Canada Invests in Energy Efficiency and Climate Change Adaptation

OTTAWA, April 5, 2019 /CNW/ - Canadians want to be ready to tackle the challenges of a changing climate, now and for future generations. This is why the Government is investing in energy efficiency and climate adaptation while creating good jobs and growing the economy.

The Honourable Catherine McKenna, Minister of Environment and Climate Change, on behalf of the Honourable Amarjeet Sohi, Canada's Minister of Natural Resources, today announced support of more than $392,000 for three energy efficiency and climate change projects.

The Canadian Electricity Association received $206,000 through Natural Resources Canada's Climate Change Adaptation Program to help community and utility leaders gain the expertise needed for the development, adoption and implementation of climate change adaptation plans for electrical systems across Canada.

Also through the Climate Change Adaptation Program, QUEST received $111,000 to assess local climate risks and implement measures to improve community resilience. This initiative targets six municipalities ? Dauphin and the Rural Municipality of Alexander, Manitoba; Woodstock, New Brunswick; and Stratford, Charlottetown and Summerside, Prince Edward Island ? whose energy systems have been impacted by ice storms, flooding or forest fires as a result of climate change.

The Efficiency Valuation Organization (EVO) received $75,000 through Natural Resources Canada's Energy Efficiency Program to address key barriers to private sector investment in energy efficiency. Thanks to this project, EVO will also establish guidelines for financial institutions to use when evaluating and financing energy efficiency projects in Canada.

Today's announcement is part of the Government's plan to cut pollution, grow the economy and build healthier communities for all Canadians.

Quotes

"Climate change is not just the challenge of our generation, it's the opportunity of a lifetime. Our government is proud to support projects such as these to help Canada adapt to its changing climate, strengthen resilience and advance energy efficiency across the country."

Catherine McKenna
Minister of Environment and Climate Change

"We look forward to continued collaboration with Natural Resources Canada on the implementation of climate change adaptation plans with Canadian utilities. The electricity sector is focused on keeping the lights on for our customers, and the development of these plans will help the electricity sector build resiliency in a changing environment."

Francis Bradley
Chief Operating Officer, Canadian Electricity Association

"QUEST is working directly with municipalities and their utilities across Canada to align their approaches on energy and grid-related impacts of climate adaptation and resilience. The project will result in a series of resources that will establish a national guideline for how municipalities and utilities can work together on adaptation through land use planning, energy planning and reliability measures, and emergency response during power outages."

Tonja Leach
Executive Director, QUEST

"The actual planetary movement toward a low-carbon economy is raising the profile of energy efficiency as a strategic energy transition tool. With the update of EVO's International Energy Efficiency Financing Protocol, and with the development of a Canadian Annex, Canadian financial institutions will have access to a standardized protocol to assist in evaluating and measuring the benefits and risks of energy efficiency projects ? a necessary step for scaling up energy efficiency investments."

Denis Tanguay
Executive Director, Efficiency Valuation Organization

Quick Facts

• The Canadian Electricity Association represents electricity companies, manufacturers and suppliers of the electricity sector and is the national voice of electricity in Canada.
• QUEST is a national non-government organization that works to accelerate the adoption of efficient and integrated community-scale energy systems in Canada.
• The Efficiency Valuation Organization is a non-profit organization whose products and services help people engineer and invest in energy efficiency projects worldwide.

Related Information

• Climate Change: Impacts and Adaptation
• Simply Science: Climate Change
• Pan-Canadian Framework on Clean Growth and Climate Change

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SOURCE Natural Resources Canada