New Brunswick Smart Energy Communities Accelerator Pilot Program
About the Project
The NB SECA Pilot Program successfully established a community energy planning accelerator to assist a series of New Brunswick communities and one First Nation, equipping them with the tools and knowledge to develop and implement community energy plans and understand the net economic benefit they can provide.
Program Services & Tools
Participating Communities received support to guide them through the implementation of a Smart Energy Community Accelerator Plan, which included:
Utilizing established tools and processes to build the foundational knowledge and structure needed to effectively develop and action community energy and emissions plans and initiatives.
Providing access to custom coaching and navigation services.
Connecting communities to a robust network of peer communities to promote collaboration, knowledge sharing and to build collective energy literacy.
New Brunswick Pilot Communities
Town of Florenceville-Bristol
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Florenceville-Bristol has an average temperature of 11.5 degrees Celsius and reaches record lows of -37.8 degrees Celsius in winter months and 35.0 degrees Celsius in summer months. Florenceville-Bristol receives approximately 1,100mm of precipitation per year and experiences all 4 seasons. During spring months, flooding can occur along the Saint John River in low laying areas.
The Town aims to reduce their corporate greenhouse gas emissions 25% by 2027 from 2017 levels and their community greenhouse gas emission 10% by 2027 from 2017 levels. This will be done through a number of actions such as building retrofits, streetlight LED light bulb conversion and water conservation. Overall, the Town of Florenceville-Bristol is taking the correct steps to decrease their greenhouse gas emission, costs and increase the health of all its citizens.
Town of Oromocto
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Village of Perth-Andover
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Town of Quispamsis
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The population of Quispamsis in 2016 was 18,245 inhabitants spread over an area of 57.21km², a density of 318.9 hab./km². The Municipality had 6,596 private dwellings in 2016, of which 6,455 were occupied by full time residents. 57% of dwellings were built before 1991. Quispamsis is the sixth-largest municipality in New Brunswick.
Quispamsis, and the four other regional municipalities — Rothesay, Grand Bay-Westfield, St. Martins, and Saint John — and area private sector investors have given Enterprise Saint John the mandate to be the backbone organization for the region’s integrated economic development strategy — True Growth.
In 2017, MoneySence named Quispamsis the best place to live in Atlantic Canada.
Town of Sussex
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Today, Sussex is primarily a regional service centre for the surrounding agricultural communities of the upper Kennebecasis River valley. The town is a highway service centre on Route 1, the primary highway between Moncton and Saint John, as well as being the most heavily travelled route in the Maritimes to the United States.
Since 2003, natural gas has been available from the McCully field near Sussex. The potential local natural gas supply and the energy opportunities resulting from the recently closed Potash Company of Canada mine both support the goals of the town’s Community Energy Plan and its economic development objectives.
Town of Saint Andrews
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St. Mary’s First Nation
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Town of St. Stephen
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Town of Woodstock
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Association francophone des municipalités du Nouveau-Brunswick partner communities
Five partner communities, through partnership with the Association francophone des municipalités du Nouveau-Brunswick, are participating in the NB SECA Program.
Village de Cap-Pelé
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Village of Nigadoo
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Le village, qui a été incorporé en 1967, compte aujourd’hui près de 1 000 habitants. C’est un endroit à caractère résidentiel et touristique où il fait bon vivre. Vous y trouverez la plupart des services habituellement offerts dans les grands centres, tels que camping, parc d’attraction, marché de poissons, motel, artisanat, antiquités et restaurants gastronomiques. La rivière de Nigadoo est un joli site où il fait bon se baigner et pêcher. On retrouve le long de celle-ci, dans le parc du Vieux Moulin, les ruines d’un moulin datant du 19e siècle.
Communauté Rurale de Saint-André
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Saint-André vous invite, petits et grands, à venir vous amuser et découvrir le dynamisme de sa communauté où l’agriculture est à la base de son économie.
Pour votre plus grand bonheur, venez respirer l’air pur des espaces naturels et admirer les paysages de cette charmante campagne.
Saint-André est un site enchanteur où l’on y découvre de nombreux trésors…Une magnifique église centenaire érigée au milieu de la communauté, des champs de pommes de terre à couper le souffle sans oublier le plus petit pont couvert du monde. Voilà quelques-unes des particularités propres de cette région.
Prendre le temps de s’arrêter, s’évader du quotidien et se laisser séduire par le charme particulier de Saint-André, voilà un endroit qui saura éveiller tous vos sens!
Village de Saint-Isidore
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Village de Ste-Marie-St-Raphaël
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Community Acceleration Timeline
Community Acceleration Timeline
Stage 2 Achievements
1. The Smart Energy Communities Benchmark
2. The Energy Conscious Community: An Energy Course for Planning Professionals
3. Webinar Training Series on Community Energy Resources
Stage 3 Achievements
1. Community Energy Mapping
2. Participatory Renewable Energy Assessment
Stage 4 Achievements
1. Community Energy Planning
- Community Energy Plan Development workshops utilized interactive exercises that engaged diverse local participants in each community to develop energy and emissions targets and prioritize corresponding action strategies to achieve them.
- The results have been used to inform the development of their local Community Energy Action Plans.
Completed July 2022
2. Economic Analysis
Completed July 2022
3. Community Energy Implementation
- The Community Energy Plan Implementation Frameworks were developed via workshops that utilized interactive exercises that engaged diverse local participants in each community to develop implementation strategies for the actions developed in their local plans.
- These frameworks are PCP Milestone compliant and provide communities with the necessary key governance and strategic frameworks for successful local plan implementation.
Completed Sept 2022
Next Steps
Program Outcomes
Enhanced and ongoing knowledge sharing and support around community energy planning for 14 New Brunswick communities, including one First Nation.
The development and implementation of tailored Accelerator plans and Summary Reports to help NB SECA participants assess their current achievements and next steps related to community energy planning.
Case Studies to assess the economic impact of elements of Community Energy Plans, and a report that uses these case studies to extrapolate the impact of implementing all CEPs in New Brunswick to help inform the province’s economic recovery strategy post-COVID.
Lessons learned and results that can be shared with interested stakeholders both regionally and nationally.
Resources
CEEP Resources
QUEST Canada Resources
- Resource Guide to Community Net-Zero Action
- QUEST Canada’s CEP Primer for NB Municipalities
- QUEST Canada’s SEC Benchmark Tool
- QUEST Canada’s Economic Impact Assessment Workbook
Partners for Climate Protection (PCP) Resources
- PCP’s Milestone Tool
- PCP’s website
- PCP’s Hub
MEED Resource
NB SECA Communities In the News
New Brunswick communities ramping up climate plans
Environment Journal, August 16
Read the article
Maintaining Momentum on Climate Action after Municipal Reform
QUEST Canada Blog Post, July 21
Read the blog post
QUEST Canada Helps Saint Andrews, St. Stephen Find Smart-Energy Solutions For Their Environments And Economies
Huddle, April 4, 2022
Read the article
Communities Pass Halfway Mark in the New Brunswick Smart Energy Community Accelerator Program
News Release, March 31, 2022
Read the news release
Creating Smart Energy Communities in Atlantic Canada
Blog by NB Power and Nova Scotia Power, March 10, 2022
Read the article
Dodging the Peak: Smart grid to cut carbon and incorporate renewables
Sussex Partners with QUEST To Create Lower-Cost Renewable Energy
New Brunswick’s Smart Energy Community Accelerator Communities Enter a New Phase
Announcing the launch of the New Brunswick Smart Energy Communities Accelerator Program
Program Funders
Empowering Canadian Communities
QUEST Canada develops and implements projects with the aim to nurture strategic partnerships, facilitate connections, empower community champions, and influence decisions makers, supporting communities across Canada on their pathway to net-zero. Find out more about our projects:
Promoting Energy Efficiency in Land Use Planning Training
The NB Environmental Trust Fund awarded funds to QUEST Canada and Decodesign to train professionals on promoting energy efficiency through land use planning design and smart growth principles integrated into development projects.
Low Carbon Energy Innovation
The project will combine cutting-edge research with on-the-ground qualitative analysis to develop a research database capturing the current state of low carbon innovation in the energy sector.
Community Energy Planning Alignment & Implementation Framework
Community Energy Planning Alignment & Implementation FrameworkWhat is the CEP Alignment and Implementation Framework? A Community Energy / Emissions Plan (CEP) defines a community’s priorities around energy and greenhouse gas emissions. Responding to the global...