This Halloween, my costume is an electric heat pump water heater (HPWH). If you don’t think this is a SCARY costume - here are some scary policy developments related to water heating.

@pgraefe.bsky.social says this is part of a much longer-term pattern where Canada decides to rely on adopting and adapting American technology rather than becoming technological innovators on their own.” www.nationalobserver.com/2025/10/23/n...

Bruce Doern writing in 1983 on "mega-project" industrial policy in Canada "The Liberals also succumbed (certainly not for the first time) to the perceived need to produce policies for show" "an almost unthinking 'resources first', 'let's cash in on the mega-projects approach'" #cdnpoli #elbowsup

I'm writing something on why Canada develops megaprojects instead of innovation systems In 1957 staple theorist WT Easterbrook wrote Canada puts "a high premium on bigness in entrepreneurship" - that our capitalists seek security in gov't infrastructure projects. #cdnhist #cdnpoli #elbowsup

Energy advocate critical of Nova Scotia premier’s response to rising power rates www.halifaxexaminer.ca/economy/ener...

This is indeed what we have been advocating for It is the first national energy efficiency program accessible to all low-income Canadians in decades Next step is a national framework to eliminate energy poverty to direct and stabilize a program like this

I wrote about that proposal at the time. www.cbc.ca/news/politic...

I'll defer to @brhaley.bsky.social on the detailed analysis, but on first glance this new federal program for targeted retrofits... natural-resources.canada.ca/energy-effic... ... seems to look a lot like what a group of experts proposed in 2023. irpp.org/research-stu...

most federal investments in housing don’t include requirements for high-performance envelopes - that keep homes safe during extreme heat, poor air quality or cold snaps writes Jillian McArthur is www.nationalobserver.com/2025/09/05/o...

The Greener Homes Loan Program is running out of money. We need MPs to act now to secure long-term funding so the program continues without interruption. ujoin.co/campaigns/39...

Bringing Inuit Food Security and Sovereignty into Canadian Nation-Building Narratives yellowheadinstitute.org/2025/bringin...

Want an example of how to save money and increase productivity in the public service? Here’s an example of where the waste is - political ass covering. www.nationalobserver.com/2025/09/02/o...

Funding shortfall looms for signature energy retrofit program in Canada #cdnpoli #energysky www.corporateknights.com/energy/fundi...

Canada is abuzz with talk of nation-building projects, but they are mostly about energy supply like pipelines and transmission. This blog gives 5 reasons why saving energy would make a good nation-building project. #energysky #cdnpoli #elbowsup www.efficiencycanada.org/5-reasons-im...

Pressure is on the federal government to refill dwindling coffers — set to run dry this year, an access to information request reveals — of its loan program to help Canadians improve energy efficiency in their homes. www.nationalobserver.com/2025/08/21/n...

Funds Running Short for Green Energy Loans as Carney Urged to Prevent ‘Boom and Bust’ www.theenergymix.com/funds-runnin...

Federal retrofit loan program is set to dry up by year's end unless Carney steps in www.nationalobserver.com/2025/08/21/n...

Ontario summers are only getting hotter — but renters and vulnerable people are left without protections. A network of groups is urging the province to set a max indoor temp, adopt heat stress rules for workers, ensure cooling in schools and more. www.nationalobserver.com/2025/08/19/n...

Vass Bednar likens inter-provincial trade barrier talk to household cleaning instead of dealing with big issues - brilliant thewalrus.ca/provincial-t...

“The current narrative on nation-building focuses on roads, bridges, housing and energy systems. But natural infrastructure must also be part of this strategy. Investing in and preserving these ecosystems is both an environmental and economic imperative.” policyoptions.irpp.org/magazines/pr...

New Brunswick’s Sappyfest turns 20: Photos from two decades of the culture fest’s best moments www.theglobeandmail.com/arts/article...

Me and Carol Maas write in The Hill Times on why energy efficiency can be part of a "A made-in-Canada strategy to cut trade risks, support Canadian businesses, and build resilience in uncertain times." www.hilltimes.com/story/2025/0...

Nice run-down of the ENERGY STAR program under threat in the US, and implications for Canada www.reminetwork.com/articles/ene...

Carney’s “nation-building” is nothing but a blast from the past policyoptions.irpp.org/magazines/ju...

Re: these headlines from the @climateinstitute.bsky.social newsletter Given weather extremes and wildfires should transmission lines be the top priority? They fall down in storms and smoke causes them to short circuit Batteries, air sealing & filtration keep lights on and smoke out #energysky

"Improving Indoor Air is Critical to Public Health, Productivity, and Competitiveness" (from @sameo416.bsky.social, @mark-ungrin.bsky.social & I): policyoptions.irpp.org/magazines/ju... . #cdnpoli #COVIDIsAirborne #health 🇨🇦

This proposal by @catmckenney.bsky.social recognizes that access to cool temperatures is a right as our climate warms (a right to be cool) It can also be done in a way that helps the climate and deals with landlord concerns about window ACs falling out of windows www.cbc.ca/news/canada/...

Canada is looking for a homegrown, adaptable energy options in these turbulent times. In a new report we find that energy efficiency is a very "made-in-Canada" resource, with opportunities to further increase self-reliance and economic resilience. www.efficiencycanada.org/made-in-cana...

Canada’s retrofit momentum hinges on more than just heat pumps write Betsy Agar, Jessica McIlroy and Jay Nordenstrom www.nationalobserver.com/2025/06/06/o...

Great piece by @brhaley.bsky.social on lessons from past nation-building projects, and the future for Canada's grid. Building out transmission is a massive undertaking. But small-scale energy solutions can be deployed in months. @cape-acme.bsky.social policyoptions.irpp.org/magazines/ma...

Aaron reminds us of quite recent history

Canada is abuzz with "building big" and "east-west" transmission But previous big infrastructure pushes, in reaction to crises, failed to spur complementary technologies and industries. My article discusses how to make a national grid truly transformative policyoptions.irpp.org/magazines/ma...

Brendan Haley: A national grid should accelerate – not stifle – the energy transition policyoptions.irpp.org/magazines/ma...

Canada is abuzz with "building big" and "east-west" transmission But previous big infrastructure pushes, in reaction to crises, failed to spur complementary technologies and industries. My article discusses how to make a national grid truly transformative policyoptions.irpp.org/magazines/ma...

Are massive new transmission lines really the answer to Canada's energy future? Affordability Action Council member @brhaley.bsky.social (Policy Director at Efficiency Canada) raises valid concerns in a recent piece for @policyoptions.irpp.org. policyoptions.irpp.org/magazines/ma...

Here's someone doing the real work of speeding up and scaling up retrofits Tune in tomorrow (Fri, May 30th) at 12:00 EST, where I'll be hosting a webinar with Tom He's doing semi-standardized retrofits on affordable housing units during turnover periods www.efficiencycanada.org/event/how-to...

The crumbling US empire is threatening Energy Star Time for a made-in-Canada approach? www.cbc.ca/news/science...

👇 “If Canadians who built the economic foundations of Canada in the three decades after Confederation could speak, they would tell us that national infrastructure isn’t enough. Building productive businesses is equally important if you want the prosperity” www.theglobeandmail.com/business/com...

“How we build matters,” says Efficiency Canada. The organization calculates the most effective way to minimize additional carbon pollution comes from adopting the most ambitious tier of Canada’s building codes (the net-zero energy ready standard). www.nationalobserver.com/2025/05/09/o...

I was just reminded on this blog post I wrote the first time Trump was elected about the important role Canada could play in protecting and nurturing knowledge when the American empires goes crazy. Just as relevant today! #cdnpoli #ElbowsUp www.progressive-economics.ca/2016/11/cana...

Let’s go BC. This is such a win-win economic solution it’s not even funny.

What's a ready to deploy solution for a more self-reliant economy? Energy Efficiency Hydro-Québec plans "the most ambitious energy efficiency strategy in its history" nouvelles.hydroquebec.com/fr/communiqu...

Municipal reps are closer to people’s everyday problems. I think that’s why they are calling for buildings retrofits to make homes cool in summer and warm in winter, climate resilience, and energy efficient new homes and not pipeline megaprojects

Fun start to #Broadbent2025 chatting green industrial policy w/ @alexcoolfergus.bsky.social @brhaley.bsky.social @hadrianmk.bsky.social! Markets are not like calculators. They are complex ecosystems shaped by human intervention. We can - and must - direct them to support people and planet.

Today the Liberal Party made commitment to invest $1 billion for "make it easier for low- and middle-income households, including renters, to adopt heat pumps and energy efficiency upgrades including insulation upgrades, heat pump installation, and window replacements" liberal.ca/liberal-hous...

Using $18 B in oil and gas subsidies to “Retrofit 3.3 million homes with energy-saving upgrades—including free retrofits for 2.3 million low-income households, and grants or low-interest loans for 1 million more” www.ndp.ca/news/singh-c...

We have released a new report today adding up the huge (and continuing) costs to Canadians of the 2022 spike in oil prices. Check it out, it's part of our new 'False Profits' project: falseprofits.ca/reports. #cdnecon #canlab /2

A new report by @jimbostanford.bsky.social for Centre for Future Work confirms what we have been saying: volatile oil prices, not carbon pricing, drove inflation. In fact, their research shows households lost $12K over 3 years to oil price spikes. centreforfuturework.ca/2025/03/19/n...