You can access the video from the session here: https://vimeo.com/441797298/209918bb2d
On July 24th, 2020 the YPAC x AVATAR Program hosted a joint session with both Minister Seamus O’Regan and Minister Sonya Savage. The Session was moderated by Molly Beckel, President and CEO of YPAC, and Kevin Krausert, CEO of Beaver Drilling and AVATAR co-founder. Opening and closing remarks were delivered by University of Calgary Chancellor Deborah Yedlin.
A huge thank you goes out to the YPAC x AVATAR team: Ana Villarreal and Justin deMontarnal, Stella Cunha, Katia Greco, and Mohamed Rashid. Thank you as well to Gabriela Gonzales who provided the Government Relations 101 briefing prior to the session.
Unprecedented technological disruption and the tension of a world with growing energy needs and also a need to address and mitigate climate change has forced the industry’s young professionals to question the industry’s future in ways we haven’t in the past. The industry’s young professionals don’t want a return to the past. Instead, they are building a new energy future for Canada.
The speakers re-iterated that the solutions to climate change are far more realistic and possible with oil and gas – and the many highly skilled young professionals who do much of the heavy lifting in our sector – engaged in the solution. Success in solutions like hydrogen, carbon capture utilization and storage (CCUS) and geothermal are the exact type of engineering, scientific and business skills where oil, gas, and pipelines thrive. It’s why we need solutions to innovative pipeline construction techniques and digitization that reduce our costs, carbon, and environmental impact. And it’s a story we are going to tell through energy advocacy.
On behalf of the YPAC x AVATAR program, we want to extend our sincerest gratitude to our volunteers, program participants, and to Minister O’Regan and Minister Savage for their candor and energy on Friday. The Ministers were engaging and forward looking about the future of the energy industry and it was a real delight to see the warm relationship that exists between the two of the Ministers in action. They both helped inspire a new generation of leaders on the importance of oil and gas and the opportunities of new technologies and improved environmental performance. The participants asked great questions and their hard work and optimism shone throughout the session. We have received tremendously positive feedback from a wide arrange of industry and technology groups who thoroughly enjoyed the session
If you missed YPAC x AVATAR’s inaugural session on June 19th, you can access the video using this link: https://vimeo.com/441800777/abce25f62f
