Participants exploring the topic of “Northern Communities, Climate Action, and Sustainable Development” during a NorthCAN event in Prince George – January 16, 2024.
In and for the North
The Northern BC Climate Action Network (NorthCAN) serves as a hub for sharing information about local initiatives and projects, identifying opportunities to collaborate, and leveraging capacity – all to support the implementation of climate solutions in communities across Northern BC.
“The North is resilient, with talented people. We know how to do a lot of stuff. We're doing some amazing things. But nobody kind of knows about it, either broadly or locally. So, I would say that's one of the best things NorthCAN can do. And that’s exactly what they're doing.”
NorthCAN brings together individuals from local governments (staff and elected officials from municipalities and regional districts), Indigenous communities, health and education, business and industry, and NGOs. Beyond being northerners, “NorthCANers” have climate-related interest and expertise and work to implement local solutions. Through NorthCAN, they come together quarterly, usually via zoom, to learn about projects and experiences in communities around Northern BC, identify emerging topics/ideas, and build relationships.
Before it was established in April 2022, nothing like NorthCAN existed across Northern BC. Today, more than 300 people are part of the NorthCAN community.
What Does Being a Member Entail? What Are the Benefits?
Members CONNECT
- Network with others who share a concern for climate change, a passion for innovation, and a commitment to leadership
- Receive early notice of government investments and priorities while also providing Northern perspectives and voices to governments
- Find partners who could lead to new projects, business opportunities, and funding
- Learn about new developments in the region and contribute ideas for keynote speakers, break-outs, and featured projects
Members ACT:
- Identify priorities for action and implementation
- Advance local initiatives through collaboration and joint funding applications
- Develop solutions and preview new products, technologies, and programs
- Address skills and capacity gaps in Northern BC
Meetings are held over zoom 4-5 times per year and occur over lunchtimes, Pacific time. Meetings include presentations about northern success stories and identification of emerging topics/ideas. Meetings also present indigenous perspectives on the land, history, and culture.
Network Objectives
- accelerate implementation of low-carbon solutions that foster and support community well-being and preparedness for local climate impacts
- encourage local/regional innovation, research, and bold decision-making
- expose participants to new funding, contacts, and opportunities
“We need organization, we need communication, we need collaboration, we need to know what the heck's going on up here and everywhere, but especially up here, and that's one of the things that NorthCAN, I think, is doing a really well.”
UNBC Report on NorthCAN’s Establishment – 2023
A report on NorthCAN was prepared by Dr. Sinead Earley and her student research assistant, Sarah Korn, using the April 2023 NorthCAN workshop at UNBC as well as a survey and interviews with NorthCAN participants. The report identifies four features that emerged as part of the network’s establishment:
- The diverse sectors from across the economy that are represented by participants
- The acknowledgement of co-benefits associated with climate action that benefit northerners’ quality of life
- The aspiration of northern leadership
- The isolation and smallness of northern communities that pulls participants towards collaboration
Upcoming Meetings:
- Tuesday, October 22, 2024, Registration Link
Meetings are held from noon to 1:30pm pacific time.
More Information
Rob Van Adrichem (Community Energy Association), Network Liaison
Katherine Pearce (Community Energy Association ), Regional Collaboration Lead
Who’s Who in the Network
Many NorthCAN participants are keen to have opportunities to connect outside of the quarterly meetings. The Who’s Who in the Network website features cards for each NorthCAN participant to provide info about themselves, the work they’re doing, and topics around which they would like to collaborate. Go to the web page anytime to create a card for yourself.
Funding for NorthCan
NorthCAN is one of the regional networks supported by the Province of British Columbia’s Climate Action Secretariat. Initially, BC Hydro provided funding to CEA to establish NorthCAN.
“It's easy to get bogged down in kind of a sense of hopelessness. Climate change, the transitions to clean energy, and leaving behind fossil fuels: these are huge, fundamental changes in the way we’ve been doing things for the last few 100 years. And it's easy to get bogged down and go, ‘Oh God, it's hopeless, right? We're screwed.’ I don't feel that way after a NorthCAN meeting. Every time you go to one of their meetings, most of the meeting is about what other people are doing and why they're doing it and who they are and how you can participate... I feel like there's a lot of people doing amazing things up here and then filled with hope and inspiration just by seeing and meeting these other people. We need inspiration. We need examples of what other people are doing and NorthCAN does that brilliantly.”
Previous Meetings
Chair: Hillary Sheppard, Community & Social Development Coordinator – Northern Rockies Regional Municipality
Meeting Objectives and Outcomes:
Feature Haisla First Nation and District of Kitimat’s curbside recycling and organic collection partnership as an example of Indigenous/municipal collaboration leading to enhanced service delivery. Since the program began in March, the program reports a diversion of about 44% of the waste that previously would have gone to the landfill.
Provide opportunities for participants to identify key topics/needs and collect input from others on those topics. Break-out discussions were held on food security, renewable energy cooperatives, training in support of retrofit programs, and funding for NorthCAN. Participants were also invited to update their profile: https://miro.com/app/board/uXjVNazoKS0=/
Update NorthCANers on plans to sustain the network and enhance its program of activities. This included a proposed tour to northeastern BC in the fall featuring local solar (and possibly wind) installations and an update on a three-year finding program for NorthCAN that would secure its sustainability and expand its program of activity in the region.
Results of the poll about the Local Government Climate Action Program (LGCAP), which transfers funds from the Government of BC to local governments and Modern Treaty Nations to enable implementation of local climate initiatives:
In regards to community readiness related to LGCAP investment in local climate initiatives….
- My community has a plan and I feel confident about utilizing our funds for local initiatives – 0
- My community knows about the additional funds and has started to plan and identify local opportunities – 3
- My community knows about the additional funds but we don't yet have a plan - 2
- We have additional funds for local climate action? – 1
- I'm not directly involved with a local government or Modern Treaty Nation so can't answer – 9
Rating the importance of various ideas for helping northern communities utilize LGCAP funds (1 being not at all important and 10 being extremely important)…..
- Implementing initiatives to reduce energy consumption in local buildings – 8.6
- Reducing landfilling of organic waste – 8.1
- Discussing opportunities for pooling some local LGCAP funds to advance regional projects involving multiple communities – 7.5
- Adding infrastructure to support active transportation – 7.4
- Hearing how other communities (in the North or elsewhere) are approaching LGCAP planning – 7.1
- Possibilities for leveraging LGCAP funds with other sources of funding – 7.1
- Transitioning our fleet vehicles away from fossil fuels – 6.4
- Adding infrastructure for electric vehicle charging – 5.4
Resources from the Chat:
- New funding program helps protect people, communities from climate emergencies: https://news.gov.bc.ca/releases/2024EMCR0031-000950
- Canadian retrofit organizations: https://www.recoverinitiative.ca/our-story
The next NorthCAN meeting is scheduled for October 22, 2024. Registration is now open. More details about the agenda will be provided in September.
Meeting Objectives:
- Feature projects that a) aim to divert organic waste from landfills and b) enhance the energy performance of existing homes.
- Mark NorthCAN’s second anniversary by considering plans to sustain the network, enhance its program of activities, and connect it to regional research.
- Foster relationship-building among participants.
Chair: Josh Kelly, Energy and Environmental Manager – Sinclar Group Forest Products Ltd.
Thank you to Josh and to our presenters: Luke Thorne and David Claus.
To mark NorthCAN’s birthday, the meeting also featured a poll with questions designed to determine the network’s usefulness and possible future programs/services. Here are the results:
- All but one of the participants indicated that they at least occasionally connect with others in the network; that’s a great result for building capacity through collaboration!
- Participating in NorthCAN is part of building confidence for local climate action. On a scale of 1-10, with 1 being not confident and 10 being very confident, respondents indicated a current confidence level of 7, up from 4 which is what they reported their confidence level to be prior to joining NorthCAN.
- As NorthCAN considers expanding its services and programs in support of community-based climate action, participants rated the importance of sustaining the network and increasing related programs/services. Here are the results (again on a scale of one to 10 with 1 being “not at all important” and 10 being “extremely important”):
- Sustaining NorthCAN as a network that meets regularly – 8.2
- Occasional in-person events/meetings – 8
- Regional visits to significant projects – 7.7
- Surveys of northerners’ perspectives/priorities – 8.3
- Connecting NorthCAN to other northern organizations – 7.7
- Participating in research – 7.3
The next NorthCAN meeting will be June 19, 2024. Registration is now available.
“Northern communities, climate action, and sustainable development” included a panel discussion, networking among participants, and opportunities for connecting with organizations that can provide support and capacity. It was held in conjunction with the start of the BC Natural Resources Forum in Prince George.
Read a summary of the afternoon event and the low-carbon leadership tour that was held earlier in the day.
Both activities were supported by a terrific group of partners:
- City of Prince George
- Lheidli T’enneh
- Northern Development Initiative Trust
- Tourism Prince George
- Northern BC Tourism Association
- University of Northern British Columbia
- New Relationship Trust
- Fraser Basin Council
- BC Centre for Innovation and Clean Energy
- Pacific Institute for Climate Solutions
Meeting Objective: Provide feedback on the report about NorthCAN’s establishment and contribute to NorthCAN’s priorities for 2024.
Chair: Jaima Timler, Climate Action Specialist, Town of Smithers
Review of the UNBC Report about NorthCAN’s establishment
This report was prepared by Dr. Sinead Earley and her student research assistant, Sarah Korn, following the April 2023 NorthCAN workshop at UNBC. The content was also informed by a survey and interviews that were conducted earlier this year. Dr. Earley’s presentation highlighted four themes that emerged about NorthCAN’s most popular features:
- The diverse sectors from across the economy that are represented by participants
- The acknowledgement of co-benefits associated with climate action that benefit northerners’ quality of life
- The aspiration of northern leadership
- The isolation and smallness of northern communities that pulls participants towards collaboration
The report will be shared with funders and used as NorthCAN continues to develop. Thank you Sinead and Sarah!
Provincial Climate Leadership Symposium: perspectives from and for Northern BC communities
On Oct 18 and 19, the Government of BC hosted a climate action symposium for staff in local governments and public sector organizations. Some NorthCANers also participated in this event. The presentation included an overview of the topics discussed as well as an update on current funding opportunities provided by the Government of BC. Thank you, Dave Aharonian, Senior Policy Analyst, Climate Action Secretariat - Province of BC . View Dave’s PowerPoint slide deck, featuring multiple links to online resources
What would you like to learn more about as we plan 2024 NorthCAN meetings?
25 suggestions were provided by meeting participants, covering a variety of topics/themes. The responses will be used as we develop future NorthCAN meetings and presentations in 2024.
“Who’s Who in the Network” Activity
Many NorthCAN participants are keen to have opportunities to connect outside of the quarterly meetings. This website features cards for each NorthCAN participant to provide info about themselves, the work they’re doing, and topics around which they would like to collaborate. Scroll out to see the cards that have already been created.
Next meeting: January 16 at the BC Natural Resources Forum in Prince George
CEA is working to provide another opportunity for NorthCANers to connect in-person! The BC Natural Resources Forum attracts many people from all over Northern BC to Prince George every January. Our next event will be held on a pre-conference day at the House of Ancestors. The program will include stories of success in local climate action, opportunities to build relationships with others around the region, and access funding and technical support from various organizations that are helping communities reduce carbon emissions and foster local resiliency.
6 Jan 2024 at 12:00 PM | Eventbrite
Summary of June 14 NorthCAN meeting
Chair: Nick Rowe, Director of Project Development at Clean Energy Consulting. Nick is based in Prince George and has worked to implement a variety of renewable energy and energy-efficiency projects in communities.
Update on the recent NorthCAN planning workshop
Dr. Sinead Earley, who chaired the hybrid NorthCAN planning workshop in April, provided an update on efforts her team are making to consolidate the outcomes of the workshop and prepare a draft “pledge” for NorthCAN participants. The report will be finalized by the end of the summer. Dr. Earley’s team is also conducting a survey of NorthCAN to coincide with the planning workshop. This survey is voluntary but participants are encouraged to fill it out in order to improve NorthCAN’s operation and contribute to the Network’s long-term sustainability: https://www.surveymonkey.ca/r/NorthCAN
Presentation about the Community Energy Diesel Reduction (CEDR) program
Sarah Powell from the New Relationships Trust presented information about this program, which recently had its budget doubled by the Government of BC. The program aims to assist remote, usually Indigenous, communities transition from diesel for local energy production to renewable energy sources that may be available locally. Many of the eligible communities are located in Northern BC. More information is available online , or contact Sarah directly: spowell@nrtf.ca
Presentation on the updated building code and training for northern builders and contractors
Gaetane Carignan, a CEA staff member who collaborates with the Northern BC branch of the Canadian Home Builders’ Association to deliver the Building a Legacy program, provided an update on the changes to the BC Building Code which took effect on May 1 and introduced the Zero Carbon Step Code which aims to reduce the carbon intensity associated with the actual operation of buildings. Gaetane also summarized recent training that has been delivered in various Northern BC communities and previewed upcoming “Mind the Gap” courses that show builders how good planning can improve building performance without adding cost. The Building a Legacy – North website has webinar recordings and other information of relevance to northern communities, as well as links to upcoming events.
Presentation on electric mobility in northern communities
Danielle Wiess of CEA provided an update on the Charge North program, which is adding 58 EV charging ports in communities across Central and Northern BC. Danielle reported that nearly all of the stations will be installed by the end of June. She also reported on the BC eBike rebate program (which was fully subscribed after only about one hour of opening on June 1), a draft bylaw that’s being developed for local governments to require EV charging in new buildings, and a call for input on a plan to transition medium/heavy-duty trucks (including local government fleets) to low/zero-emission energy/fuels.
Closing remarks
Sam Sedlowsky provided an update on other CEA peer networks, which provide local government staff with the opportunity to collaborate on topics related to new construction, retrofits of existing buildings, and electric mobility. More information about these networks is available on the CEA website.
Rob van Adrichem highlighted a few programs that may be of interest to Northern BC communities:
- An electric mobility accelerator program for communities that want to get more involved with electrifying local transportation options.
- A proposal to expand CEA’s Retrofit Assist program, possibly to northern communities. Email Rob if interested: rvanadrichem@communityenergy.ca
- CEA is now accepting nominees for its annual “Climate and Energy Action Awards.” Apply now or share the link with others: https://www.communityenergy.ca/awards/. Let’s get lots of northern projects/communities nominated.
- The Federation of Canadian Municipalities has issued a new call for funding from its Green Municipal Fund program. Here’s the link: https://greenmunicipalfund.ca/funding
This workshop marked NorthCAN’s one-year anniversary and was chaired by Sinead Earley, a professor in Environmental and Sustainability Studies at UNBC. Download the meeting agenda and summary of NorthCAN’s first year of operation
Close to 100 people attended, either in person at UNBC’s Prince George campus or online. The event provided many opportunities for participants to express their vision for Northern BC, their personal priorities related to climate action in their communities and in their jobs, and how NorthCAN can be an effective agent for capacity-building and collaboration leading to implementation of local climate solutions. A full report on the discussion, the themes that emerged, and potential next steps is being compiled by UNBC faculty and students, and Pacific Institute for Climate Solutions staff based at UNBC. This report will be completed by the end of the summer.
The workshop also featured a keynote address by Albert Edman, who works for the Research Institutes of Sweden (RISE) and is based in the northern community of Umeå, where he facilitates a northern network of communities advancing local climate solutions and driving strategy. Albert also coordinates international outreach for Viable Cities , an initiative linking 23 Swedish municipalities in an effort to be climate neutral by 2030. These communities have signed on to a climate contract that serves as a tangible expression of their commitment to collaboration.
Some links and resources from the April 4 workshop:
The visual representation of the discussion, produced by Kristen Elko of Drawing Change
The group photo of the in-person participants
Video recording of highlights from April 4 workshop:
Introduction from Sinead Earley
Opening remarks from Elder McIntosh, Lheidli T’enneh Nation Chief Dolleen Logan, and Prince George Mayor Simon Yu
Keynote address by Albert Edman, Viable Cities, on the effort to build a Thriving North
Closing remarks by Sinead Earley and Rob van Adrichem
THANK YOU to the sponsor of the April 4 NorthCAN workshop, PICS: The Pacific Institute for Climate Solutions.
Chair: Niki Lindstrom, Director of Research and Analytics for the First Nations Housing and Infrastructure Council . Niki grew up in Smithers and currently resides in Prince George on the traditional territory of the Lheidli T'enneh. She is a member of the Saulteau First Nation in Treaty 8 territory and has lived in Northern BC all her life.
Meeting opening and click to watch the entire recording
BC First Nations Climate Strategy and Action Plan: An overview of this new plan – the first of its kind in Canada – was provided by Patricia Rojas (BC Assembly of First Nations) together with Josh Kioke and Cheyenne Arnold-Cunningham who work for the Union of BC Indian Chiefs. They explained how the plan was initiated by the Chiefs in 2019 and published in early 2022 after a variety of public engagement sessions in different regions of BC. The plan outlines 143 actions and so implementation is now a priority. “It’s a big issue and we have to work together,” said Patricia, adding that partners must come to the table ready to recognize First Nations’ inherent rights.
Kluskus bioenergy and housing project: Christoph Schiiling, Indigenous Programs lead for FPInnovations, provided an overview of two significant projects that FPInnovations is advancing for the Lhoosk’uz Dene Nation in the remote community of Kluskus, located nearly 200km west of Quesnel. One It is a combined heat-and-power bioenergy system that will displace 100,000 litres of diesel fuel that the community currently burns annually while managing the adjacent forest to remove wildfire fuel. The second is a housing project that is creating 300 square foot modular housing units that are highly energy-efficient and largely made of wood to be easily transportable while also minimizing the carbon emissions associated with the building materials. These can be configured in different ways to meet the housing needs of the occupants.
Poll Results
A poll was conducted during the meeting that captured the locations of the meeting participants and asked them whether they feel Northern BC will lead the rest of the province in climate action.
NorthCAN updates and Coming Events
The next NorthCAN meeting is being planned for April 4, which marks one year since the network’s inaugural meeting. More information will be provided soon, but save the date in your calendars.
Thank you to Casda Thomas for chairing the meeting and to our presenters: Sinead Earley, Danielle Wiess, and Sam Zirnhelt.
This introductory webinar about heat pumps included information about their operation in cold climates.
View a summary of the questions and answers posed during the webinar
Thank you to Shaun Cormier for presenting about energy-efficient housing in Takla Landing being built by the Takla Nation. We also discussed and finalized our network terms of reference.
We have scheduled our next two meetings to be September 28 and December 13, between noon and 1:30pm pacific time. Please hold the dates for now and we’ll be in touch again soon with agenda details. If you’d like to present on a topic, let us know.
Given many comments/questions in our meetings about heat pumps, we’re organized a presentation from a CleanBC Community Energy Coach (https://betterhomesbc.ca/community-coach/ ) about heat pumps. It will be at noon (pacific time) on August 25. Save the date and time for now; in early August, we’ll be in touch again with the registration details. Thanks to Sahil from UNBC for suggesting this webinar for the network members.
We’re also working on a NorthCAN web page, where we’ll provide access to meeting summaries and links to other resources, such as the recording of the heat pump webinar if you aren’t able to participate that day. Will be in touch soon with the URL. In the meantime, if you know of others who may be interested in being a member of this network, send them to this page.
CEA and the Northern BC members of the BC Municipal Climate Leadership Council hosted an inaugural meeting of a climate action network in and for Northern BC. Nearly 90 people registered, representing local governments (both staff and elected officials), Indigenous communities, post-secondary education, business/industry, health care, and non-profit organizations – all sharing an interest in contributing their expertise and capacity to encouraging climate action in Northern BC communities.
Resources
Building a Legacy – North: https://www.communityenergy.ca/bal-north
Wildland Development: https://www.wildlanddevelopment.ca/
Trappeur Homes for energy-efficient log homes: http://www.trappeurhomes.com/
Home Performance Contractor Network: https://homeperformance.ca/home-performance-contractornetwork
Local Government Climate Action Program: https://www.communityenergy.ca/lgcap/
BC Community Climate Funding Guide for Indigenous communities and local governments: https://communityclimatefunding.gov.bc.ca/
Community Emergency Preparedness Fund: https://www.ubcm.ca/cepf
Disaster Risk Reduction-Climate Adaptation: https://www.ubcm.ca/cepf/disaster-risk-reduction-climate-adaptation
National Disaster Mitigation Fund: https://www.infrastructure.gc.ca/dmaf-faac/index-eng.html
New Government of BC heat pump rebates for northerners: https://news.gov.bc.ca/releases/2022FIN0022-000979
