During the past three years, Pollution Probe has participated in multiple national dialogues aimed at producing a national energy strategy, including the Energy Framework Initiative, the Banff Dialogue, the
Winnipeg Consensus and the Energy Policy Institute of Canada’s consultations. A unifying theme throughout each of these dialogues was the need for a higher degree of literacy among Canadians in the energy systems of which we are all a part.
Inspired to tackle this issue directly, Pollution Probe produced the Primer on Energy Systems in Canada, which introduces readers to basic concepts, conventions and vocabulary that support education and
discussion about energy from a systems perspective. Viewing energy issues through a systems lens allows us to recognize the interconnections that comprise the networks of technology and infrastructure that link energy end-users and energy sources, as well as the social, economic and environmental interrelationships that define the attributes of Canada’s energy systems.