Alberta deserves a secure energy future

This past Friday, Alberta experienced its coldest night in 50 years and the electricity grid surged to its maximum capacity. In response, Albertans received alerts urging us to turn off the lights and unplug our appliances. [1]

Thanks to the collective effort of Albertans, the province was able to conserve enough energy to avoid rolling blackouts. But this week’s power crunch revealed just how vulnerable Alberta’s energy grid really is. [2]

Premier Danielle Smith wants to blame this week’s energy scare on renewables, but Alberta’s own energy operator said that wind and solar helped Alberta through the power scare. [3]

There are many culprits behind this week’s close call, but they all come back to the fact that the UCP government has refused to invest in Alberta’s energy system – either by paying producers more to store electricity, allowing new renewable energy projects in the province, or taking back public ownership of the grid. [4]

Albertans shouldn’t have to unplug our toasters in order to avoid freezing on the coldest night of the century. Join me in signing the petition for Premier Danielle Smith to invest in the publicly-owned, low-cost, and low carbon electrical grid our province deserves.

[1] https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/calgary/alberta-electrical-grid-emergency-decarbonization-1.7083664
[2]https://edmontonjournal.com/news/local-news/perfect-storm-led-to-last-weekends-threat-of-alberta-electricity-blackout
[3] https://www.nationalobserver.com/2024/01/15/news/wind-sun-power-crunch-alberta-electricity-operator
[4] https://www.nationalobserver.com/2024/01/16/opinion/politics-winter-alberta-solar-wind-gas-renewables-Smith