From Implemention to Job Creation: A Western Canada Project Initiation Workshop

Municipal and Indigenous leaders and staffs across Western Canada are being asked to lead their communities through one of the most significant energy landscape shifts in generations, and most are doing it without a clear map. As most municipal and band offices don’t have in-house clean energy engineering and financing expertise, nor the networks to find the right partners, the cost of getting it wrong is real.

Translating ambitious plans into a concrete net-zero energy community project – that contributes to the local tax base and creates local jobs – takes a viable business case, a funding strategy, and a realistic path from planning, to initiation, to implementation – and is a ‘different-level’ next step in the process entirely.

Designed to close the gap, reduce the risk

Come spend the day with peers from across Manitoba, Saskatchewan, Alberta, and British Columbia to work on similar challenges alongside a group of Subject Matter Experts in sustainable energy project development, financing, policy and funding.

Who should attend? This workshop is designed for municipal and Indigenous community staff members and elected leaders, and potential project developers, energy infrastructure builders, financers, and professional service providers involved in:

• Energy transition initiatives, such as community solar, building retrofits, electric vehicle infrastructure
• Project planning, financial management, and economic development roles, and
• Local public engagement and consultation

Location (see map and get directions below):

Life Sciences Innovation Hub
Innovate Calgary
University of Calgary
3655 36 St NW, Calgary, AB T2L 1Y8

Why Attend? Through hands-on sessions, participants will learn how to advance their community’s energy project concept – refine its scope, strengthen its financial strategies, and identify doable next steps.

Participants will leave with:

• A refined project scope and definition, and clear critical path
• An initial financial model and detailed funding strategy
• A solid plan for hiring contractors and managing project execution
• An increased confidence to navigate a sustainable energy projects’ challenges, and
• A strong, local network of funders, consultants, and innovative, experienced solution providers

So energy spending stays local

This workshop is also about identifying and capturing new economic opportunities, by helping municipalities and Indigenous communities craft well-designed projects that attract the kind of funding that creates local construction and skilled trades jobs, supports new service businesses, generates long-term operations and maintenance roles, and keeps energy spending circulating within the local economy.

SMEs will be there to work with you

The working sessions won’t be presentations – they’ll be structured project development time with qualified Subject Matter Experts. You bring your project concept, and you leave with a clearer scope, an initial financial framework, and a set of concrete project initiation next steps.

Participants will explore how different types of local energy projects – from community solar and building retrofits, to EV infrastructure and district energy – will bolster local economic development, bring skilled new job opportunities, and support clean energy economy growth across Prairies communities.

Canada’s transition to low-carbon energy systems represents one of the largest local net-zero development opportunities in decades – with great potential to attract solid investment as we build more resilient local economies. Waiting for the right moment to move an energy project from idea to action? The time is now.

Read Our Net-Zero Communities Stories from Western Canada – To-date!

St. Theresa Point

Thank You to Our Sponsors We are grateful for the generous support of our sponsors, whose partnership makes this important workshop on the Canadian Prairies possible. Their commitment to activating community leadership and shaping a fair and lasting energy future is key to our shared success.

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Interested in Sponsoring the Workshop? The event will provide high-value exposure, meaningful engagement directly with municipal and Indigenous project leaders, and a chance to support local and enclusive, innovative energy transition solutions. Please review our sponsorship package and contact us to learn more: mschweyer@questcanada.org.

With Gratitude to Our Program Supporters This event is made possible through the generous support of PrairiesCAN, whose ongoing commitment to QUEST Canada’s NCA program empowers us to deliver workshops that advance our shared goals. We’re deeply grateful for their foundational support.