For our Annual Conference 2025, The Clean Economy Bridge travelled across Canada, bringing together leaders, innovators, and changemakers from Germany, the United States, and Canada for dialogue on the clean energy transition. Held from November 21st to 26th across Toronto, Ontario; Vancouver, British Columbia; and Edmonton, Alberta, the conference created a platform for collaboration on some of the most pressing climate and energy challenges of our time.

Transatlantic Cooperation in Action

TCBC2025 started in Toronto, with opening remarks from Anne Wagner-Mitchell, Consul-General of the German Consulate General in Toronto. Consul-General Wagner-Mitchell underscored the urgency of transatlantic cooperation in a world where climate ambition is weakening and the gap between pledges and concrete action is widening. 

The need for collaboration between Germany, Canada and the United States is more important than ever -  the partnerships forged, knowledge shared, and solutions developed across these nations stand as a beacon of hope, demonstrating what is possible when like-minded countries commit to collective action. Canada and Germany are also deepening their relationship across all areas and especially in their commitment to moving towards cleaner energy, underlined by activities such as the Canada-Germany Hydrogen Alliance.

Electric Vehicles: Workforce, Policy, and the Road Ahead

The first session kicked off with a deep dive into the current state of Electric Vehicle (EV) curricula and workforce development in the sector. Adam Thorn from the Pembina Institute presented sobering statistics: while global EV demand rises 25% annually, Canada's market share has declined. Policy uncertainty, he argued, has been the primary culprit impacting both supply and demand.

Central to the discussion was Canada's Electric Vehicle Availability Standard (EVAS) and the implications of the policy’s slow implementation. Thorn's modeling showed that by implementing the EVAS, Ontario could achieve 100% EV sales by 2035; without it, only 54%. The employment implications are equally significant: the EV industry currently supports approximately 130,000 jobs in Canada, but with strong government support, this could grow to 600,000 jobs. However, EVAS implementation has been delayed until at least 2027, stunting Canada’s EV production and highlighting the need for stronger incentives for EV manufacturers. Jay Minard, Associate Professor at Delta College in Michigan, USA, stated that the service industry perspective is often missing from policy discussions. He raised a critical question: who will fix the EVs (once they are widely adopted)? Minard identified a significant skills gap, noting that most major dealerships have only one technician qualified to work on electric vehicles, indicating an underdeveloped workforce that will struggle to meet future EV demand. Minard’s proposed solutions included certified workforce development, national safety standards, and battery storage solutions.

Dan Ruby from the Ontario Centre of Innovation provided context on Ontario's strategic advantages and the barriers to EV’s in the region. Ontario is the second largest vehicle assembler in North America with five Original Equipment Manufacturers including FCA, Ford, GM, Honda and Toyota. Ruby mentioned that despite the capacity for Ontario to manufacture more EVs, there is not enough capacity at present to charge all these EVs. There is a "Death Valley" between technology development and market commercialization that must be addressed to promote EV deployment.

 "The TCB Conference underscored that decarbonization is achievable when policy, finance, and innovation are aligned. Yet, what truly accelerates a just transition that leaves no community behind is the human element: communication, awareness raising, and capacity building. By clearly demonstrating the societal benefits of today’s decisions towards a clean economy, we create the trust and momentum needed for communities to embrace a future that delivers shared prosperity."

Jessica Guelmi - Senior Consultant, Guidehouse  

Innovative Approaches within the Agriculture-Energy Nexus 

Our next event discussed a pressing topic for the clean economy: the interplay between agriculture and energy.  The event hosted presentations from a wide variety of organizations including Agrivoltaics Canada, the Canadian Alliance for Net Zero Agri-Food (CANZA), Edie Farming, EMILI and RBC Thought Leadership.

Paul Vickers, Ontario Member of Provincial Parliament and Parliamentary Assistant to the Minister of Agriculture, Food and Agribusiness, opened the panel by discussing Ontario's commitment to agricultural innovation. Ontario is one of the largest agricultural producers within Canada and is investing in the future of farming. MPP Vickers highlighted the Ontario Agri-Food Research Initiative as a model for innovative agricultural approaches.

The presentations were given by a diverse array of experts and practitioners at the forefront of agri-food innovation. Jacqueline Keena described EMILI’s Innovation Farms Program, which invests in farmer-centric innovation, spanning across 14,000 acres. Katherine Festeryga, founder of Edie Farming, presented Ontario’s first urban commercial rooftop greenhouse: a pioneering response to food scarcity and urban land constraints. Lisa Ashton, from RBC Thought Leadership, spoke on the need to promote talent within the agri-tech industry and expand research and development. Uzair Jamil presented his research from Western University on the promise and challenges of agrivoltaics, the dual use of land for both solar energy and agriculture. Lastly, Emily Robinson introduced CANZA’s National Biodigester Initiative, a collaborative effort to scale up the use of biodigesters in Canada.

The discussion was moderated by Kyle Volpi Hiebert, Manager of Public Policy at EMILI, who delved deeper into the topics. Whether through rooftop greenhouses, digital agriculture, or agrivoltaics, the presenters all agreed on the importance of innovation, cross-sector partnerships, and empowering producers to adopt new technologies with confidence. 

Decarbonizing British Columbia

For Day 2 of the conference, TCB travelled from Toronto to Vancouver for the Pembina Summit Inner Circle, exploring clean energy in British Columbia. The event brought together leaders from industry, government and civil society to discuss concrete pathways for decarbonizing British Columbia's energy systems. Participants explored key trade-offs including balancing new energy supply with efficiency measures, weighing compliance-driven versus incentive-based climate action, and debating large-scale export projects versus local distributed initiatives.

"The format offered by the Pembina Institute facilitated intensive debate and constructive dialogue. It became clear that local governments can use their powers to pursue bold approaches that bring both sustainable impacts and competitive advantages to their regions. Personally, I see opportunities for continuing the dialogue, particularly on the topic of how a municipality can take action with regard to green technologies, especially hydrogen and workforce development."

Claudia Schütz - Director, Sector and Regional Development, City of Dortmund

Youth Leading the Way towards a Cleaner Economy

The TCB team then made its way to Alberta for the final stop of the TCB Conference: Edmonton. The Conference finale focused on youth engagement within the clean energy dialogue and was an avenue for TCB Research Fellows* to present their research findings from the last few months. 

Launched in partnership with Student Energy, the TCB Research Program showcased four standout youth-led research initiatives:

• Just Transition Strategies: workforce reskilling programs across Germany, Canada, and the US
• Farmers, AI, and the Water Nexus: water competition between agriculture and data centers
• Renewable Energy and Data Centre Growth: solar energy's ability to meet rising demand
• Transatlantic Development Finance: innovative financing for climate-resilient infrastructure

The Research Fellows presented their research to a panel of government and industry experts and received feedback. It also provided an avenue for dialogue across professional experience and brought to light how young people are tackling the most pressing problems of our world today.

Looking Forward

The Clean Economy Bridge Conference 2025 reinforced a powerful truth: the clean energy transition requires unprecedented collaboration across borders, sectors, and generations. From hydrogen alliances to agrivoltaics, from EV workforce development to youth-led research, the conference demonstrated that solutions exist – what’s needed is the collective will to implement them.

As we face accelerating climate change and rising global temperatures, the partnerships forged in Toronto, Vancouver, and Edmonton offer a roadmap for what's possible when nations commit to working together toward a sustainable, prosperous future. 

While that’s a wrap for the TCB Conference 2025, follow us along as we gather our insights from this year’s dialogue and prepare for next year’s conference! Watch this space to get involved with The Clean Economy Bridge.

*TCB Research Fellows: TCB Research Program, launched in partnership with Student Energy, supports a cohort of 15 young people from across Germany, Canada and the United States in establishing research projects addressing real-world issues in the fields of the clean economy and climate diplomacy.