Pictured from left to right: Luis Sanchez Diaz, Juan Fernandez, Michelle Cobblah, Jordan Simons. Image courtesy of Ontario Energy Board.
Lawson Climate Institute is pleased to announce that a team from University of Toronto’s Munk School of Global Affairs and Public Policy has won the Ontario Energy Board (OEB) Energython. The winning team, The MunkWattz, is comprised of students enrolled in the Munk School’s Master of Public Policy program.
The OEB Energython challenged first-year graduate student teams to respond to a timely policy question facing the regulator. The OEB currently regulates natural gas and electricity and is considering whether to expand its mandate to regulate other emerging energy sources – a decision that will be informed by stakeholder consultation. Expanding the OEB’s mandate could impact stakeholders across Ontario. During the two-week case competition, teams were asked to consider how the OEB should balance the diverse interests of its stakeholders when making this decision.
Five university teams were presented with a case question, revealed at the start of the competition. Each team was supported by an OEB coach, with whom they consulted while developing their solution. After two weeks of teamwork, teams presented their recommendations to a judging panel comprised of OEB managers.
The MunkWattz‘s proposed solution to the case question was for the OEB to incorporate a statutory-principles decision framework into its Stakeholder Engagement Framework (SEF) for managing competing priorities.
The winning team of U of T students will secure a co-op placement with the Ontario Energy Board.
Congratulations to the winners:
- Luis Sanchez Diaz
- Juan Fernandez
- Michelle Cobblah
- Jordan Simons
To learn more about the Ontario Energy Board, visit: www.oeb.ca