Municipal District of St. Stephen

The Municipal District of St. Stephen is located in Charlotte County along the St. Croix River, and has a population of 8,111 residents. It is within close proximity to the U.S. border as well as Saint John and Fredericton. The District is also known as Canada’s Chocolate Town due to its chocolate heritage from the Ganong Brothers who started a grocery store in 1873 that eventually became a chocolate corporation.

Accelerator Program Services Description



Final Summary Report

This assessment considers how a community is progressing across 10 indicators relevant to community energy and emissions planning: Governance, Staff, Data, Financials, Strategy, Land Use, Energy Networks, Waste and Water, Transportation, and Buildings. This process included a pre-survey with initial scoring based on the review of all Municipal Plans, Policies, Bylaws; and interviews with municipal, utility, and government staff. It also included a review webinar and final report scoring. The tool can help identify gaps and pathways forward, and be used for benchmarking and continuous improvement year over year.

These scores are updated following the completion of the NB SECA Program.

Status: Complete - February 2024



Energy Mapping Exercise

This interactive exercise engages diverse local participants to identify strengths and opportunities for energy efficiency, clean energy, transportation, land use, etc., using an interactive map. Results from the exercise can help inform the development of a Community Energy and Emissions Plan.

Status: Complete - February 2024



CEEP Development Workshop

This workshop provides an overview of the key considerations necessary to develop a Community Energy and Emissions Plan. Resources presented help a community develop their CEEP. Resources include QUEST Canada’s CEEP Primer for NB Municipalities.

Complete – December 2021

Status: Complete - February 2024



CEEP Implementation Workshop

This workshop is for communities that need to establish a Governance framework involving multiple stakeholders, as well as develop a communications strategy, a Key Performance Indicator framework, and strategies to implement the measures contained within a CEEP.

Status: Complete - February 2024



Training and Education Resources

CEEP Course for Planners – This course is designed to build awareness and capacity for energy and climate planning among community planners and the Regional Service Commission (including consultants) to share best practices (i.e. policy, procedures and tools) and improve the quality, consistency and municipal capacity for implementing CEEPs.
Navigation of additional resources, funding, Energy Advisors or expertise (also known as the “Help Desk”).
Additional Webinars were provided by QUEST Canada, NB Power, Evergreen, B.C. CEA, EcoOuest, and others.



Networking and Communications Resources

groupe de travail municipal – this virtual working group is hosted by QUEST Canada for one hour every one to two months, and provides opportunities for municipalities to participate in peer-to-peer exchange, improve energy literacy, skills and competencies, learn from expert speakers, and more.
Powered by Communities – an awareness-raising, communications and media platform that highlights and celebrates local community energy initiatives taking place across the country, from coast to coast to coast. Powered by Communities works alongside local experts, artists, writers, and journalists, to develop high-quality content and journalism that delivers informative stories, showcasing local energy initiatives from across Canada. The platform’s content is shared on QUEST Canada’s website and is often cross-published with various Canadian media outlets.