Biofuel for thought Will we be left behind in the bioeconomy race? ime for a quick Canadian history story? In the 1950s, the Royal Canadian Air Force commissioned Toronto’s A.V. Roe Canada (known as Avro) to de-sign and build the CF-105 Arrow. It was to be the fastest and among the most ad-vanced jets of its time. Tens of thousands were employed by the Avro Arrow project, and it drew top minds in scientific research and development. Eyes were on the Arrow and Canada as a world leader in aerospace. All lauded Cana-dian ingenuity. In 1959, Prime Minister John Diefenbaker cancelled the Arrow program. I’ll skip the why details (you can read a great article on it in the Canadian Encyclope-dia), but the immediate im-pact of the cancellation was a brain drain. Thousands were without work. Lead engi-neers and scientists left for aerospace proj-ects in the U.S. or overseas. While the Canadian Encyclopedia en-try notes there is little evidence to suggest long-term negative effects on our aviation and scientific communities (seems argu -able), I can imagine the blow to Canadians at the time. If nothing else, it illustrates the critical importance of our federal gov-ernment’s hand in propping up an R&D-heavy industry. For us in the bioeconomy, that’s all too familiar. Consistent and long-term policy support for industrial bioeconomy proj-ects is pivotal to their success, we know this. The U.S. knows this. With their In-flation Reduction Act (IRA), the U.S. lumped in significant policy support for biofuels projects and is rapidly becoming a leader in R&D, drawing international Volume 23 No. 2 Reader Service Print and digital subscription inquiries or changes, please contact Angelita Potal, Customer Service Ph: (416) 510-51 13 Fax: (416) 510-6875 Email: [email protected] Mail: 1 1 1 Gordon Baker Rd., Suite 400 Toronto, ON M2H 3R1 Managing Editor -Maria Church Ph: (226) 931-1396 [email protected] Contributors -Gordon Murray, Murray McLaughlin, Andrew Snook and Sarah Stadnyk. 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Such approval does not imply any endorsement of the products or services advertised. Publisher reserves the right to refuse adver-tising that does not meet the standards of the publication. T suppliers and, no doubt, brainpower. Canada’s bioeconomy projects are lag-ging. Some are shuttering, most notably Parkland’s renewable diesel complex in B.C. The company said rising costs, lack of market uncertainty, and the IRA favour-ing U.S. producers were to blame. Yet, it seems Canada is not prepared to match the IRA. The feds are putting most of their eggs in the electrification basket. Electrification has a decarbonization role, no doubt, but biomass solu-tions for the short-and medium-term are critical if we’re to meet targets. In this issue we wanted to highlight up-and-com-ing biofuels companies in Canada. I spoke with two at different stages of commer-cializing their solutions. Green Impact Partners CEO Jesse Douglas said their company philosophy is to focus first on doing the right thing – de -signing projects for the environment and social perspective first – and then making it profitable. Despite the pull of market forces to the U.S., Douglas said they’re planning to keep the majority of their Ca-nadian-made biofuel in Canada. Balance BioGas CEO Jonathan Os-borne echoed that sentiment. The Yukon-er (on our cover) is firmly set on making northern waste-management solutions for the North. Perhaps integrity is the new ingenuity, and we’ve got it in spades. • 4 Canadian BIOMASS SPRING 2023 www.canadianbiomassmagazine.ca
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