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Join the Canadian Business History Association for an online event on November 21 from 2-3PM (EST). Our two panelists for this event are Justin Fisher and Petra Dolata. The Talk will be moderated by Andrew Watson.

In this panel, historians of energy will discuss the history of renewable energy in Canada to help us understand where Canada’s energy future could lie. They will contextualize the current energy landscape, focusing on the role of technological change and innovation, government policies and regulatory regimes, integrated continental markets, global (historical) trends, societal acceptance and activism, as well as controversies and discourses around the potential of renewables. As Canadians discuss the coming energy transition, this panel will provide much needed historical background and nuance to understanding the role renewables could play in that transition while focusing on questions of equity, sustainability, and justice.

Justin Fisher is a PhD candidate at the University of Saskatchewan. His research examines the energy crises of the 1970s, with a particular focus on research and advocacy around alternative energy technologies. Outside of academia, Justin has spent more than a decade invested in research, advocacy, and community organizing around climate justice initiatives in the UK and Canada.

Petra Dolata is Associate Professor in the Department of History at the University of Calgary. A former Canada Research Chair (Tier II) in the history of energy, who held previous academic positions in Germany (Berlin) and the UK (London), her research examines the 1970s energy crises, the history of transatlantic energy relations and the historical connections between deindustrialization and energy transitions.

Andrew Watson is Associate Professor in the Department of History at the University of Saskatchewan. His research has examined the history of energy, agriculture, and sustainability I the past. His first book, Making Muskoka: Tourism, Rural Identity, and Sustainability, 1870-1920, was published in 2022 by UBC Press. His current research projects include a history of Toronto’s urban metabolism and the relationship between liberalism and coal energy in the making of modern Canada.  

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Feature image: Centennial Wind Power Facility. Photo courtesy of SaskPower.