E N E R G Y  &  E N V I R O N M E N T

Energy drives all economic activity, and no industrial or post-industrial society can do without plentiful, affordable supplies of it. Consumers and businesses need affordable, reliable energy to conduct their day-to-day affairs, and energy production can be a viable industry and driver of economic growth. This is particularly true in a country as vast and as cold as ours.

AIMS research focuses on generating ideas that can help ensure that all Canadians have access to affordable and reliable energy, and examines policy ideas that can help ensure the successful, sustainable development of Atlantic Canada’s energy resources. We focus on a wide range of energy policy issues including those surrounding electricity, oil and gas, tidal power and wind generation.

POLICY PAPERS & OP-ED COMMENTARIES

 

An Opportunity to Improve NB Power

The new government in Fredericton has the opportunity to improve NB Power. The provincial Crown Corporation has been through a lot in recent years. First, its financial difficulties and the prospect of higher rates drove an earlier government to try to sell the utility to Hydro Quebec. The chief benefit ...
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/ / Energy, Op-ed

Atlantic Union of Power Grid Would Lower Customer Bills

Atlantic Canada is moving toward major changes in electric generation and has opportunities to develop more efficient and economic regional electricity exchanges. With the addition of Muskrat Falls hydropower, the development of wind generation, and new transmission links, the region’s electricity profile is being reshaped. The use of fossil-fuel generation ...
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/ / Energy, Op-ed

Taking Stock of Atlantic Canada’s Electricity Sector

Halifax, NS (16 October 2014): Today, the Atlantic Institute for Market Studies (AIMS) publishes “Taking Stock of Atlantic Canada’s Electricity Sector,” a study that surveys recent developments, reviews the status of the sector, and examines opportunities for further beneficial evolution. The author is Dr. Gordon Weil, the AIMS Senior Fellow ...
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/ / Energy, Op-ed

Nova Scotia Fracking Ban Hampers Innovation

The desire to prohibit hydraulic fracturing in Nova Scotia might close doors that lead to progress. Instead, we should develop and pursue in a socially and environmentally responsible manner the economic opportunities that fracking affords. On Aug. 28, the Wheeler commission issued its report on hydraulic fracturing — a technique ...
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/ / Energy, Op-ed, Regulatory Reform

Muskrat Falls: Opportunities to Reduce Risk and Enhance Benefits

AIMS Senior Fellow Gordon Weil is the principal author of Muskrat Falls: Opportunities to Reduce Risk and Enhance Benefits, a commentary about the most significant hydro development in Atlantic Canada in recent years. In addition, we invited Ed Martin, President and Chief Executive Officer of Nalcor Energy, to address the ...
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/ / Energy, Op-ed, Policy Papers
MEDIA MENTIONS

 

School Busing Costs Challenged in AIMS Report

A report released by AIMS and authored by Paul Bennett and Derek Gillis outlines the rising cost of student transportation in the Maritimes, despite declining enrolment. The CBC New Brunswick ...
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Electricity Union to Benefit Atlantic Canadians

Divergent and sometimes conflicting regulation could be harmonized without any province giving up its complete control of the regulatory regimen. And separating regulators from the political process, an area in ...
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Drop in Gas Prices Stirs Deregulation Debate in Nova Scotia

AIMS President and CEO Marco Navarro-Genie discusses gas price regulation in Nova Scotia and argues that "The people who are setting the prices for the regulatory body don't seem to ...
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Study: Atlantic Utilities Could Collaborate

Muskrat Falls could be a catalyst for more regional co-operation on electricity, says a new study by the Atlantic Institute for Market Studies.The paper, released Thursday, concludes that transmission links ...
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