Wednesday, October 21, 2026 | 9 am PT (10:00 am MT / Noon ET) | Online via Zoom | Free
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Ultradeep geothermal energy could supply clean, always-on power and heat almost anywhere in Canada. But no new energy technology scales without public support — so how do Western Canadians actually feel about it?
Join the University of Victoria's Accelerating Community Energy Transformation (ACET) initiative and the Cascade Institute for a free webinar exploring the first empirical assessment of public perceptions of ultradeep geothermal energy in Alberta and British Columbia. The research, published in the Cascade Institute report Deep Listening: Assessing the social acceptance of geothermal energy, is based on a survey of 2,603 adults.
The survey found that Western Canadians are cautiously open to ultradeep geothermal. Few people know much about it, but the low familiarity does not translate into opposition — and acceptance is built primarily on perceived benefits and endorsement from trusted messengers.
The panel will discuss what that means for policymakers, project developers, communities, and communicators working to build informed public confidence in geothermal energy.
Panel
- Curran Crawford (facilitator), University of Victoria / ACET
- Ann Garth, Clean Air Task Force
- Amel Barich, Geologist, Geoscience Research and Communications (Iceland)
- Emily Smejkal, Ultradeep Geothermal Fellow, Cascade Institute
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This research is supported by the Accelerating Community Energy Transformation initiative, a University of Victoria–led initiative in which the Cascade Institute is an active partner. Learn more about our ACET collaboration.
