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QUEST for net-zero communities in Atlantic Canada - Accelerator program empowers participating communities to pursue and sustain energy and emissions initiatives

QUEST Canada is pleased to announce we’re expanding, with the launch of our Pan-Atlantic Net-Zero Communities Accelerator (NCA) program cohort, designed to accelerate economic development and energy emissions reduction efforts across the Atlantic Provinces.

About the Project

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 new Pan-Atlantic Net-Zero Communities Accelerator (NCA) program will help municipalities enable the communities they serve – across all four Atlantic Provinces – to reach their energy reduction goals. To reach net zero.

By continuing to expand the work we started across New Brunswick with the pilot New Brunswick Smart Energy Communities Accelerator (NB-SECA) program, and out West with our new Prairies 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.

The Pan-Atantic NCA program is delivered in cooperation with l’Association francophone des municipalités du Nouveau-Brunswick in New Brunswick, Clean Foundation in Prince Edward Island, and econext in Newfoundland & Labrador.

Participating Communities (to-date)

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Town of Truro, NS

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In Mi’kmaq: Wagobagitik, in Gaelic: Trùru, Truro is in central Nova Scotia. The shire town of Colchester County, it is located beside the Salmon River floodplain, close to the river’s mouth at the eastern end of Cobequid Bay. The Mi’kmaq name for the Truro area, “Wagobagitik” means “end of the water’s flow”.

Town-of-Quispamsis

Town of Three Rivers, PEI

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Three Rivers is within Kings County, PEI and was incorporated in 2018, through an amalgamation of seven municipalities and adjacent areas: the towns of Georgetown and Montague, and five rural municipalities – Brudenell, Cardigan, Lorne Valley, Lower Montague, and Valleyfield. In 2021, Three Rivers had a population of 7,883.

Town-of-Quispamsis

Town of Salisbury, NB

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Salisbury is a town located in Westmorland County, New Brunswick. A village for 57 years, in January 2023 it was amalgamated with parts of four local districts to become a new town. Salisbury became a permanent settlement when settlers from Yorkshire, England, settled there in 1774.

Town-of-Quispamsis

Town of Riverview, NB

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Riverview is a town in Albert County, and is located on the south side of the Petitcodiac River, across from the larger cities of Moncton and Dieppe. Riverview is the largest town in New Brunswick. And despite being designated as a town, it is the fifth-largest municipality in the province, with a population of 20,584 in 2021.

Town-of-Quispamsis

Town of Pictou, NS

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Pictou is a town in Pictou County, and is located on the north shore of Pictou Harbour. Once an active shipping port and the shire town of the county, the name Pictou derives from the Mi’kmaq name Piktuk, “an explosive place”, a reference to the river of pitch that was found in the area, or from methane bubbling up from coal seams below the harbour.

Town-of-Quispamsis

Town of Kentville, NS

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Kentville is an incorporated town, and the most populous in Nova Scotia’s Annapolis Valley. In 2021, the town’s population was 6,630 – after its agglomeration it was 26,929. Kentville is on the Cornwallis River which, downstream becomes a large tidal river at the Minas Basin.

Town-of-Quispamsis

Town of Grand Bay-Westfield, NB

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Grand Bay-Westfield is on the bank of the Saint John River. While the name Grand Baye was used for the body of water by the Acadians and Loyalists, the name became that of the settlement at the edge of Westfield Parish around 1869. The name may also be a reference to its location in the western corner of Kings County.

Town-of-Quispamsis

City of Fredericton, NB

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Fredericton is New Brunswick’s Capital City. It prides itself on being a smart and sustainable city offering a cost competitive business environment and balanced lifestyle with abundant recreational and cultural amenities. Situated in the heart of the Province of New Brunswick, along a scenic bend in the Wolastoq (Saint John River), Fredericton is as much urban energy as small-town charm.

Town-of-Quispamsis

Town of Digby, NS

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Digby, officially named the Municipality of the District of Digby, is a district municipality in Digby County. The district municipality is one of three municipal units in the county, the other two the Town of Digby and the Municipality of the District of Clare. In 2021 the Municipality had a population of 7,242.

Town-of-Quispamsis

City of Corner Brook, NL

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Corner Brook has a population of 19,333 (2021) and is located on the west coast of the island of Newfoundland, on the Bay of Islands, at the mouth of the Humber River. Corner Brook functions as a service centre for western and northern Newfoundland, and is the administrative headquarters of the Qalipu Mi’kmaq First Nations band government.

Town-of-Quispamsis

Municipality of the County of Colchester, NS

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Colchester County, located in north central Nova Scotia, has a population of 51,476 (2021) and is the fourth largest county in Nova Scotia. The majority of the county is governed by the Municipality of the County of Colchester, the county also is home to two independent incorporated towns, Stewiacke and Truro, two village commissions in Bible Hill and Tatamagouche, and the Millbrook 27 First Nations reserve.

Town-of-Quispamsis

City of Charlottetown, PEI

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Charlottetown is a flourishing community of approximately 40,500 people located on the south shore of Prince Edward Island. The Province’s capital, it is also called the “Birthplace of Confederation” after the historic Charlottetown Conference held there in 1864, which led to Confederation in 1867.

Town-of-Quispamsis

And More NCA Communities to Come!

Town-of-Quispamsis
Town-of-Quispamsis

Q&A with a Pilot Program Participant

Community Energy Transition Pathway

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STEP 1

Project Kickoff and Community Onboarding

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STEP 2

Community Foundations and Benchmarking

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STEP 3

Community Energy Plan Mapping and Development

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STEP 4

Community Energy Planning and 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 Foundations and Benchmarking:

1. The Smart Energy 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 Smart Energy 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. The Energy Conscious Community: An 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.

3. Municipal 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.

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STEP 3

Community Energy Plan Mapping and Development Outcomes:

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. Participatory Renewable Energy Assessment

The participatory renewable energy assessment includes a full technical analysis of local renewable energy potential — such as wind, solar, PV, biomass, and more — for utility or community scale applications. This also includes an analysis of the social acceptability of siting options for these installations. The purpose being to inform the development planning of clean energy resources in the community.

3. 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 Planning and Implementation Outcomes:

1. Economic Analysis

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

2. Community Energy Plan Implementation

​​Community Energy Plan Implementation Frameworks are 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 frameworks for successful local plan implementation.

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STEP 5

Progress Measurement and Evaluation Outcomes:

1. Completion of Re-Benchmarking

Participating communities can undergo a Net-Zero Communities Benchmark re-benchmarking process to document and celebrate the great progress made during their participation in the NCA program. In the pilot program, participating communities increased their scores by an average of 14%.

2. Project Evaluation

A third-party evaluator found that the pilot program provided high quality services to New Brunswick 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.

NCA Program News

SEC Benchmark website

Communities Pass Halfway Mark in the New Brunswick Smart Energy Community Accelerator Program

News Release, March 31, 2022
Read the news release

SEC Benchmark website

Creating Smart Energy Communities in Atlantic Canada

Blog by NB Power and Nova Scotia Power, March 10, 2022
Read the article

SEC Benchmark website

Announcing the launch of the New Brunswick Smart Energy Communities Accelerator Program

News Release, April 21, 2021
Read the news release

Thanks to Our Funders

QUEST Canada’s Pan-Atlantic Net-Zero Communities Accelerator program was made possible by support from the Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency, Énergie NB Power, Nova Scotia Power and Suncor Energy Foundation.

Atlantic Canada Contact

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For more information about the program, please contact Eddie Oldfield, Senior Lead, Projects; at QUEST Canada at [email protected] or  (866) 494-2770 e.710

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