Call for Expressions of Interest: QUEST Canada seeks Pan-Atlantic net-zero community cohort participants

QUEST Canada is looking for municipalities in the Atlantic Provinces to participate in the new Pan-Atlantic Net-zero Community Accelerator (NCA) Program

Atlantic Canada // QUEST Canada invites small and mid-sized municipalities across New Brunswick, Prince Edward Island, Nova Scotia, and Newfoundland & Labrador to join the new, three-year Pan-Atlantic Net-zero Communities Accelerator (NCA) program.

With an initial target Pan-Atlantic cohort of 15 municipalities, eligible applicants include local governments (Indigenous, municipal, regional or a group of small municipalities and/or bands), or organizations applying on behalf of a local government or a group of local governments (e.g. a local energy distributor or not-for-profit organization). 

Why Participate?:

• Get tailored services to help you develop and/or implement a community energy plan or initiative
• Help reduce your GHG emissions  – communities directly and indirectly account for 51% of GHG emissions
• For every % of reduction in community energy use, more dollars are kept in your local economy

To-date, over 35 municipalities have participated in the program, across New Brunswick and the three Prairie Provinces.

Services Offered by QUEST Canada:

1 – Community Energy Benchmark Assessment: together we identify strengths and areas for improvement
2 – Energy Mapping Exercise: we’ll identify opportunities for energy and emissions reduction
3 – CEEP Development Workshop: then we’ll take a deep dive into areas of opportunity
4 – CEEP Implementation Workshop
5 – Monthly Meetings and Webinars
6 – Success Stories: during and after, we share your successes far and wide
7 – Economic Impact Assessment
8 – And more!

Municipal Staff Time Requirements:  

QUEST’s team will be undertaking much of the work involved. Expectations of participating municipal staff include sharing information, receiving monthly national and regional e-news and program updates, participating in virtual (or in-person) meetings and workshops, and attending relevant webinars. 

Once participation is confirmed, QUEST will develop an Accelerator plan tailored to the community, including a description of the services to be provided to the municipality from 2024 to 2027. 

Outputs: 

As a result of your participation, each municipality will receive a Benchmark Assessment report, as well as a Recommendations Report for your Community Energy and Emissions Plan (CEEP) which can be used to obtain Milestone 3 of the FCM-ICLEI Partners for Climate Protection Program. Each municipality will also benefit from a CEEP Implementation Recommendations Report, which can be used to obtain Milestone 4 in the FCM-ICLEI Partners for Climate Protection Program.

Cost to Participate:

Communities will confirm their participation in the program by paying a small fee based on population. Indigenous communities are exempt from paying program fees.

To Apply:

If your municipality or group of municipalities is interested in participating in the initial Pan-Atlantic NCA cohort of 15 Atlantic Province communities, please write to QUEST Canada’s Senior Lead, Projects, Eddie Oldfield at: [email protected], with the subject line ‘Pan-Atlantic NCA Expression of Interest’, and included the information below.

1. Municipal name, address, website
2. Main contact, title, division/department
3. Size and population of Municipality(s)
4. Does your community have an integrated community energy and emissions plan? (If yes, please attach.)
5. Does your community need help to develop a community energy and emissions plan (CEEP)? (Yes / No)
6. If your community already has a CEEP, what are your highest priority projects for which you may need assistance to bring to life? (List all that apply.)

• • Local government operations
  • Land use, transit, or active transportation
  • Waste and diversion
  • Renewable / low carbon electricity
  • Renewable / low carbon heat
  • Electric vehicles
  • New commercial buildings
  • Existing commercial buildings
  • New residential buildings
  • Existing residential buildings
  • Sequestration
  • Embodied emissions
  • Other

Deadline:

The Pan-Atlantic NCA Program Call for Expressions of Interest closes Thursday, June 13 @ 5:00 pm Atlantic Daylight Time.

Questions?:

Please don’t hesitate to send a quick email to QUEST’s Senior Lead, Projects, Eddie Oldfield at: [email protected]

Download / Print a Copy:

Download / Print this Call for Expressions of Interest – Pan-Atlantic NCA (pdf) / Version française (pdf)

Visit Other QUEST Canada Program Webpages:

• NCA Program: Net-Zero Communities Accelerator Program
• NB SECA: New Brunswick Smart Energy Communities Accelerator
• Prairies NCA: Net-Zero Communities Accelerator Prairies Cohort
• PICEC: Partnering for Indigenous Community Energy Capacity
• CEEPs: Community Energy and Emissions Planning Resource Hub
• And More: QUEST Canada Resources

What Participants Say:

About 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. With the goal of encouraging, assisting and enabling communities to contribute to Canada’s net-zero goals, we develop tools and resources, convene stakeholders and rights holders, and advise decision-makers.

Questions?

Please contact Eddie Oldfield, Senior Lead, Projects, QUEST Canada at:
[email protected]

Please share this with others: