Former Curve Lake First Nation chief Emily Whetung appointed to Ontario energy transition panel
Global News
Emily Whetung will help identify and advise the province on the highest-value opportunities in the energy sector.
Former Curve Lake First Nation Chief Emily Whetung has been appointed to Ontario’s Electrification and Energy Transition Panel, tasked with advising on opportunities in the energy sector.
Energy Minister Todd Smith made the announcement on Thursday, noting the panel will identify and advise the province on the highest-value opportunities in the energy sector to help Ontario prepare for any energy or electrical transitions.
“Their goal is to help enable investment, job creation and skills development in Ontario by keeping energy rates low and creating a more predictable and competitive investment environment,” the province stated.
Also appointed Thursday was Monica Gattinger, who will be joined by panel chair David Collie. They’ll be supported by Howard Weston, former chair and CEO of the Ontario Energy Board and the Ontario Securities Commission and former senator from 2016 to June 2022.
“Ontario comes from a position of strength, we have already done the heavy-lifting building one of the cleanest electricity systems in the world, giving us a clean energy advantage,” stated Smith. “Through the Electrification and Energy Transition Panel, our government is planning for the future to ensure we can continue to serve a growing population and support the new jobs from unprecedented investments including everything from electric vehicle and battery manufacturing to clean steelmaking.”
The ministry is also commissioning an independent Cost-Effective Energy Pathways Study to help better understand how Ontario’s energy sector can best support electrification and the energy transition.
“Together, the Panel and the Pathways Study will help the government make the best strategic decisions to reform our long-term energy planning process to serve Ontarians and prepare our province for the energy system of the future,” a release states.
Whetung grew up in Curve Lake First Nation, located north of Peterborough, and obtained a bachelor of arts degree in philosophy at Trent University in Peterborough and a juris doctor at Osgoode Hall Law School. She practised real estate law for a decade before being elected chief of Curve Lake First Nation in 2019.
