Okotoks, Alberta – To know where you’re going, look to where you’ve been

By Andrea Miller

An old saying goes, “you can’t know where you’re going until you know where you’ve been.” But in the climate sector, we don’t often take time to stop and reflect on our progress. Many practitioners are caught in a cycle of reacting to emerging issues or juggling competing priorities. Long-term targets in the (not-so) distant future make it easy to overlook celebrating the shorter-term wins that signal real momentum.

For local governments, this reality is even more pronounced. Administration staff can be pulled in many directions, working to advance organizational goals while responding to the immediate needs of their communities and the mandates of their elected officials. That’s why opportunities to pause, take stock, and celebrate progress matter. And seeing a snapshot of that progress and knowing where to focus efforts for maximum impact is especially important when those efforts are bringing a community closer to a net-zero target.

Dedicated time to reflect

For Okotoks, Alberta participating in the Prairies Cohort of QUEST’s Net-Zero Communities Accelerator Program provided dedicated time and space to reflect on progress and plan next steps, and the opportunity to join 11 other local governments in Alberta, Saskatchewan, and Manitoba in advancing low‑carbon and climate‑resilient communities through planning, collaboration, and capacity building.

The Town’s participation was led by Valerie Ekelund, Environmental Specialist. For Valerie, participating in the NCA program seamlessly aligned with the core values of Town. “The town has always had this history and this ongoing commitment to environmental sustainability and conservation, and so it fit right into that mold,” shared Valerie.

While Okotoks has already shown progress on advancing climate projects, the NCA program presented an opportunity to continue that momentum by helping the Town understand where it stood, where it is showing leadership, and where further effort could have the greatest impact.

A benchmarking assessment kicked off the Town’s journey through the NCA program, establishing a baseline of its progress toward becoming a net‑zero community. The assessment evaluates performance across ten indicators that support the transition to a net-zero community. Indicators span two categories: community capacity and resources (governance, staff, data, financials, strategy), and community energy systems and processes (land use, energy networks, waste and water, transportation, and buildings).

The assessment uses a questionnaire, a scan of the community’s plans and policies, utility data, and conversations with Town staff to create a complete picture of the Town’s progress. For Okotoks, this process was facilitated by Hammad Ahmed, a sustainable design engineer and Program Lead for the Municipal Climate Change Action Centre, one of the NCA program’s service delivery partner organizations. Benchmarking results in a score that reflects the unique areas where a community has progressed, and the areas where they can look to their peers for motivation. “No community is the same. One’s a city, one’s a town, they’ve got different populations and different urban and rural aspects,” Hammad points out. “So we never compare communities. But we do encourage them to look at other communities for guidance.”

For Valerie, the value of benchmarking was clarity. “Going through that benchmarking process really helped me understand where we were, what we had done, and also where we could go.”

Okotoks’ strengths, and opportunities

One of the Town of Okotoks’ strongest results in the Benchmark Assessment was in data and staff capacity – an outcome that closely reflects where the Town has been intentionally investing its efforts. “We’re trying to make a lot of data-based decisions and present that type of information to leadership and council,” explains Valerie, “so the more data we can have to back it up, is really helpful for them to see that whole picture when we’re looking at specific projects.”

The reliable data gained through the assessment allows the Town to move beyond assumptions and make informed choices about where to direct resources, which projects to prioritize, and how to communicate progress to leadership and Council. It also strengthens the Town’s ability to build a clear business case for climate initiatives, ensuring decisions are grounded in evidence.

The benchmarking process also sparked internal collaboration. Gathering information required conversation across departments that don’t typically work together, creating space to break down silos, align priorities, and rekindle initiatives that had lost momentum.

And for Valerie, this reinforced a valuable lesson: working toward net zero doesn’t have to be a solo effort. “It wasn’t something that had been focused on in terms of, let’s build this network and then create this plan towards net zero for our community,” Valerie reflects, “but it makes a lot of sense to do it that way, because there are so many other people and groups involved in getting to that net zero.”

With the highest score in the cohort (56%), Okotoks is considered a “Doer”, demonstrating leadership on indicators like transportation and energy networks. “Okotoks is a perfect example of a town that other similar-sized cities or smaller towns could learn a lot of different things from,” says Hammad.

Value was in the results

The Benchmark Assessment also helped clarify where focused effort could further accelerate progress toward net zero. For Valerie, the value was in how closely the results aligned with what the Town was already working toward, and where upcoming projects could meaningfully shift future outcomes. “The benchmarking data was helpful because it kind of aligned with what we thought, but also showed us really which areas we needed to focus on,” Valerie explains.

Several initiatives already underway during the NCA program were well-aligned with the program’s objectives and are expected to strengthen Okotoks’ benchmark performance over time. The Clean Energy Improvement Program for residential homeowners, which provides a pathway for residents to invest in energy efficiency and clean energy upgrades, is one of these initiatives. At the municipal level, the Town has also been advancing solar photovoltaic installations on Town‑owned buildings, helping reduce emissions while demonstrating leadership through action.

Transportation remains another key area of opportunity and momentum. In fall 2025, Okotoks introduced a new fixed‑route transit service, expanding access to mobility options and supporting broader community connectivity. And, Okotoks has taken important steps in the building sector, an area that often presents challenges for municipalities. A newly introduced sustainable buildings policy ensures that Town owned and operated buildings prioritize energy efficiency in new construction.

Cuts through the noise, and shines a light

These initiatives highlight how Okotoks is using its benchmark results not as an endpoint, but as a guide, reinforcing success stories while identifying where targeted investments can deliver the greatest impact moving forward.

For Valerie, seeing the Town’s leadership reflected in the results was an important reminder that they are on the right track.“It was really nice to see that a lot of what we were already working on particularly aligned with the areas where either we were already succeeding and showing that leadership, or those areas where we knew we needed the most improvement.”

In a space defined by long-term targets and competing priorities, benchmarking helps cut through the noise and shine a light on the progress shown by communities across the Prairies. With a clear baseline and a better understanding of strengths and opportunities, the Town of Okotoks is well-positioned to continue their momentum and move from planning to implementation. Knowing where it has been has helped clarify where it’s going – and how to get there.

À propos de QUEST Canada

QUEST Canada is a registered Canadian charity that supports communities in Canada on their pathway to net-zero. Since 2007, we’ve been facilitating connections, empowering community champions and advising decision-makers to implement energy use and emissions reduction solutions that best meet community needs and maximize local opportunities. We develop tools and resources, convene stakeholders and rights holders, and advise decision-makers — all with the goal of encouraging, assisting and enabling communities to contribute to Canada’s net-zero goals.