A second year of the pandemic and lockdowns is drawing to a close, and with its passing we all hope for a more open 2022.
Taking a moment to reflect on the last 12 months reminds us that there was much more than COVID to life in 2021. This issue looks at various aspects of what has been going on over the last 12 months.
The year saw new governments in Canada and our nearest neighbour, the US. While Canada’s result was a re-election, the US saw a change, with Joe Biden replacing Donald Trump as President. In this issue of ENERGY Magazine, we take a look at President Biden’s Build Back Better infrastructure legislation and its implications for the U.S. natural gas industry. And on the Canadian side, our Commentators section looks at what the Trudeau re-election means for climate change measures in Canada.
The need for affordable energy was made clear throughout 2021, as Canadians saw prices rise on the back of supply constraints, increasing regulatory burdens, and faster than expected market rebounds. Affordability in general is more and more an issue for Canadians perhaps most evident in housing markets — the Canadian Home Builders Association gives their take.
The energy debate in the UK was increasingly in the news in 2021, culminating with the hosting of COP26 in November, We took the opportunity to contact UK MP Steve Baker to discuss some of the energy and environment policy issues on the ground there and how they are influencing the political environment.
And as always we focused on customers in 2021, and this issue includes an interview with Mayor Jennifer Murphy of Eganville, Ontario whose residents recently obtained gas delivery thanks to Phase Two of the Ontario Natural Gas Expansion Program, dramatically reducing their energy bills and improving energy reliability for them.
And finally 2021 saw the appointment of a new Chair to our CGA Board of Directors, Cynthia Hansen. Cynthia took time to chat from her busy Enbridge schedule where she serves as Executive Vice President, and President Gas Distribution and Storage at Enbridge Gas.
All of us at CGA hope you find issue of ENERGY informative and insightful. We wish a Merry Christmas and happy holidays to all of you and look forward to being in contact again in 2022.