A Moment with the Mayor: Energy, powering lives and business

The world runs on energy. Everywhere you look, the conversation today soon turns to energy and how we will power our lives, vehicles and businesses.

Our community depends on energy at every corner. From streetlights to energy to heat our homes, especially now that winter has truly arrived in our community. Energy drives our industries of agriculture, oil and gas, business, health care and most services found in our city. 

We look to power lines from Alberta and Saskatchewan to ensure our electrical energy is supplied primarily through coal or natural gas production. Solar and wind provide only a fraction of our energy needs due to the challenges of our prairie climate. Gasoline and diesel fuel provide the energy for our cars and trucks that move people, groceries, agricultural goods, crude oil and refined oil products to market each and every day. 

For many, natural gas heats our homes and businesses, and natural gas is the choice of industry in many cases. For others, wood or diesel may be the primary source of heat. Typically, this is outside the city, where natural gas is not readily available.

The recent cold snap has a lot of people talking about energy. From the workers who ensure the natural gas and electricity reach our homes and businesses to the hydrocarbon transfer technicians fuelling up vehicles at full-serve stations. We owe a debt of gratitude to the oilfield operators and service people who ensure that the search for new oil and gas continues and that production through to movement through the pipeline, compressor facilities, refinery or upgrader.

The ability to push a button on your phone or wall to turn up the heat is an incredible gift compared to those who burned buffalo chips, wood or coal. We’re truly blessed to live where we can keep warm even when the thermometer reads -40 degrees Celsius. We are grateful for what we have access to but also aware that we need to fight to keep our energy sources so that we as a society can have heat and survive. We require energy in all seasons in our great provinces. 

The discussion regarding energy types, the needs and the wants is interesting as our needs will continue to grow into the future. As we discuss fossil fuels, renewables and nuclear, we have much to learn, discuss and debate. I, for one, stand with our oil and gas industry. The industry continues to make strides in technology and work to improve the environmental footprint each and every day. This past week has proven our need for fossil fuels as reliable and available energy sources.

As improvements are made in renewables and nuclear energy, they can work hand in hand with oil and natural gas to move our country forward and keep Canadians and others around the world warm when it is cold and cooled when the temperatures rise.

Mayor Gerald S. Aalbers
City of Lloydminster