December 17th - Linda Coady - Pembina Institute: "How does Alberta fit into the changing global conversation on climate and energy issues?"
How does AB fit into the changing global conversation on climate and energy issues?
The pandemic, a price collapse, and the election of a US Administration that, alongside Canada, is embracing net zero GHG emissions by 2050, are combining to reshape local and global conversations on climate and energy issues. What are the new risks -- and opportunities -- for Alberta in this rapidly changing conversation?
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Early on in her career, Linda Coady was the vice-president of environmental affairs and enterprise for a B.C coastal group of forest companies - Weyerhaeuser and MacMillan Bloedel. Attempting to bridge the gap between environmentalists and forestry companies, Linda played a key role in ending the “war in the woods,” an event in which the two groups clashed over clear-cutting in Clayoquot Sound on Vancouver Island. Tzeporah Berman, an environmentalist, was quoted as stating “I think [Coady] was the first person I met from a logging company who really talked to us, and about the issues instead of trying to spin them.”
These events eventually led to Coady accepting a position with the World Wildlife Fund (WWF) of Canada as the organization's western Vice-President. Her efforts then expanded to leading sustainability efforts with the 2010 Vancouver Olympics and in 2013 joining Enbridge as the Chief Sustainability Officer. In 2015 she served as a member of the Advisory Panel on Climate Leadership for Alberta, and in 2017 co-chaired the Government of Canada’s Generation Energy Council. More recently in 2019, Coady served as chair of the Advisory Committee to the Government of Canada on Indigenous Economic Participation in the Trans Mountain Pipeline.
After spending six years in her role at Enbridge, Coady assumed the role of executive director at the Pembina Institute in March of 2020. The Pembina Institute is considered Canada’s foremost think tank leader on energy and environmental issues. She brings extensive experience in multiple sectors including forestry, mining, oil and gas, as well as with environmental organizations, local communities and financial institutions. Her background in creating thriving relationships across diverse groups makes her a vital individual in organizations across Canada.
As a multi-talented individual, Coady boasts a broad range of skills. As a Distinguished Fellow in the Liu Institute for Global Issues at the University of British Columbia, she conducted research, wrote and lectured on corporate social responsibility (CSR) and served as a sessional adjunct professor at the Sauder School of Business in the MBA program.
Linda Coady’s work on sustainable development has become widely recognized in her field. She achieved awards from Canadian Business for Social Responsibility, the Ecological Society of America, the YWCA, and the Globe Foundation for Business and Environment. It is our pleasure and honour to host her at the Canadian Club of Calgary for our December 2020 speaker.