Interim results and key findings from regional dialogues released

10October

Cross-Canada regional dialogues have concluded

Throughout the month of September, the Simon Fraser University Centre for Dialogue convened five regional dialogues across the country.

These two-day dialogues brought together 150 randomly selected Canadians. Coming from different regions and walks of life these citizen participants shared how they relate to energy. Informed by a common evidence base, participants also deliberated different options for Canada’s energy future.

Regional Summary Report

The purpose of this report is to provide a summary of the comparative results from the regional Citizen Dialogues on Canada’s Energy Future, held in September 2017. (Download report)

Key findings

All groups recommended steps to transition Canada’s energy economy in support of a cleaner and healthier natural environment or reduced greenhouse gas emissions.
More than 90 per cent of participants supported investments in clean-tech innovation and national energy infrastructure, as well as incentives to accelerate the adoption of existing green energy technologies. Emissions regulations also received strong support.
A recurring theme was the need to manage and address impacts on Canadians while our energy economy changes, including such considerations as job retention and retraining, affordability, reducing impacts on vulnerable individuals, communities and sectors, and providing energy choices that can adapt to local realities.
A majority of participants called for new forms of governance and oversight for energy issues, including improved cross-Canada collaboration, better accountability, reduced partisanship, or increased citizen engagement.
Participants discussed measures to address cost and funding implications, raising such ideas as polluter-pays models, redirecting government revenues from natural resources, or attracting private investment. The issue of costs and trade-offs will be further explored at the pan-Canadian citizen dialogue in Winnipeg.

What’s next?

A group of 35 representative citizens from the regional dialogues with travel with the SFU Centre for Dialogue team to Natural Resources Canada’s Generation Energy forum in Winnipeg. Here they will interact with stakeholders and continue to deliberate towards a set of shared recommendations for Canada’s energy future. These will be presented during the morning of Friday, October 13 in Winnipeg. Interested stakeholders and media may request to register by contacting Keane Gruending (keane_gruending@sfu.ca).

Other Simon Fraser University activities at Generation Energy:

Remarks – Citizen Dialogues on Canada’s Energy Future: Andrew Petter (President and Vice-Chancellor, Simon Fraser University) | Plenary: Thursday at 9:10 am
Breakout Session – From Debate to Dialogue: Canadians Shaping Our Energy Future | Breakout Session C5: Thursday at 11:00 am

A final report for the Citizen Dialogues on Canada’s Energy Future will be released in November 2017.