Calgary Economic Development aims to ‘humanize’ the energy industry in video

A new video from Calgary Economic Development (CED) focused on Canada’s energy sector is part of an effort to humanize the industry and educate the public, according to the organization’s top official.

“People don’t make a connection between energy and what they do every day,” Mary Moran, the group’s president and CEO, said during an interview on Global News Morning.

“A life without petroleum products would put them back somewhere to about 1920’s or 1930’s.”

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Last week the CED released ‘Canada: We Need to Talk’ online. It’s a roughly two-and-a-half minute long video featuring Canadian actor and Calgary native Andrew Phung.

“Unless we all commit to a life of riding around on a moose naked, we’re all using petroleum products every single day,” Phung explains in the video.

“Sadly, when it comes to energy, Canadians don’t always see eye-to-eye.”

Maron said the video aims to point out that Canada is “all things energy,” with an abundance of renewable energy resources that should be utilized. She also added that the energy industry has made progress during the past decade in reducing greenhouse gas emissions.

“People told us that it is educational and informative,” Maron said about the video.

“Unfortunately because the conversation is polarizing and politicized right now, there isn’t a deep conversation for the average Canadian to weigh in to.”

The video employs a humorous, self depreciating tone to argue its point, which Maron described as a “Calgarian approach” to the subject. She stressed that the CED is “sector agnostic,” which she said makes the group a good messenger.

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The video was released just days before Kinder Morgan’s May 31 deadline to come to terms with the federal government on its pipeline expansion project. Maron said the video’s release date wasn’t intended to coincide with the deadline, but the CED is “delighted the timing worked out.”