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Beth Valiaho

Beth ValiahoVice-President, Strategy & Stakeholder Relations, International CCS Knowledge Centre

C. Beth (Hardy) Valiaho B.A., LL.B., LL.M.

As Vice-President, Strategy & Stakeholder Relations, Beth represents the Knowledge Centre amongst global decision makers and financiers to accelerate engagement on and understanding of the deployment of carbon capture and storage (CCS); and focuses on helping to link CCS knowledge within Canada and with other countries to reduce locked-in investments and collaboratively support the goals of the Paris Agreement. Her understanding of complex climate change matters, policies and regulations, and international financing concerns act as a solid basis for assisting both national and international implementation strategies for technologies that support environmental targets.
Prior to joining the Knowledge Centre Beth worked briefly as legal counsel for the provincial Crown utility. She pairs this industrial perspective with regulatory knowledge as Acting Director of Climate Change with the Government of Saskatchewan. During that time, Beth contributed to the drafting of Saskatchewan’s large industrial emissions legislation and regulations and facilitated intergovernmental discussions on national greenhouse gas regulatory development.

These positions are reflective of Beth’s time with the National Round Table on the Environment and the Economy – an organization which sought to balance both environmental and economic priorities in Canada. Her work at the National Round Table specifically focused on analysing provincial/territorial climate action plans and making recommendations for low cost and sustainable pathways forward to reduce carbon footprints and reporting to the federal Minister of Environment.

Beth’s legal education, teaching and practice have explored balancing energy, the environment and social implications. With her Masters of Laws in environmental law and sustainability, Beth focused her education on climate change and providing rights to future generations for natural resources. Teaching environmental law at the University of Saskatchewan shaped her understanding of all areas of environmental law to a higher degree due the in-depth explanation of why and how environmental laws and policies are structured.