14 New Brunswick Communities Have a Leg up on the Road to Net-Zero

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

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE 

March 31, 2022 — Today, QUEST Canada announced a new milestone for communities participating in the New Brunswick Smart Energy Community Accelerator Pilot Program.

The program is designed to equip communities with tools and knowledge to develop and implement community energy plans and understand the net economic benefits they can provide. 

In N.B., this program includes 14 participating communities, including one First Nation. In Fall 2021, five partner communities — through a partnership with the Association francophone des municipalités du Nouveau-Brunswick — joined the program. The 14 participating communities include:

Association francophone des municipalités du Nouveau-Brunswick Communities

1. Village de Cap-Pelé
2. Village of Nigadoo
3. Communauté Rurale de Saint-André
4. Village de Saint-Isidore
5. Village de Ste-Marie-St-Raphaël

The program is tailored to each community to match where they are on their community energy journey. For example, nine communities have just completed community energy mapping and three have taken advantage of renewable energy mapping analysis.

The interactive community energy mapping brought together a group of key stakeholders in each community to participate and identify strengths and opportunities for energy efficiency, clean energy, transportation, land use and water and waste. Results are now being used to inform the planning and development of each community’s individual community energy plan.

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

These are important steps in the development of community energy planning and the identification of local clean energy resources and now, the communities and their local stakeholders have moved into Stage 4 of the project.

In Stage 4, communities will set targets and action strategies to be used in the development of community energy plans and establish key governance and strategic frameworks, which are critical for the successful implementation of the plans.

Communities like these — and others around Canada — play an outsized role in combating climate change. According to the Federation of Canadian Municipalities, around 60 percent of public infrastructure in Canada is owned by local governments. We also know that communities are responsible for over half of Canada’s energy use and GHG emissions.

“This is a very exciting milestone for all of the communities because there are significant benefits to be gained from completing this work. These exercises enable them to better understand their energy profile, develop a collaborative vision for their energy future and highlight all of their local opportunities.” says Eric Timmins, the NB SECA Project Manager at QUEST Canada

Visit the program website to learn more or sign up to our monthly newsletter for future project updates.

To set up an interview, please contact:

MEDIA CONTACT

To set up an interview, please contact:

Cheryl Ratchford
Director, Communications & Marketing
Toll Free: 866-494-2770 e.703
[email protected]

To stay up to date on the NB SECA Program, and for more information, visit the project website.

This project was supported by the Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency (ACOA), the Government of New Brunswick Environmental Trust Fund, Énergie NB Power, the Suncor Energy Foundation, and Stantec.

ABOUT QUEST CANADA

QUEST Canada is a national non-profit that supports communities in Canada on their pathway to net-zero. Since 2007, we’ve been facilitating connections, empowering community champions and influencing decision-makers to implement efficient and integrated energy systems 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 and enabling communities to contribute to Canada’s net-zero goals.

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