August 7, 2025
An effort led by Community Energy Association to collect local input into the review of CleanBC has found that communities around BC want to see the Province reaffirm its commitment to climate action with programming and policy that recognizes regional strengths and differences, continues to provide local support and investment, and invests in people and capacity.
CEA is uniquely positioned to collect and offer recommendations from communities around BC. In fact, CEA currently facilitates 16 regional and topical networks that help to share information and build relationships among individuals involved with climate and energy topics. In 2024 alone, nearly 1200 people from 124 local governments and 16 Indigenous communities participated in more than 60 peer network meetings and events. Special working groups were convened in July to collect feedback on the CleanBC review.
Three submissions were prepared and provided to the CleanBC review team:
- The submission from the Northern BC Climate Action Network (NorthCAN), one of CEA’s regional networks, representing a variety of public and private sector voices across Northern BC.
- A submission representing local government staff engaged through CEA’s topical peer networks, recognizing that buildings and transportation are two sectors where local governments have direct and significant impact on emissions reductions.
- A submission from CEA, which recommends a provincial energy strategy, sustained funding (especially for local governments), more consistent data, and stronger provincial leadership on workforce and communications.
“Even though individual CEA projects are often focused on particular communities or sectors, the accumulation of our work over nearly three decades provides a systems-level perspective on climate and energy across geographies, sectors, and CleanBC program areas,” says Maya Chorobik, Director of Climate Leadership for the Community Energy Association.
“We appreciate the opportunity to provide input into the CleanBC review and hope that the reviewers reflect the priorities of BC communities in their report.”
CleanBC is the Government of BC’s plan to lower climate-changing emissions by 40% by 2030. The review was initiated in May to ensure that CleanBC programs are effectively reducing emissions, making life more affordable, and supporting a strong economy.
