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Indigenous Energy Partnerships Emphasize Cultural Values

October 17, 2022

Sitansisk (St. Mary’s First Nation) rests off the shores of the Wolastoq (Saint. John River), much of it within the city limits of the provincial capital, Fredericton, New Brunswick. To the members of this community, the Wolastoqey (Pronunciation: wool-las-two-gway) people, climate change poses an existential threat to their culture and way of life. Warming waters, shoreline development, and mismanagement of resource exploration projects have already led to loss of salmon stocks, hunting grounds,…

Small but Mighty: New Brunswick francophone municipalities fight climate change

June 27, 2022

Stéphane Dallaire remembers clearly the Saturday night in September 2019 when Hurricane Dorian hit Cap-Pelé. The CAO and clerk of the small francophone village 46 kilometres northeast of Moncton worked all night with several staff members. “We were hit hard,” he says. They spent the night evacuating a campground, removing trees from roads, and dealing with general flooding. All hands on deck. “We had to get everyone who could get to work to…

Still Setting the PACE

May 30, 2022

Calling Julian Boyle the godfather of PACE in Canada wouldn’t be an overstatement – but it might be selling him short. PACE (Property Assessed Clean Energy) is a program model that allows municipalities to finance energy improvements on private property at no cost to themselves. With 42% of Nova Scotia’s GHG emissions coming from our buildings, and 18% nationwide, PACE is perhaps one of the most important tools our communities have in the…

A New Dawn: EOS Eco-Energy is Leading the Renewable Renaissance in New Brunswick

May 17, 2022

Green roof Sackville town hall by EOS team When you’re trying to change the world, it makes sense to name yourself after the herald of new beginnings. EOS is the Goddess of the Dawn. She throws open the gates of heaven and releases the sun to usher in the new day. EOS Eco-Energy Incorporated is a non-profit organization whose mission is to reduce the carbon footprint of New Brunswick’s Tantramar region and assist…

Once More Unto The Insulation: Energy Efficiency For and By First Nations

March 29, 2022

Efficiency Nova Scotia Partners with Mi’kmaq Communities on Massive Retrofit Program Retooling old buildings for energy efficiency might not generate the same excitement as solar arrays, wind farms, or electric vehicles. But the places we seek shelter in have profound impacts on the size of our carbon footprints and the quality of our lives: sustainability, for both people and the planet, begins at home. Gordon Hart has spent much of his career grappling…

The Hybrid Cape Islander

March 22, 2022

New Construction and Retrofit Business Brings Electric Motors to Maritime Boats The Alutasi, a traditional Cape Islander boat powered primarily with lithium-ion batteries approved by Transport Canada's Marine Technology Review Board. First of its kind in Canada. Over the past decade, Canadians have become familiar with electrified bikes; cars; passenger trucks; dump trucks; transport trucks; city buses; and even a few lightweight aircraft, their spinning propellers powered by lithium-ion batteries. But who ever…

Creating Smart Energy Communities in Atlantic Canada

March 10, 2022

BY GUEST AUTHORS NB POWER AND NOVA SCOTIA POWER There are more opportunities than ever for communities to plan for and manage their energy, reduce emissions and keep energy dollars local, and in the process, enhance local economic development and resilience to extreme weather events. QUEST Canada refers to these communities as Smart Energy Communities. Read on to learn how two utilities and QUEST Canada Supporters are helping to build Smart Energy Communities…

Dodging the Peak: Saint John Energy Employs Smart Grid to Cut Carbon and Incorporate Renewables

February 14, 2022

Saint John Energy smart grid architect Andrew Galluchon, left, and engineering manager Andrew Ahearn with The Tesla 1.25-megawatt Battery Storage. The battery helps the company manage peak energy demand. Picture Saint John in the throes of autumn. Temperatures are cool but predictable, the city’s electrical grid smoothly supplies its 36,000 customers, and all is right with the world. Because 80 per cent of New Brunswick’s electricity is drawn from non-emitting sources (chiefly nuclear)…

Pedal Assist to the People

November 25, 2021

Swing a leg over the future at your local library. Angela Reynold, Community Engagement Coordinator for the Annapolis Valley Regional Library While it may look like the quintessential small-town book depository, the Wolfville Memorial library lends out more than (just) books. Since 2017, anyone with a library card has been able to borrow a bicycle for the day to run errands or tour the roads and trails of the Annapolis Valley. The original…

People of the Dam

November 15, 2021

By Zack Metcalfe In 1923, the Maine Public Service (a bygone electrical utility) was keen to build a hydroelectric dam on the Aroostook River flowing east across the Maine-New Brunswick border, only they wanted to build it on the New Brunswick side. So, they struck a deal with the province – the dam would indeed be built in Canada, but before any of its electricity could be shipped back to customers in the…