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Toby Heaps

Clean Capitalism Ambassador

Toby Heaps is a seasoned professional who studied at McGill University and has a strong background in sustainability and corporate responsibility.

He is widely recognized for his contributions and leadership as the former CEO at Corporate Knights Inc., a renowned media and research company focused on promoting sustainable practices in the business world.

Highlights

Aug 1 · linkedin

This is a timely piece by Corporate Knights research director Ralph Torrie and myself in today's The Globe and Mail on why Canada’s interests do not always align with those of the United States as is the case with imposing punitive tariffs on Chinese EVs, which Ottawa is considering at the moment.

This week, news emerged that the Chinese electric-vehicle maker BYD Co. has told Ottawa it plans to enter the Canadian market. That’s great news. Affordable electric vehicles that are made in China could open up the Canadian EV market to millions of middle-class families. But the news comes at a fraught time. Following a similar move by the United States, the Canadian government is considering punitive tariffs on Chinese EVs, with the consultation period ending on Thursday. Such tariffs would be a mistake which could cost Canadian families $9-billion in fuel and maintenance costs savings, not to mention 12 million tonnes of avoided GHG emissions.

Jul 12 · linkedin

Big news from Europe. BusinessEurope, arguably the most influential business association in the world, has shown a strong indication that it may be shifting to a more climate supportive role, with a new paper linking climate action to economic competitiveness, entitled: "How to Strengthen the EU's Competitiveness: Energy and Climate Transition."

Their key message: "a massive scale-up of renewable and low-carbon capacity is needed to reduce the energy price gap between the EU and third countries and reach climate neutrality [including] ..., additional policy measures to secure the competitiveness of European industry, supported by a conducive regulatory framework and a scale-up of private and public investments."

Given the key role major industry associations play in defining the Overton window of policy possibilities, this is an important development, which I will be tracking against InfluenceMap data to see if it translates into real world positive climate policy engagement.

The business logic is strong as green growth trends are driving overall revenue growth amongst major European companies as tracked by Corporate Knights research.

Lots of room for the Business Council of Canada, Canadian Manufacturers & Exporters Canadian Chamber of Commerce, U.S. Chamber of Commerce, National Association of Manufacturers - NAM and Business Roundtable to join what needs to be a race to the top on climate action.

https://lnkd.in/eJZPN2Sq

Dylan Tanner Morten Dyrholm Anne White

Toby Heaps
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Location

Toronto, Ontario, Canada