTO), publishing its results every two years. The LTO sets the basis on which important planning decisions are made, making it an important part of operating and planning for an affordable and reliable electricity system. It also provides industrial consumers, investors and other stakeholders an indication of the trajectory of the electricity system.
Who Needs Church?
In the post-Christian, postsecular Global North, people inside and outside of Christian communities look around and observe shrinking membership in churches across the denominational spectrum. Christians and non-Christians alike notice the world keeps on turning even as their local churches dwindle, consolidate, or close. They see the intensifying polarization and politicization of Christian commitments. They identify abuses of pastoral and political power by church leaders.
Alberta's electricity grid is currently running coal free and has no coal in the forecast
CALGARY, AB — Scott MacDougall, Director of the Pembina Institute’s electricity program, made the following statement in response to the Alberta Electric System Operator reporting zero coal generation and forecasting no coal generation. “Alberta’s electricity grid is operating coal free and there is zero coal anticipated in the short term and long-term supply and demand forecasts.
The one-year anniversary of Alberta’s Emissions Reduction and Energy Development plan
The Government of Alberta has yet to make meaningful progress on implementation of its Emissions Reduction and Energy Development plan, released one year ago today. Climate policy and economic policy are inextricably linked. Governments around the world are not only making plans to reduce emissions and setting interim targets to 2050 — they are also actively taking steps to grow clean industries and prepare their workforces. In Alberta, practical work urgently needs to begin and rapidly accelerate.
Is Alberta's renewable energy industry being treated fairly?
On February 29, 2024, Alberta’s seven-month moratorium on renewable energy development is scheduled to end. The Alberta Utilities Commission (AUC) is expected to make recommendations to the Government of Alberta about land impact issues including land use, reclamation, and “pristine viewscapes.” While Pembina Institute supports the responsible development of natural resources, we hold the position that the unprecedented moratorium itself unfairly targeted the renewable energy industry.
Opinion: How Alberta can avoid another grid alert
• • Article content By Jason Wang and Scott MacDougall Albertans are no strangers to the extreme cold. We proudly layer up and don our parkas every winter. Although the most recent cold snap saw some of the coldest temperatures in the province in decades, we plowed on. But then our phones went off. For the first time, the Government of Alberta used its emergency notification system to notify Albertans about an electricity grid alert.
How Alberta can avoid another grid alert
Albertans are no strangers to the extreme cold. We proudly layer up and don our parkas every winter. Although the most recent cold snap saw some of the coldest temperatures in the province in decades, we plowed on. But then our phones went off. For the first time, the Government of Alberta used its emergency notification system to notify Albertans about an electricity grid alert. So, what exactly happened?
Opinion: How Alberta can avoid another grid alert
Advertisement 1 • • Article content By Jason Wang and Scott MacDougall Albertans are no strangers to the extreme cold. We proudly layer up and don our parkas every winter. Although the most recent cold snap saw some of the coldest temperatures in the province in decades, we plowed on. But then our phones went off. For the first time, the Government of Alberta used its emergency notification system to notify Albertans about an electricity grid alert. Advertisement 2 Don't have an account?
Alberta's progress in reducing oil and gas emissions
Publication - In April 2023, the Alberta government released the Emissions Reduction and Energy Development (ERED) Plan. The plan outlines the course of action the province will take to cut emissions and reach a carbon-neutral economy by 2050 while increasing economic development and investment in new technologies. Most of the emissions reduction initiatives and targets discussed in the ERED Plan were previously announced or implemented with deadlines fast approaching.
Survival of the Cleanest
A new Pembina Institute report, Survival of the Cleanest: Assessing the cost and carbon competitiveness of Canada’s oil, co-authored by Janetta McKenzie, Scott MacDougall and Eyab Al-Aini, shows that Canadian oil remains well above global averages for average carbon emissions and breakeven price. Production costs per barrel of oil are an average of $20 globally, while in Canada the average is US$9 higher. On the other key metric, emissions intensity, Canada is well above the global average.
Grid-Locked
Alberta’s electricity sector has been undergoing significant changes in recent years. In the last five years, the province has retired nearly 87% (5.4GW) of its coal fleet, while nearly quadrupling its wind and solar capacity during the same period. Consequently, greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from the electricity sector declined by 8.3Mt between 2018 and 2021 in Alberta.
The Role of Carbon Dioxide Removal on Canada's Path to Net-Zero
At the 2023 Alberta Climate Summit, this panel of key stakeholders in the carbon dioxide removal (CDR) ecosystem in Canada explored how CDR fits within Canada’s net-zero strategy as well as important considerations for CDR deployment.
Waiting to Launch 2023 mid-year update
Oilsands companies are on track for their second highest profits in a decade, yet they are making no new investments in reducing emissions, according to new research released by the Pembina Institute today. The Pembina Institute’s third update to its Waiting to Launch report provides an analysis of efforts by members of oilsands consortium, the Pathways Alliance, to reduce their carbon emissions.
Investment Impact of Alberta's Renewable Energy Moratorium
Alberta’s proven, economic, and available wind and solar resources position it to become Canada’s renewable energy capital. In fact, three-quarters of renewable energy projects built in Canada last year were in Alberta. At a time when the investments are trending towards renewable energy growth globally, accelerating the buildout of renewables in the province is a no-regrets economy-building decision.
Cash flow modeling shows carbon capture and storage can help meet climate goals
This report builds on part three of a series (parts one and two here) about the economics of oilsands carbon capture and storage (CCS) projects in Canada. It also expands on our analysis done for a previous report analyzing the policy landscape for CCS in Canada’s oilsands. Getting Canada’s oilsands on a net-zero pathway requires companies to make timely, transformative investments.
Cash-flow modeling shows carbon capture and storage can help meet climate goals
This is the third article in a series of three on Canada’s climate objectives and the oil and gas sector. The first article can be found here, the second here. Companies responsible for 95 per cent of oilsands production in Canada have committed to achieving net-zero upstream emissions by mid-century. Achieving this ambitious goal requires timely and unprecedented investments.
The Future of Insurance Distribution Is Now
Join Aite-Novarica Group Head of Life Insurance, Annuities, and Benefits Chip Bircher, Veriday Chief Revenue Officer Sharmila Wijeyakumar, Associate Manager of Field Marketing Scott MacDougall, and Global Industry Leader Jake Sloan as they share their insights on topics such as customer engagement, operational efficiency, and innovative technologies that are driving change in the industry.
Canada’s Clean Fuel Regulations
On May 16, 2023 , the Pembina Institute was invited to be a witness before the Senate Committee on the Clean Fuel Regulations. Under consideration was an amendment in Bill C-47, Budget Implementation Act, 2023 (No. 1), to modify provisions in the Canadian Environmental Protection Act that would allow for the establishment of an Environmental Economic Instruments Fund.
Engineered Carbon Dioxide Removal in a Net-Zero Canada
Canada is one of many nations committed to keeping the global temperature rise below 1.5°C relative to pre-industrial levels. To contribute to this, Canada’s goal is to reduce emissions by 40-45% from 2005 levels by 2030, and then achieve net-zero in 2050. A state of net-zero emissions means the amount of greenhouse gases going into the atmosphere must be balanced by removal out of the atmosphere.
Comparing Canadian and American Financial Incentives for CCUS in the Oil Sector
Publication - New incentives under the U.S. Inflation Reduction Act for carbon capture, utilization, and storage (CCUS) technology are generating concerns about competitiveness for investment in the technology in Canada’s oil sector. Specifically, there is a growing narrative that Canadian policies and incentives for CCUS technologies pale in comparison to those offered in the United States.
Canadian oilsands don’t need more public support to compete with the U.S.
The U.S. Inflation Reduction Act has sparked concerns about the competitiveness of Canada’s upstream oil sector in the low-carbon energy transition. The claim by industry is that new U.S. incentives will drive capital in carbon capture, utilization, and storage (CCUS) technologies south of the border. New analysis, however, shows that when all the incentives from governments are tallied up, when it comes to CCUS in the upstream oil sector the Canadian carrots are already sweet enough.
Alberta’s Roadmap to the New Energy Economy
Alberta has always been an international leader on energy. Our abundant natural resources, coupled with our proud history of innovation in the oil and gas sector— particularly the oilsands—means we are renowned for our ability to use a skilled labour force to reach in energy production. In 2023, Alberta has an opportunity to build on that history and move towards a new energy future.
Understanding changes to Alberta’s industrial carbon pricing system
The federal and provincial governments recently concluded negotiations on strengthening and updating carbon pricing systems across the country. Industrial carbon pricing is the backbone of Canada’s emission reductions policy framework. When these systems are stringent and robust, they play a key role in incentivizing investment in emissions reduction projects.
The future of oil in the energy transition
For the first time, a range of oil demand scenarios — including those created by industry, international organizations, and research institutes — project that, if the current pace of climate policy action continues, global demand for oil will peak before 2030 and decline steadily afterwards.
Recommendations on the Canada Energy Regulator’s Net-Zero Scenario
The Pembina Institute, International Institute for Sustainable Development, David Suzuki Foundation, Environmental Defence, and Climate Action Network Canada have joined together to submit recommendations to the Government of Canada on the Canada Energy Regulator’s development of a net-zero scenario. The modelling of different scenarios is key to good governance.
Love Letter To A Record: MOBS' Scott MacDougall On Arctic Monkeys' 'Suck It And See'
Features Written by Scott MacDougall on February 25, 2020 Many of us can link a certain album to pivotal moments in our lives.
Samsung Galaxy S4 Old Emails Showing Up as New
I have a Samsung Galaxy S4, which I switched to from a Blackberry in mid July 2013. I continue to get emails that were dealt with when first received by either opening and reading, or opening and deleting, that show up again as new and unread. My service provider (Rogers in Canada) tells me that it is because I have too many emails on the server. I don't believe this as when I had a Blackberry this never happened. They (Rogers) says this is because Samsung is a different OS.
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