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“Blake possesses an extraordinary mix of analytical rigour and practical experience,” commented Robson.

December 19, 2016 – William Robson, President and CEO of the C.D. Howe Institute, announces the appointment of Blake Shaffer, PhD candidate at the University of Calgary, and the former head trader at TransAlta Corp, as a Fellow-in-Residence.  

“Blake possesses an extraordinary mix of analytical rigour and practical experience,” commented Robson. “We are delighted to welcome him to the Institute as a Fellow-in-Residence, and look forward to his contributions to understanding and addressing Canada’s energy policy challenges.”

Blake Shaffer has extensive experience in the energy sector, with a specific focus on electricity markets. Blake enjoyed a 15 year career that took him from the trading arm of BC Hydro, to Lehman Brothers and Barclays Capital in NY as a senior energy trader, and finally as Director of Energy Trading at Transalta Corporation in Calgary, Alberta.

Blake returned to academia in 2014 to pursue his PhD in economics at the University of Calgary. He holds an M.Phil in economics from Cambridge University and a BSc (Honours) in environmental sciences from Queen’s University.

Blake has served as a Policy Advisor for the Government of Alberta on various energy-related matters. He served on the 2015 Royalty Review Secretariat, playing a pivotal role in the development of Alberta’s modernized royalty framework.

His research focus is on energy and environmental policy.

For more information please contact: C.D. Howe Institute at 416-865-1904; email: media@cdhowe.org.

The C.D. Howe Institute is an independent not-for-profit research institute whose mission is to raise living standards by fostering economically sound public policies. Widely considered to be Canada's most influential think tank, the Institute is a trusted source of essential policy intelligence, distinguished by research that is nonpartisan, evidence-based and subject to definitive expert review.