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There's still time to join the Ontario Net-Zero Communities Accelerator Program!

QUEST Canada is expanding the award-winning Net-Zero Communities Accelerator program, and accepting Communities into our new Ontario NCA cohort. Designed to identify priorities and accelerate economic development across the Province, join us in the NCA program for tailored help developing and implementing your community energy emissions plans.

Participating Ontario NCA Communities

Town-of-Quispamsis

Woolwich

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The Township of Woolwich is located in the northeastern part of Waterloo Region, and is made up of Elmira, St. Jacobs, and Breslau, and 10 small communities: Conestogo, Heidelberg, Maryhill, North Woolwich, Bloomingdale, Weissenburg, West Montrose, Floradale, Winterbourne, and Zuber Corners.

Woolwich Township has its own municipal government consisting of five councillors and a mayor; the latter also serves on the Waterloo Region Council.

West Prince

Prescott-Russell

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The United Counties of Prescott and Russell/Comtés unis de Prescott et Russell, is located in Eastern Ontario, between the Ottawa and St. Lawrence Rivers, east of the City of Ottawa.

The county was created with a merger between Russell County and Prescott County in 1820, and now includes: Township of Alfred and Plantagenet, Village of Casselman, Township of Champlain, City of Clarence-Rockland, Township of East Hawkesbury, Town of Hawkesbury, Township of Russell, and the Municipality of The Nation.

Town-of-Quispamsis

Pelham

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The town of Pelham is located in the centre of Niagara Region, and was was created in 1970 through the amalgamation of the Township of Pelham, Village of Fonthill and a portion of the Township of Thorold.

North Pelham contains the picturesque Short Hills. Two creeks have their headwaters there: Coyle Creek, which flows south into the Welland River, and Twelve Mile creek, a spring-fed stream that flows north into Lake Ontario.

Town-of-Quispamsis

Niagara on the Lake

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Niagara-on-the-Lake is located on the Niagara Peninsula at the point where the Niagara River meets Lake Ontario, across the river from New York, USA.

Important in the history of Canada; it served as the first capital of the province of Upper Canada, and is the only municipality in Canada whose elected leader is designated as Lord Mayor, a title most common in the United Kingdom.

Town-of-Quispamsis

Mississippi Mills

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Mississippi Mills is a town in eastern Ontario, in Lanark County, incorporated in 1998, when the Township of Pakenham, the Township of Ramsay, and the Town of Almonte were amalgamated. The town administrative offices are located in Ramsay and Almonte.

The Mississippi River flows through the Town’s territory, home to several festivals and events, including the North Lanark Highland Games, Naismith 3-on-3 Basketball Festival, the Almonte Fair and CeltFest.

Town-of-Quispamsis

Lincoln

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Lincoln is a town on the south shore of Lake Ontario in the Niagara Region of Ontario. The town’s administrative and commercial centre is the community of Beamsville.

Lincoln’s location between the shore of Lake Ontario and the Niagara Escarpment provides for a moderate climate with mild winters. The area is known in Canada for its orchards and vineyards. Fruit crops grown in Lincoln include cherries, peaches, apples and pears.

Town-of-Quispamsis

The Blue Mountains

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The Blue Mountains is a town in Grey County, southwestern Ontario, located where the Beaver River flows into Nottawasaga Bay. The economy of the town is centred on tourism.

The town’s territory includes the rural communities of Banks, Camperdown, Castle Glen Estates, Christie Beach, Clarksburg, Craigleith, Duncan, Gibraltar, Swiss Meadows, Heathcote, Kolapore, Little Germany, Lora Bay, Loree, Ravenna, Red Wing, Slabtown, and Victoria Corners.

Town-of-Quispamsis

More to Come...

Town-of-Quispamsis

More to Come...

Town-of-Quispamsis

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About the Program

Canada’s path to achieving net-zero emissions by 2050 involves a comprehensive and multifaceted approach that includes significant investments in clean energy, technological innovation, and robust policy frameworks.

With over 51% of energy and emissions under the direct or indirect influence of local governments, QUEST Canada’s Ontario Net-Zero Communities Accelerator (NCA) program will help municipalities enable the communities they serve – and reach their energy reduction goal: net zero.

By continuing to expand the work we started in New Brunswick with the pilot New Brunswick Smart Energy Communities Accelerator (NB-SECA) program, out West with our Prairies NCA program, and across the Atlantic Provinces with the Atlantic NCA program, we’re collectively taking a real step forward to fighting climate change by working to lower energy costs and reduce GHG emissions on a municipal, ‘community’ scale.

By giving communities a way to ‘see’ themselves clearly – through (numerical) benchmarking and (visual) energy mapping – and by supplying their municipal staff with the support and expertise they need to develop a Community Energy and Emissions Plan (CEEP), the municipality is in a better place to identify pathways to net zero, develop strategies for success, hit short term targets and achieve long term goals… faster!

Community Energy Transition Roadmap

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STEP 1

Project Kickoff and Community Onboarding

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STEP 2

Community Energy Emissions Benchmarking

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STEP 3

Community Energy Mapping and Planning

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STEP 4

Community Energy Plan Implementation

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STEP 5

Progress Measurement and Evaluation

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STEP 1

Project Kickoff and Community Onboarding

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STEP 2

Community Energy Emissions Benchmarking

1. The Net-Zero Community Benchmark

The Benchmark is a tool that measures where a community stands relative to Canadian best practices and enables the communities to discover where they are making headway on becoming a Net-Zero Community and where opportunities remain. This is an important first step in a community’s net-zero journey and allows them to track their progress and growth over time. Look for all of the community assessment results to be posted soon.

2. Municipal NCA Working Groups

Participating community staff and local stakeholders participate in ongoing regional Municipal Working Groups, including QUEST produced educational webinars to provide expert presentations and advice, and a wide ranging, comprehensive set of community energy resources, tools and strategies.

3. The Energy Conscious Community: A York University Energy Course for Planning Professionals

Municipal staff and local planning personnel work to complete The Energy Conscious Community: An Energy Course for Planning Professionals, developed and delivered by York University in partnership with QUEST Canada. This course supports professional planners to understand and deliver on their central role of integrating local, renewable and conventional energy sources into their communities.

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STEP 3

Community Energy Mapping and Planning

1. Community Energy Mapping

During community energy mapping, interactive exercises engage diverse local participants in each community to identify strengths and opportunities for energy efficiency, clean energy, transportation, land use and water and waste — using an interactive map. Results are used to inform the planning and development of their individual municipal energy plans.

2. Community Energy Planning

Community Energy Plan Development workshops utilize interactive exercises that engage diverse local participants in each community, to develop energy and emissions targets and prioritize corresponding action strategies to achieve them. The results are used to inform the development of local Community Energy Action Plans.
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STEP 4

Community Energy Plan Implementation

1. Feasibility Study

Participating communities can undergo a thorough feasibility study of their chosen action strategies, in order to better understand the potential positive economic impact the implementation of their plans will have on their local economy.

2. Community Energy Plan Implementation

​​A Community Energy Plan is developed via workshops that utilize interactive exercises to engaged diverse local participants in each community and 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 roadmaps for successful local plan implementation.

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STEP 5

Progress Measurement and Evaluation

1. Re-Benchmarking

Participating communities can, once the program is completed, think about and plan to undergo a Net-Zero Communities Re-Benchmarking process to document and celebrate more great progress made from their participation in the NCA program. In the pilot program, participating communities that re-benchmarked increased their scores by an average of 14%.

2. Program Evaluation

A third-party evaluator found that the pilot NCA program provided high quality services to municipalities, giving participants the knowledge, skills and expertise needed to create their own individual CEEPs. The plans and the resulting integration into longer-term planning documents, policy development and built environment changes will sustain their shift into a net-zero future.

Thanks to Our Funder

QUEST Canada’s Net-Zero Communities Accelerator program in Ontario was made possible with support from Enbridge.

Ontario NCA Contact

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For more information about the program, please contact Norma Panetta, Lead, Projects at QUEST Canada at npanetta@questcanada.org or (866) 494-2770 e.715

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