Through our coaching and education programs we share our over 25 years of knowledge and practical experience with educational institutions, community based organizations and elected officials. We also celebrate the bold programs that communities across BC plan and implement to meet their targets and needs.
Community Energy Association is the secretariat of a number of staff peer networks. The networks provide a regular channel for local government staff, Indigenous Community representatives and other relevant organizations to identify and share case studies, pilots and best practices around critical community climate action topics. Each Peer Network has co-chairs, members, and associates. Membership is voluntary and free of charge. The core opportunity for staff to join and contribute to one or more peer networks is peer learning and knowledge sharing so that climate action strategies and solutions can be adapted and implemented in their own community context.
To support collaboration, the Peer Networks will actively work to create an environment of inclusivity, transparency and open dialogue.
See the list of current peer networks here and find additional resources on this page.
Our coaching work recognizes high impact climate initiatives in communities and builds the capacity of local government staff, elected officials and the building community to advance climate action.
With institutional memory of over 25 years in operation, CEA continues progress the transition to low carbon communities by sharing knowledge and resources through our education work.
The Climate and Energy Action Awards recognizes the efforts of BC communities of all sizes in reducing community and corporate energy use and decreasing greenhouse gas emissions. The Awards also recognize municipal leadership on climate change adaptation.
Peer Networks
If you are interested in learning more about any of the peer networks listed below, and to join one or more peer network, simply email the network administrator at peernetworks@communityenergy.bc.ca
The SCPN mandate is to support local governments to successfully implement the BC Energy Step Code by bringing local government staff together to support peer learning and knowledge sharing. The purpose of the BC Energy Step Code Local Government Peer Network is to:
- Accelerate local government understanding and adoption of the BC Energy Step Code
- Prepare local governments for successful implementation of the BC Energy Step Code
- Provide a communication channel between local governments and the Energy Step Code Council
Current topics of interest:
- Building Code Update
- Low Carbon Energy Systems
- Capacity Building in Northern and Rural BC
There is a need for coordination in sharing current project scopes, approaches and lessons learned between communities, the provincial government and other stakeholders. The Peer Network seeks to better align community-scale efforts for improved coordination and amplified results to accelerate market transformation.
The Peer Network provides a regular channel for local government staff, indigenous community representatives, and other relevant organizations to identify and share case studies, pilots and best practices around low carbon retrofit activities, and to collaborate on shared initiatives such as potential policies and programs, research and advocacy.
Additionally, the Peer Network serves as a sounding board for the Province’s regulatory and programmatic plans in the retrofit space. It provides communities with a platform to learn together about Provincial initiatives (e.g. retrofit codes, strategies and targets), and to coordinate input and ideas back to the Province.
Transition to electric mobility is essential to meet BC’s climate targets, as transportation accounts for one-third of provincial greenhouse gas emissions. The aim of the EVPN is to facilitate a rapid transition to electric transportation through peer learning, in order to meet local and provincial climate change goals. The Peer Network provides a regular channel for staff from BC local governments, the Provincial government, BC Hydro and Fortis BC to identify and share best practices, share activities, challenges and advice around electric vehicle policies and programs, and to collaborate on shared initiatives such as potential future policies and programs, research and advocacy.
Current topics of interest:
- Low Carbon Fuel Standard
- Infrastructure
- Emerging High Power
In order to meet net-zero carbon by 2050, not only must we drastically reduce operational emissions of buildings, we must also consider how to drive down the impacts related to material production, transportation and eventual disposal of materials, referred to as Embodied Emissions or Embodied Carbon. Local governments play a key role in lowering the carbon footprint of buildings through their entire life cycle, and this peer network will explore the policy tools and opportunities that local government can leverage to make an impact.
Membership for this peer network will be limited to local government staff, with invited guests as associate members where appropriate. Recognizing that embodied emissions is an emerging area, you do not need to be actively working in this space to join. All are welcome to come and learn together. If you are working on embodied emissions, we invite you to consider joining as part of the steering committee for the peer network. The steering committee may be called upon for additional meetings to provide strategic direction and input as needed for the EEPN.
Current topics of interest:
- Mass Timber Construction
- Low-Carbon Building Materials
- Green Building Policy
Coaching
The BC Municipal Climate Leadership Council (BCMCLC) was established in 2010 when ten mayors from communities across BC came together as volunteers to assist other locally elected officials to move climate action forward. The mayors and councillors do this because they are passionate about climate action.
BCMCLC members are supported by CEA to engage their colleagues and communities to act on climate change. Rather than an advocacy group, members are mentored to develop strategies that work within the context of their communities while developing planning and implementation frameworks that can be adopted by other BC communities.
CEA manages the Federation of Canadian Municipality's (FCM) national staff grant Community of Practice (CoP) program, coaching 64 municipal staff from coast to coast to coast. The municipal staff are progressing work in adaptation and/or mitigation for their respective communities, having been hired on a two-year contract through Municipalities for Climate Innovation (MCIP) funding. Through this project, CEA and partners are providing one-on-one coaching, delivering webinars, and facilitating peer learning groups.
As the Regional Climate Advisor for the Federation of Canadian Municipalities (FCM) Partners for Climate Protection (PCP) program, CEA supports BC and the Yukon communities to reach PCP milestones through training, peer learning and one-on-one support.
The Partners for Climate Protection (PCP) program, from ICLEI — Local Governments for Sustainability (ICLEI Canada) and FCM, consists of a five-step Milestone Framework that guides communities as they take action against climate change by reducing emissions in their municipality. Together, we support municipalities as they move through the Milestone Framework, whose steps result in lasting and environmentally sustainable changes in your municipality.
To learn more about this free program, visit https://fcm.ca/en/programs/partners-climate-protection
CEA has facilitated and supported builder and building official training related to the BC Energy Step Code since 2017. Through builder workshops, hands-on training, educational materials and presentations to municipal Councils, CEA is accelerating the transition to the Energy Step Code by developing the capacity of the building community as well as local governments.
The Climate Leaders Institute (CLI) is a two-day workshop expressly designed to help British Columbia mayors, councillors, and regional district directors confidently lead or support bold climate action in their communities.
CLI moves beyond a traditional conference setting so participants gain the tools they need to translate their inspiration and political capital into real world, community-specific climate solutions. This is achieved through a combination of small break out groups along with presentations designed and delivered by colleagues, leading professionals and inspirational speakers.
Do you have questions about our coaching and education activities?
Education
Community Energy Management (CEM) is a new discipline spanning the traditional silos of current and long range planning, policy, operations, engineering, transportation, finance, and others. Community Energy Management education will provide the knowledge and resources you need to manage the art and science of saving energy, emissions, and money across the community. This inter-disciplinary sequence of on-line courses provides a unique opportunity to refresh disciplines that you are already familiar with by viewing them through an energy lens while introducing new tools and concepts.
Community Energy Association partners with BC Institute of Technology to deliver the six online courses that qualify students to write the certification exam in Community Energy Management. Those who successfully challenge the take-home certification exam earn the professional designation of Certified Community Energy Manager (CCEM).
The Climate Leaders Institute (CLI) is a two-day workshop expressly designed to help British Columbia mayors, councillors, and regional district directors confidently lead or support bold climate action in their communities.
CLI moves beyond a traditional conference setting so participants gain the tools they need to translate their inspiration and political capital into real world, community-specific climate solutions. This is achieved through a combination of small break out groups along with presentations designed and delivered by colleagues, leading professionals and inspirational speakers.
Coaching Project Highlights
BC Municipal Climate Leadership Council
