At a recent conference in Toronto presented by East Coast Connected, a panel of energy experts discussed the future of the industry in the Atlantic region.

by Neville Gilfoy

The debate focused on what needed to be done in order to provide long-term sources of safe, reliable, and renewable energy.  The panelists called for a coherent regional strategy that will ensure the control of the resources and maximize opportunities, allowing prosperity to flow for the benefit of everyone on the East Coast.

By the end of the discussion, there was a plea to have a regional policy rather than a series of provincial or localized regulatory regimes. The fact that the Atlantic provinces have announced harmonized trucking regulations suggests that the government has some semblance of doing the right thing; however, four years after the announcement, nothing of significance has yet been accomplished. 

There is strong leadership from the industry and certain governments to pursue a regional strategy. With a need for more capital to be invested, more infrastructure to be built, more sales and marketing strategies to be executed, and more community building to be done, we absolutely must move forward with a regional approach, and we must do it now. 

The energy sources are widely diverse—oil, gas, coal, nuclear, wind, solar, and biofuels—and their distribution, availability, safety, security, and price all must be addressed. To manage this in each province or municipality will put our resources and our ability to capitalize on them at great risk. There are enormous opportunities and it is imperative that we get this piece of the prosperity agenda right. 

It might be an idea to identify an “energy czar” who is supported by the four provinces and who is responsible for producing a regional energy policy. There are markets—in the northeastern United States, Quebec, and Ontario—with unlimited potential. By streamlining corporate and government ability to invest in, build, manage, and control them, we would have the basis for building a vibrant capital market, which in turn would help grow other sectors. 

What we would also have is greater control over pressing environmental challenges, and our region would be assured of a sustainable, safe, and clean energy supply. Our politicians should be aware that if they don’t make the right decisions, and quickly, we’ll keep changing governments until we find leaders who will.