Impact Podcast | Powering the future: Striking Canada’s energy balance

Author: Ivey Business School
Published: Thu 15 May 2025
Episode Link: https://share.transistor.fm/s/1bca62b9

Planning for the future of clean energy involves balancing affordability, reliability, and sustainability - but can the global energy sector achieve ambitious climate change targets while keeping the lights on?

In this episode of Dialogue with the Dean, Julian Birkinshaw speaks with Brandon Schaufele, Associate Professor of Business, Economics and Public Policy, Director of the Ivey Energy Management Centre, about his research on how economic forces and government regulation shape our energy future. Schaufele explains the importance of energy on Canada’s economic well-being, the uncertainty in forecasting electricity demands, and how Canada is responding to changes in the U.S.

Charging the conversation are critical questions about this complex landscape: How does AI usage impact energy capacity? How should Canada frame the importance of the oil and gas sector? And more profoundly, should we be thinking about clean energy sources as just “different kinds of dirty”?

In this episode:

2:18 - How do we address climate change and keep the lights on?

5:15 - Do electric vehicles contribute to climate change?

7:28 - What is the state of Ontario energy?

11:30 - The influence of Canada’s oil and gas economy on federal and provincial energy policies

13:50 - Industry incentives and the federal carbon tax

16:00 - How is Canada responding to changes in the U.S.?

19:00 - Is AI usage threatening energy capacity?

22:28 - Research on flaring and venting regulations

To learn more about the research discussed in this episode, please visit:

Policy Brief, November 2024: How Confident Should we be in Ontario’s Electricity Forecasts?

iveyenergycentre_policybrief_2025_iesoforecast.pdf