A pair of high-profile politicians from Calgary are in Houston, Texas this week, hoping to boost energy industry business in the city and province.
On Monday, Mayor Jyoti Gondek left for the 23rd World Petroleum Congress, saying that there are “many things to achieve”.
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“There are a lot of conversations to have with mayors in other urban centers who have declared weather emergencies,” Gondek said before boarding his flight.
“There is a great opportunity to partner with the private sector and talk about their emission reduction goals and the role we can play as a city in helping them advance their mandate; just lots of opportunities to meet people in the same place to talk about things that are commonly valued. “
Alberta Energy Minister Sonya Savage was already in the southern state Monday, touring the Enterprise Seaway terminal in Freeport, Texas.
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Savage said she was eager to participate in events such as ministerial panels at the international oil industry meeting that she described as a “friendly audience.”
“I am here to position Alberta as a world leader not only in ESG (environmental, social and governance), but as a world leader in its ability to supply these markets with the products they need,” Savage told Global News.
Canadian Consul General in Dallas Rachel McCormick tweeted that she had participated in presentations with Emissions Reductions Alberta and Calgary Economic Development, promoting the use of carbon pricing to drive innovation and the energy transition to create jobs.
The mayor hoped to change some of the narratives about the province while in front of an international audience in Houston, citing a “public perception problem.”
“I think it’s incredibly important to go out and talk about the things we’ve been successful at, it’s important to talk about the fact that we are a city that is a center of excellence and energy transition, and focus on the positive.” Gondek said.
“That is the message that must be transmitted not only to the rest of Canada, but to the rest of the world.”
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Less than three weeks ago, Calgary joined a large cohort of Canadian municipalities in declaring a climate emergency. Gondek hopes the signal will bring with it more investment for businesses and the city.
“We understand the amount of investment that will be needed for that change to occur and that is the type of capital that I want to talk about and attract to our city,” he said.
Highlighting efforts such as zero net commitments from a coalition of oil sands companies, efforts to produce hydrogen and liquefied natural gas were also on the Energy Minister’s agenda during the petroleum congress.
Savage noted that demand at the Seaway terminal is not being met.
“We have to keep growing and increase production in Canada to bring the product to market,” said the energy minister. “So that’s the challenge down here: they need the product.”
“If they don’t get it from Alberta, they’ll get it from somewhere else.”
Federal Environment Minister Stephen Guilbeault was in Calgary the weekend before the oil congress began, meeting with industry and local government representatives.
Gondek’s message to Guilbeault was pleasant but firm.
“I indicated to him that there was a willingness to work together with the federal government, as long as it is understood that the objectives we are setting are realistic and that it is something that we jointly understand that can be achieved,” said Gondek. “He was impressed to see the pathways to zero work that have been done and is very interested in collaborating.”
Calgary will host the next World Petroleum Congress in 2023.
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