Town of Woodstock

Quest Canada with teal maple leaf
Town of Woodstock logo

The Town of Woodstock is located 100 kilometres west of the Capital City, Fredericton; 300 kilometres west of the Nova Scotia border; 200 kilometres east from the Quebec border and 25 kilometres from State of Maine border. Settled on the banks of the Meduxnekeag and St. John Rivers (at the intersection of the Trans Canada Highway at Exits 185 and 188, and I-95 at Exit 12), Woodstock was the first incorporated town in New Brunswick on May 1, 1856. The town boasts some of the finest 19th Century Victorian heritage homes, churches and civic buildings. The town is a vibrant, prosperous community and the service centre of the Upper St. John River Valley. Woodstock is the retail and commercial hub of the agricultural, forestry and transportation sectors in the regional economy.

Accelerator Program Services Description

Smart Energy Communities Benchmark Assessment

This assessment considers how a community is progressing across 10 indicators relevant to community energy and emissions planning: Governance, Staff, Data, Financials, Strategy, Land Use, Energy Networks, Waste and Water, Transportation, and Buildings. This process included a pre-survey with initial scoring based on the review of all Municipal Plans, Policies, Bylaws; and interviews with municipal, utility, and government staff.  It also included a review webinar and final report scoring. The tool can help identify gaps and pathways forward, and be used for benchmarking and continuous improvement year over year. These scores are updated following the completion of the NB SECA Program.

CEEP Implementation Workshop

This workshop is for communities that need to establish a Governance framework involving multiple stakeholders, as well as develop a communications strategy, a Key Performance Indicator framework, and strategies to implement the measures contained within a CEEP.

Training and Education Resources

  • CEEP Course for Planners – This course is designed to build awareness and capacity for energy and climate planning among community planners and the Regional Service Commission (including consultants) to share best practices (i.e. policy, procedures and tools) and improve the quality, consistency and municipal capacity for implementing CEEPs. 
  • Navigation of additional resources, funding, Energy Advisors or expertise (also known as the “Help Desk”).
  • Additional Webinars were provided by QUEST Canada, NB Power, Evergreen, B.C. CEA, EcoOuest, and others.

Networking and Communications Resources

  • Municipal Working Group – this virtual working group is hosted by QUEST Canada for one hour every one to two months, and provides opportunities for municipalities to participate in peer-to-peer exchange, improve energy literacy, skills and competencies, learn from expert speakers, and more.
  • Powered by Communities – an awareness-raising, communications and media platform that highlights and celebrates local community energy initiatives taking place across the country, from coast to coast to coast. Powered by Communities works alongside local experts, artists, writers, and journalists, to develop high-quality content and journalism that delivers informative stories, showcasing local energy initiatives from across Canada. The platform’s content is shared on QUEST Canada’s website and is often cross-published with various Canadian media outlets.

Community Acceleration Timeline

NB SECA Milestone 5 Timeline

Community Acceleration Timeline

NB SECA Milestone 5 Timeline

Get Involved

For updates on the project or to participate in any upcoming community SECA events please contact the community or project leads:

Chief Administrative Officer

Ken Anthony

Project Lead

Ericka Wicks, Managing Director, QUEST Canada

Town of Woodstock's Website

To learn more about the Town of Woodstock, visit the town website.

Communications

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

New Brunswick’s Smart Energy Community Accelerator Communities Enter a New Phase

News Release, Nov. 15, 2022  Read the news release
SEC Benchmark website

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

News Release, April 21, 2021 Read the news release