The Trans-Canada Pipeline was completed in 1958, and Alberta Natural Gas became available in Toronto for the first time. Winnipeg had been hooked up earlier that same year. Up until then urban centres in Canada were heated with coal, and rural homes were heated with wood. This was considered huge progress. As urban homes were being retrofitted to make use of this new, economical fuel, rural homes were being retrofitted to be heated with fuel oil delivered by bulk oil truck. It is doubtful that anyone then thought that we were making ourselves vulnerable with this dependence on fuel moved such huge distances. Did anyone then think there was anything risky about fostering a dependence on fossil fuel? Our knowledge of how to heat efficiently and how to conserve heat has increased greatly in the years since 1958. No knowledgeable person would suggest we go back to where we were in 1958. But what should we do?
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