— Mar 22, 2024

The Role of Natural Resources in British Columbia’s Economy, by Senior Fellow Philip Cross, is the first essay in a new series looking at public policy in B.C. This essay quantifies the important role natural resources play in British Columbia’s economy, including the impact on both gross domestic product and employment.

Electric Vehicles and the Demand for Electricity

— Mar 14, 2024

Electric Vehicles and the Demand for Electricity is the latest installment in the Institute’s series on EVs. It finds that Ottawa’s requirement that all new vehicles sold by 2035 be electric could increase Canada’s power demands by as much as 15.3 per cent, requiring the equivalent of 10 new mega hydro dams or 13 large natural gas plants to meet the increased electricity needs.

Canada-US Energy Sector Competitiveness Survey 2023

— Jan 9, 2024

Canada-US Energy Sector Competitiveness Survey 2023 is an annual survey that finds this year, out of the 17 energy jurisdictions included in the survey, Wyoming ranked 1st followed by North Dakota (2nd), Saskatchewan (3rd)—Canada’s highest-ranked province— Oklahoma (4th), and Kansas (5th), with Alberta in the 9th position, while British Columbia and Newfoundland and Labrador are among the least attractive jurisdictions, ranking 14th and 15th, respectively.

Can Metal Mining Match the Speed of the Planned Electric Vehicle Transition?

— Nov 23, 2023

Can Metal Mining Match the Speed of the Planned Electric Vehicle Transition? finds that, to meet international government mandates for electric vehicles (EV), 388 new mines must be built to produce the metals required for EV production.

A Review of Electric Vehicle Consumer Subsidies in Canada

— Oct 31, 2023

A Review of Electric Vehicle Consumer Subsidies in Canada finds that government subsidies for electric vehicle purchases are an extremely costly way to try to reduce greenhouse gas emissions in Canada.

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Recent Natural Resource Commentaries and Blog Posts

All politicians—no matter the party—should engage with natural resource industry

Kenneth P. Green

Appeared in the Calgary Sun, October 16, 2024

Oil and gas production accounted for $71 billion in GDP in 2023.

Canada should not want to lead the world on climate change policy

Ross McKitrick

Appeared in the Financial Post, October 8, 2024

The migration of energy-intensive industry to China and India more than offsets our tiny emission reductions here at home.

Ottawa’s proposed ‘electricity’ regulations may leave Canadians out in the cold

Kenneth P. Green

Appeared in the Calgary Sun, October 2, 2024

Efforts to decarbonize electrical systems are often accompanied by periods of electrical system destabilization.

Federal government’s environmental policies will do more harm than good

Matthew Lau

Appeared in the Toronto Sun, September 25, 2024

Electric vehicles often emit more particulate pollution than conventional vehicles.

Electric vehicle sales mandates doomed to fail

Julio Mejía, Elmira Aliakbari

Appeared in the Calgary Herald, September 23, 2024

Only 8.1 per cent of the 1.7 million new vehicles sold in Canada in 2023 were electric.

Ottawa’s emissions cap will impose massive costs with virtually no benefit

Julio Mejía, Elmira Aliakbari

Appeared in the Calgary Sun, September 18, 2024

The cap will cost Alberta an estimated 70,000 jobs.

Energy transition will be much longer and more arduous than they’re telling you

Jock Finlayson

Fossil fuels provide more than three quarters of all energy consumed in Canada.

Ottawa’s tariffs undercut Ottawa’s EV mandate

Kenneth P. Green

Appeared in the Toronto Sun, September 4, 2024

Electric vehicles are vastly more expensive coming off North American assembly lines than in China.

Federal emissions policies will impose substantial economic costs on New Brunswickers

Alex Whalen, Elmira Aliakbari

Appeared in the New Brunswick Telegraph-Journal, August 28, 2024

The province is projected to lose more than 4,600 jobs due to these policies.

Fossil fuel consumption rising despite ‘net-zero’ plans worldwide

Julio Mejía, Elmira Aliakbari

Appeared in the Hill Times, August 9, 2024

In Canada from 2015 to 2023, the share of fossil fuels in total energy consumption increased from 64.6 per cent to 65.0 per cent.

Research Experts

Elmira Aliakbari

Director, Natural Resource Studies, Fraser Institute
Gerry Angevine

Senior Fellow, Fraser Institute
Pierre Desrochers

Senior Fellow, Fraser Institute
Jock Finlayson

Senior Fellow, Fraser Institute
Wilf Gobert

Senior Fellow, Fraser Institute
Kenneth P. Green

Senior Fellow, Fraser Institute
Lynne Kiesling

Co-Director of the Institute for Regulatory Law & Economics, University of Colorado-Denver
Ross McKitrick

Professor of Economics, University of Guelph
Robert P. Murphy

Senior Fellow, Fraser Institute
Moin Yahya

Professor of Law, University of Alberta

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Natural Resources

The Role of Natural Resources in British Columbia's Economy

Electric Vehicles and the Demand for Electricity

Canada-US Energy Sector Competitiveness Survey 2023

Can Metal Mining Match the Speed of the Planned Electric Vehicle Transition?

A Review of Electric Vehicle Consumer Subsidies in Canada

Subscribe to the Fraser Institute

Research Experts