Podcasts & Video
AEG Podcast Episode 1: The Canada Project
The AEG podcast, Episode 1: "The Canada Project
In our first episode of the AEG podcast, we sit down with author Claudia Cattaneo to discuss her new novel about the campaign to shut down Alberta’s oil sands industry. With over 25 years of experience covering the industry, Claudia offers a unique and intimate perspective on the complex issues surrounding this controversial topic. From the boardroom fights to the human cost of lost jobs, she explores the different sides of the story and the broader themes of cancel culture and the impact of social media. Join us as we delve into this timely and thought-provoking novel that offers a fresh take on a story that shaped a generation.
Claudia Cattaneo worked as a journalist at some of Canada’s largest daily newspapers for nearly 40 years. Based in Calgary, she retired in May, 2018, from the National Post. As its Western Business Columnist, she wrote columns, major features, and news about business in Western Canada, specializing in energy. Claudia also contributed to the FP Magazine and was a regular commentator on energy on TV and radio programs.
Earlier in her career, she was the Financial Post’s Calgary Bureau Chief; a senior business writer at the Calgary Herald specializing in finance and transportation and a member of the editorial board; a reporter at the Montreal Gazette; a reporter at the Toronto Star, a reporter at the Italian-language daily, Corriere Canadese.
Since her retirement from journalism, Claudia wrote her first novel, The Canada Project, published by FriesenPress. A work of fiction, it’s based on the true story of the conflict over Canada’s oilsands industry. She also led development of the strategy to establish the Canadian Energy Centre, a new provincial agency to elevate understanding of the value of the Canadian energy sector.
Born and raised in the Valle d’Aosta region of Northern Italy, Claudia moved to Canada as a teenager. She earned a degree in journalism from Ryerson Polytechnic University in Toronto, where she was the editor of the school¹s newspaper, The Ryersonian. She also earned a Master of Science (Political Science) from the Universite de Montreal, which she took in French and where she specialized in international relations. Claudia is trilingual — English, Italian and French.
She has been involved in many volunteer activities. She served on the board of Calgary Opera and chaired its Impresario Circle. She is a former director of Hospice Calgary. She was a member of the International Women’s Forum and of the Grizzly Council of Alberta, a group of volunteer business leaders dedicated to helping unemployed oil and gas workers land new careers.
Claudia won numerous national journalism awards for her coverage of Canada’s energy sector. She received a CIM/NRCan Annual Journalism Award for excellence in feature writing in 2004. In 2018, 2017, 2016 and 2015 she was recognized by the Society of American Business Editors and Writers, Canada, for beat reporting; in 2015 she received a citation of merit by the National Newspaper Awards for her coverage of the oil-price collapse; in 2019 she was the recipient of SABEW (Canada)’s inaugural Outstanding Achievement Award.
Claudia has two children and lives in Calgary with her husband, Ioan.