CanREA

The International Energy Agency (IEA) is carrying out one of its regular reviews of Canada’s energy policy. On April 20, 2009 CanREA was asked to meet with the IEA review team made up of representatives from several other member countries on April 20 in Ottawa. We were asked to identify key energy issues facing Canada, comment on current Canadian renewable energy and energy efficiency policy, and suggest what new policies were needed. Tim Weis from the Pembina Institute and Roger Peters, CanREA National Secretary attended the session and presented a three page summary of CanREA’s position on these issues. 

CanREA idenfiied three key energy issues:
 - Energy efficiency must be the underlying foundation of any energy policy
 - Renewable energy is the most plentiful energy resource and potentially could meet all energy needs sooner and cheaper than alternatives such as clean coal or advanced nuclear.
- Renewable energy coupled with energy efficiency is the most universal solution to global warming. 
 
In terms of current energy policy in Canada, CanREA noted that the new Green Energy Act will make Ontario the first jurisdiction in North America to give renewable power priority access and use the highly successful feed-in tariff procurement policies used in Europe. British Columbia, Quebec and New Brunswick are leaders in energy efficiency. Collectively, all provinces have agreed to a 20% improvement in energy efficiency by 2020.  On the other hand, the Government of Canada places much more emphasis on technologies such as carbon capture and storage and nuclear power than on renewable energy and energy efficiency. This is true with respect to climate change and economic development.

CanREA recommended the following actions by the Government of Canada to accelarate the transition to renewable energy:

International Cooperation:
? Canada should join IRENA and play a major role in helping developing countries adopt renewable energy
? Work closely with the United States on making energy efficiency and renewable energy the cornerstone of a new green economy and regional climate change policy under the Clean Energy Dialogue

Domestic Leadership by the federal government:
? Recognize renewable energy development as a national priority – promoting public awareness on how renewable sources can meet Canada’s heat, transport, and power needs (including base load and peak power)
? Set national renewable energy and energy efficiency targets for all sectors and fuels, and entrench many of the programs and regulations listed below into a national Green Energy Act
? Set up a Smart Energy Fund to provide energy efficiency, green building, and renewable energy services and financing to homeowners, businesses, industrial firms, and public entities.
? Establish a National Green Economy Training Program to promote good jobs in energy efficiency and renewable energy

Renewable Power
? Build on Ontario’s leadership by supporting adoption of feed-in tariffs in all Provinces and harmonize a replenished EcoEnergy for renewable power with feed-in tariffs programs.
? Establish a National Renewable Energy Centre and a high-level national task force on renewable power grid integration and strategic transmission links
? Implement a national program to develop, commercialize, and deploy technologies and measures such as power storage that deliver base load power from variable renewable power sources.

Energy Efficiency and Renewable Heat
? Set up a well resourced national secretariat to support the Council of Energy Ministers (CEM) collaborative process,
? Quickly respond to recommendations on new programs and regulations including housing and building retrofit, low income housing, and truck efficiency
? Support new innovative financing and regulatory approaches to energy efficiency that ensure all economic efficiency potential is realized
? Expand the scope of the CEM collaboration to include renewable heating technologies like solar heating.

Support sustainable transportation:
? Establish a national rail network authority to develop comprehensive and effective national high speed passenger and freight rail systems
? Provide annual major targeted transfers (investments) to the Provinces and Territories to support the rapid construction of mass transit and smart growth
? Establish market-based criteria for the sustainable use of biomass resources for the production of ethanol and biodiesel from forest and agricultural materials.