Ken Smith

Deputy Minister of Energy, Alberta

The Department of Energy has responsibility for a diverse resource development portfolio that includes natural gas, oil, petrochemicals, electricity, coal and minerals, and collects revenues ranging from $2.5 to $10.9 billion a year from these resources. Through the development of policies, royalty regimes and other business initiatives, the department encourages continued investment in Alberta’s energy resources.

Mr. Smith has overseen the following initiatives as Deputy Minister:

• the implementation of Alberta’s competitive electricity marketplace

• the development of policies associated with future energy supply, Alberta’s oil sands, and proposed northern natural gas pipelines and the Alberta Hub

• the creation of legislation to protect Alberta consumers from sudden increases in natural gas prices.

• the development of innovative programs to increase the efficiency of gas processing

plants and reduce sour gas emissions.

A recent Department of Energy reorganization along commodity lines is resulting in more focused service to Albertans. Mr. Smith co-chairs the Sustainable Development

Co-ordinating Council, which advances initiatives such as regulatory reform and integrated resource management. He played a pivotal role in the development of Alberta’s Aboriginal Policy Framework, bringing an innovative approach to training and employment programs for Aboriginal Albertans in resource industries.

He also championed Alberta’s corporate human resource strategy to provide more consistent leadership development across government. This initiative was awarded the Institute of Public Administration of Canada gold award for innovative management in 2001.

Prior to joining the department, Mr. Smith was chair of Alberta’s Natural Resources Conservation Board where he oversaw the impartial review of proposed major natural resource projects. Prior to that, he led the development of Alberta’s Clean Air Strategy for dealing with air quality and greenhouse gas emissions, and harmonized federal and provincial environmental review processes as Assistant Deputy Minister at Alberta Environment.