INFORMATION ABOUT SPEAKERS

Jacob Irving
President
Canadian Hydropower Association

Mr. Irving has over 10 years of experience as an association manager and government relations specialist. He holds a B.S.Sc. in Political Science from the University of Ottawa.

Most recently, Mr. Irving was Executive Director of the Oil Sands Developers Group (OSDG), where he acted as spokesperson for that association with a wide range of stakeholders in the energy industry, including municipal, provincial and federal governments, and aboriginal groups. Before his time at OSDG, Mr. Irving worked in government and in the petroleum energy sector in Canada and overseas. From 1995 until 1998 he was an Information Officer in the Library of Parliament in Ottawa, and in 1998-1999 he served as a Project Manager for the Western Cape Provincial Government in Cape Town, South Africa. In 1999-2000 he was Project Manager for the World Petroleum Congress for Foreign Affairs and International Trade/Industry Canada. From 2000 until 2006 Mr. Irving worked as Government and Public Affairs Advisor, for BP Canada and Devon Canada Corporation.

Founded in 1998, the Canadian Hydropower Association (CHA) is the national association dedicated to representing the interests of the hydropower industry. Its principal mandate is to promote hydropower nationally and internationally as a source of renewable energy, to make the economic and environmental advantages of hydropower better known, and to publicize the benefits of hydropower in the search for sustainable energy solutions. CHA members represent more than 95% of hydropower capacity in Canada.

Hydropower is the number one electricity source in Canada - about 60% of electricity production comes from hydropower - and the leading renewable energy.