2025 CCRE Energy Leaders Roundtable Orangeville, Ontario

The Council for Clean and Reliable Energy and its partners welcomed leaders in the energy sector to the 2025 CCRE Energy Leaders Roundtable held in Orangeville, Ontario. The Roundtable built on its long-term success by delivering several keynote addresses and expert panels introduced by brief presentations at the beginning of each session organized around a variety of timely and important topics.

As a broad and inclusive organization, with a governance and policy mandate, the Council hosted this Roundtable with the theme “Energy Transition Headwinds: Can we pivot?” focused its keynote addresses and presentations around this topic.

Challenges to the Canada-US relationship are emerging with the threat of tariffs and the integrated reliance on energy supply and demand playing a critical role in the economic trade discussion. Policies related to climate and environmental targets that have been established by the federal, provincial and municipal governments across Canada are under pressure to pivot in the changing global environment. Will there be an impact on the state of clean energy and to what extent will the energy transition continue to be a critical part of the discussion. The bulk of new energy infrastructure investment was predicated on robust EV development. Will the concern for energy supply and demand adequacy be affected? How will emerging technologies change the energy supply and demand landscape?

The event organizers and participants express their appreciation to Shane Chegahno, Saugeen Ojibway Nation Traditional Territory and a Band Member of the Chippewas and Nawash Unceded First Nation, Senior Vice President and Co-Founder, Makwas Development Corporation for opening the Roundtable and for bringing his wisdom on respect for the earth, water and air, and the pathway we take to protect the environment.

We were pleased to have had The Hon. Sam Oosterhoff, Associate Minister of Energy – Intensive Industries, Government of Ontario, Marc Brouillette, Principal Consultant, Strategic Policy Economics, and Greg Lyle, President, Innovative Research Group, deliver keynote addresses.

The keynote addresses and presentations included the following sessions:

• The Big “T” in the Energy Business: The spectrum of energy considerations
• The Impact of the Trump Presidency on the Canadian Energy Sector
• Are the Proposed National Electricity Transmission Grid or a new East-West Pipeline a Political Pipedream or Sound Nation Building Projects?
• Ontario’s Growing Demand for Electricity Supply Mix Options, and Implications for Oil and Gas
• Appropriate Energy Mix to Meet Ontario’s Projected Energy Demand
• Canada’s Ability to Finance and Construct the Rebuilding of Canada’s Electricity Transmission and Distribution Grids to meet the Projected Energy Demand
• North, South, East, West Energy Dynamics
• Politics and the Energy Sector

The CCRE would like to thank and recognize our event supporters: Ivey Energy Policy and Management Centre, Power Workers’ Union, Bruce Power, Makwa Development Corporation, Innovative Research Group and Gowling WLG (Canada) LLP.

The Council is a group of volunteers who have an interest in promoting open debate about energy issues. We do not represent a particular interest group and attempt to bring together a broad range of stakeholders who share an interest in promoting good governance and public policy for Canada’s energy sector. The Council remains committed to continuing to facilitate these important conversations and helping to shape the dialogue on energy policy for the benefit of all Canadians.