Towards Cleaner Heat: Hydrogen Blending and Bill 52

Mike Ashton has over 20 years of experience in the energy industry developing policy either as a government official or as a government affairs representative. He has been the Government Relations Manager at Linde since 2021. Linde is a leading global industrial gases and engineering company, serving a variety of end markets such as chemicals and energy, food and beverages, electronics, healthcare, manufacturing, metals and mining. With Linde, Mike has been advocating for the support and growth of hydrogen and other industrial gases in the US and in Canada.

Hussain Shamji, P.Eng. is an engineer with over 10 years of experience in production-operations engineering, upstream pipeline integrity management, and technical service within the oil and gas industry. Currently within the gas utilities division at the Alberta Utilities Commission, Hussain leads the review and evaluation of gas utility facility applications, drawing on a strong background in pipeline integrity and pipeline operations, managing technical projects, and ensuring regulatory compliance across Alberta. Born and raised in Edmonton, Hussain holds a degree in petroleum engineering (University of Alberta) and is a registered Professional Engineer with APEGA.

Greg Caldwell serves as Director of Government Relations and Corporate Affairs, where he utilizes his expertise in energy systems and finance to advocate for sustainable, secure, and cost-effective energy solutions that are vital to both Canada’s economic stability and national security. He supports strategic initiatives in low-emission technologies, such as hydrogen and renewable gas, while acknowledging the critical and continued role of conventional energy infrastructure will have in sustaining the unprecedented standard of living enabled by abundant, reliable, and affordable energy. His approach emphasizes balancing forward-thinking innovation with the practical reality that robust energy systems are foundational to national security, healthcare, education, manufacturing, and agriculture. As Chair of the Canadian Gas Association’s Standing Committee on Policy and Regulation and through advisory board roles at NAIT and the University of Alberta, Greg works to support the development of the next generation of energy policy and mentoring the next generation of energy leaders.

Tyler Dickens works in Hydrogen Business Development at FortisBC where he drives techno‑economic analyses, demonstration projects, system-wide technical feasibility studies, and business opportunities for hydrogen projects as part of the utility’s emerging hydrogen portfolio. Tyler also collaborates with universities and industry to develop and implement cutting-edge hydrogen technology solutions through research initiatives and pilot projects to help advance hydrogen technologies to commercial readiness. Previously with HTEC, he managed the demonstration of Canada’s first fuel‑cell bus trial since the 2010 Olympics, led the delivery of Canada’s first a hydrogen‑powered RTG crane, and provided consulting services to municipalities and transit operators across North America to decarbonize their infrastructure and fleet assets. Tyler holds a BASc in Civil Engineering with a Minor in Commerce from the University of British Columbia.