Message from the Chief Executive Officer
I had the great privilege of taking the reins as CEO of the Canada Energy Regulator in August 2020 when I was sworn in at a small ceremony in a park, near the CER’s head office in Calgary, Alberta. It was deeply meaningful for me, as Elder Eldon Weasel Child, the former leader from the Siksika Nation of the Blackfoot Confederacy, welcomed me to Treaty 7 land. The City of Calgary is also home to Métis Nation of Alberta, Region III.
The CER works to keep energy moving safely and efficiently through our country’s pipelines and powerlines. It sits at the nexus of a number of critical issues for our country, which include resource development, climate change and Reconciliation. The opportunity we have is to demonstrate that the CER can balance a set of diverse interests and move our country forward, advancing the social and economic well-being of Canadians, as well as protecting the environment.
While 2020-21 was an exciting time to be at the CER, it was also a year of uncertainty. We have all been personally impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic and it has changed our way of being in the world. No one does these jobs alone, and I want to thank the entire CER family for their tremendous support and hard work over the past year. The CER’s greatest asset remains its people and our successes are thanks to them.
From the regulator’s perspective, our responsibilities did not go away and we worked in real time to alter many aspects of our regulatory oversight.
We demonstrated organizational agility in shifting from an office-based work site to working from home. We also adjusted many aspects of our regulatory monitoring. Preventing harm and keeping people safe is at the core of who we are and the work we do, so we adapted to our new circumstances while maintaining our commitment to safety.
- The CER’s oversight of pipeline construction and operational activities continued and whenever possible, technological solutions were used to reduce in-person interactions.
- The CER adapted its procedures to ensure onsite inspections and compliance verification activities were conducted safely.
- Staff worked collaboratively with both Indigenous Advisory Monitoring Committees (IAMC) and other regulators to create new ways of working safely in the field during the pandemic.
Over the past year, the CER made significant progress in how we oversee the Trans Mountain Expansion Project and the Line 3 Replacement Program in partnership with their respective Indigenous Advisory Monitoring Committees. This work is helping to shape and guide our broader approach to incorporating Indigenous perspectives into our monitoring and oversight activities.
In November, it was exciting to see CER Inspection Officers and Indigenous Monitors complete the fiftieth joint compliance verification activity of the Trans Mountain Expansion Project and existing line. Through this innovative collaboration, CER Inspection Officers learn about Indigenous values and world views with respect to risk, while Indigenous Monitors learn about the CER’s inspection process.
Unfortunately , there were several serious workplace incidents in 2020-21 on site that the CER regulates, including a tragic fatality on a construction project near Edmonton, Alberta.
Any incident is one too many. Every day, on every work site, people have the right to feel and be safe. The CER and all regulated companies are committed to redoubling their efforts to help ensure safe and healthy workplaces for Canadians working on CER regulated sites.
One of the CER’s core responsibilities is Energy Information and in 2020-21, the organization published its Energy Futures 2020 Report, which had an immediate impact on the energy dialogue in Canada. The report’s outlook considered two scenarios with different rates of technological and government policy change: the Evolving Energy System Scenario and the Reference Energy System Scenario. The report explored how new technologies and climate policy will impact Canadian energy consumption and production trends over the next thirty years.
Making the CER a place where everyone feels like they belong is my personal commitment to everyone who works in our organization. All Canadians should see themselves reflected at all levels of the public service and in order to build further trust and confidence in the CER, we continued to take action to address systemic racism and barriers. An organization is stronger when there is a diversity of thought, experience and perspective. It makes us better.
The CER is an energy regulator with an exemplary workforce that earns the confidence of Canadians, is dedicated to preventing harm, ensuring safety and environmental sustainability, works as partners with Indigenous peoples, and enhances Canada’s global competitiveness. Once again, I would like to thank the members of the CER’s workforce for all of their dedicated public service in 2020-21.
The original version was signed by
Gitane De Silva,
Chief Executive Officer
Canada Energy Regulator