iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

Aaron Freeman @aaronfreemanca.bsky.social · 30/09/2026

China's oil imports just fell by about 50% from late 2025, in part due to massive EV adoption. Meanwhile Trump is doing everything he can to stifle EV adoption by US consumers, while continuing a war that has increased their fuel price by 34%. buff.ly/fYt4Z8t

buff.ly

China’s crude oil imports fell in the second quarter - U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA)

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Aaron Freeman @aaronfreemanca.bsky.social · 28/09/2026

Coordinating smart thermostats, home batteries, and two-way EV chargers to ease pressure on local grids could save utilities and ratepayers $3.5 billion over 20 years by deferring costly infrastructure upgrades. Advancing Virtual Power Plants in Ontario buff.ly/JgN79XW

buff.ly

Advancing Virtual Power Plants in Ontario

By removing existing barriers to deploying distributed energy resources, Ontario can realize $3.5 billion in potential savings on the distribution system, ultimately lowering costs for utilities and…

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Aaron Freeman @aaronfreemanca.bsky.social · 19/09/2026

Ontario can’t control the trade war, but we can control how we approach our energy imports. Energy security and affordability should be priorities for our provincial government. Check out my latest opinion piece in Canada’s National Observer to learn more.

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Aaron Freeman @aaronfreemanca.bsky.social · 18/09/2026

Climate change is costing US$400-$900 per household buff.ly/4CZ9Dec

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Aaron Freeman @aaronfreemanca.bsky.social · 16/09/2026

According to the engineers: Conservatives' plan to remove bike lanes could increase collisions for cyclists, pedestrians and drivers, by 54%. There's no clear evidence that removal would ease congestion. At a minimum of $48 million, on top of the $27M already spent installing them. buff.ly/Ijiv67x

ospe.on.ca

OSPE Statement: Where Things Stand on Bill 212 and Toronto's Bike Lanes

Explore the OSPE Statement on Bill 212 and its impact on Toronto's bike lanes and transportation planning.

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Aaron Freeman @aaronfreemanca.bsky.social · 13/09/2026

From Newcastle University Professor of Glaciology Bethan Davies: "I hesitate to call this a 'natural disaster'. We did this, with our greedy obsession with burning carbon. This is our fault."

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Aaron Freeman @aaronfreemanca.bsky.social · 12/09/2026

This is a great heads-up summary in The Energy Mix of what to expect at PM Carney's Canada' Investment Summit next week: 250 Elite Investors, 167 Pitches: Some Clean Economy Projects Make the Cut as Canada Investment Summit Convenes in Toronto www.theenergymix.com/250-elite-in...

theenergymix.com

250 Elite Investors, 167 Pitches: Some Clean Economy Projects Make the Cut as Canada Investment Summit Convenes in Toronto

With as many as 250 of the world’s top investors converging on Toronto next week for Prime Minister Mark Carney’s Canada Investment Summit, news reports say pipelines, nuclear plants, railways, AI…

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Aaron Freeman @aaronfreemanca.bsky.social · 08/09/2026

Yet another study showing the children's health benefit of reducing pollution: At 3, the group of children born most recently averaged about 26 percent higher on a benchmarking test than the children born before climate rules took effect. buff.ly/g0QAVbR

nytimes.com

https://www.nytimes.com/2026/09/03/climate/cleaner-air-smarter-toddlers.html?unlocked_article_code=1.-lA.AwOt.y4u-4lx25k-E&smid=url-share

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Aaron Freeman @aaronfreemanca.bsky.social · 02/09/2026

Many of the key projects, such as the 413 Highway, 404-400 Highway Bradford Bypass and the Pickering B nuclear plant refurbishment, have previously been assessed by the province itself as unnecessary and uneconomic. www.nationalobserver.com/2026/09/01/o...

nationalobserver.com

The ballooning costs of Ford’s infrastructure strategy raise troubling questions

None of the projects in the Ontario government's growing infrastructure portfolio has been subject to any meaningful form of public assessment or review.

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Aaron Freeman @aaronfreemanca.bsky.social · 26/08/2026

New Meta data centre could add up to $460 a year to Albertans’ electricity bills due to government policy Alberta’s data centre policy leaves consumers exposed to electricity market pressures as data centre industry grows www.pembina.org/pub/footing-...

pembina.org

Footing the Bill | Pembina Institute

New analysis from the Pembina Institute estimates that between 2027 and 2031 an average Albertan household is at risk of paying an additional $267 to $462 per year for electricity once the new Meta…

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Aaron Freeman @aaronfreemanca.bsky.social · 20/08/2026

Unpaid rents, unpaid municipal taxes, and orphan well cleanup costs - Alberta taxpayers are getting stuck with tens of millions of dollars’ worth of costs from bad actors in the oil and gas sector, according to a new report from the Pembina Institute www.pembina.org/pub/unpaid-b...

pembina.org

Unpaid Bills | Pembina Institute

Albertans are at risk of being left an increasing bill for obligations taken on by oil and gas companies: for cleaning up their production sites and for rent and taxes owed. Companies are legally…

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Aaron Freeman @aaronfreemanca.bsky.social · 19/08/2026

A party that cannot resist a fake storyline is showing the country how it would weigh evidence in a real crisis. Sharan Kaur: The smearing of a departing Liberal MP reveals a toxic political playbook buff.ly/ue6O5N4

ctvnews.ca

Sharan Kaur: The smearing of a departing Liberal MP reveals a toxic political playbook

Political strategist Sharan Kaur condemns some Conservative MPs for amplifying a false and racially tinged conspiracy theory about departing Liberal MP Shaun Chen.

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Aaron Freeman @aaronfreemanca.bsky.social · 14/08/2026

Reducing congestion can only be done by building transit. But Ontario pays 15X what it used to (adjusting for inflation) and what it costs in other cities like Montreal. "This is 100% on Mr. Ford and his Conservative government. They own the bus, and they’re the ones driving it." buff.ly/eVjUtBA

theglobeandmail.com

Opinion: Years behind schedule and $23-billion over budget: Meet Doug Ford’s flagship transit project

The province is to blame for the rising costs but the taxpayers will pay for it when there’s less money for health, education and other priorities

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Aaron Freeman @aaronfreemanca.bsky.social · 14/08/2026

China exported $3 million of solar panels to Cuba in 2023, then $117 million in 2025. Cuba has installed around 1 gigawatt in the past year. Renewable energy now makes up roughly 10% of Cuba’s electricity, up from around 3% in 2024, which will rise to at least 24% by 2030. buff.ly/yR6R7wC

cnn.com

As the US starves it of oil, Cuba is pulling off one of the fastest solar revolutions on the planet — with China’s help

Cuba is struggling with nationwide blackouts as the US’s effective oil blockade strangles fuel supplies. But the crisis may accelerate its clean energy revolution

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Aaron Freeman @aaronfreemanca.bsky.social · 07/08/2026

We're desperate for new electricity sources, with a doubling of forecast supply to meet electrification needs. Yet Trump - and Doug Ford in Ontario - prefer ideology to economics. Ford cancelled 750 renewable projects, costing taxpayers $200M in decommissioning costs. buff.ly/VUZLMgx

bbc.com

Trump administration to pay German firm to halt US wind projects

The RWE payout is the latest in a string of deals cancelling wind energy projects, a power source long derided by Trump.

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Aaron Freeman @aaronfreemanca.bsky.social · 04/08/2026

Farmers who signed large-scale solar leases were three times more likely to say they’ll use the revenue from solar to invest in their farms than to reduce operations. Nearly half of the farmers with leases said they did not plan to change their agricultural practices at all.

news.cornell.edu

Solar’s threat to NYS agriculture may be overstated | Cornell Chronicle

New York state farmers with solar leases say they’ll use the added revenue to invest in their farms, with many stating they don't plan to change their agricultural practices at all.

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Aaron Freeman @aaronfreemanca.bsky.social · 03/08/2026

Still thinking it's great idea to bet the farm on Big Oil? www.iea.org/reports/elec...

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Aaron Freeman @aaronfreemanca.bsky.social · 03/08/2026

TD says even the best case scenario for an oil pipeline is quite financially risky. If industry wants to take this risk, that's their bet, but any public subsidies are a terrible deal for taxpayers. economics.td.com/ca-pipeline-...

economics.td.com

Pipelines and Pathways: Canada’s Energy Bargain Takes Shape

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Aaron Freeman @aaronfreemanca.bsky.social · 29/07/2026

Today would have been the 68th Birthday of Terry Fox, a true Canadian icon.

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Aaron Freeman @aaronfreemanca.bsky.social · 27/07/2026

Thoughtful piece on the "Condo Bail-out": If it is delivered with discipline—acquisition below replacement cost—it deserves support. If government pays above market, buys units that don’t serve middle-income buyers, or protects developers over public value—it should be condemned. buff.ly/K3X3ddY

thetyee.ca

Don’t Call It a Condo Bailout. It’s Rent-to-Own and It Can Work | The Tyee

If it’s done right, BC’s government can play a key role in helping working people afford a home.

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Aaron Freeman @aaronfreemanca.bsky.social · 20/07/2026

“If we hadn’t invested in these resources, we would have been even more exposed and overexposed to the fuel sources that are more volatile and more subject to the dramatic swings in prices during peak periods” buff.ly/CSUHzIt

mainemorningstar.com

New England solar projects cut millions in costs during July heatwave, report says • Maine Morning Star

Rooftop solar saved New England ratepayers more than $130 million in electricity costs during the region’s early July heat wave, Acadia Center reports

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Aaron Freeman @aaronfreemanca.bsky.social · 20/07/2026

The CEO predicted a "return to higher pricing" and couldn't rule out prices of "$80 or $90" by early 2028. TransAlta is predicting $100 -- 3X today's price. Driving this is the province's reliance on natural gas, which can't be built fast enough to accommodate data centre demand buff.ly/tOUleVY

nationalobserver.com

Alberta electricity industry expects tripling of power prices from data centres

In Capital Power's latest earnings call, the company's CEO, Avik Dey, told analysts that he couldn't rule out prices of "$80 or $90" per megawatt hour of electricity by early 2028. By 2029, rival…

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Aaron Freeman @aaronfreemanca.bsky.social · 15/07/2026

This is the result of a deliberate and cost-effective decision to transition off of dirty and expensive energy sources. Solar becomes EU’s largest power source for first time in June - Energy Live News

energylivenews.com

Solar becomes EU’s largest power source for first time in June - Energy Live News

Record solar generation supplied 25% of EU electricity in June, overtaking nuclear, gas and wind

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Aaron Freeman @aaronfreemanca.bsky.social · 14/07/2026

The global authority on electricity costs just released new numbers: Unsubsidized renewables remain the most cost-competitive generation source; renewables continue to be the majority of US capacity additions Why is Ont tripling gas generation, making us more dependant on US imports?

lazard.com

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Aaron Freeman @aaronfreemanca.bsky.social · 13/07/2026

A Strong GHG Emissions Standard Will Drive $20+ Billion in Charging Infrastructure Investment

ccic-ccir.ca

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