QUEST Canada Helps Saint Andrews, St. Stephen Find Smart-Energy Solutions For Their Environments And Economies
Source: | · HUDDLE · | April 4, 2022
Saint Andrews and St. Stephen Both Have Compelling Reasons to Adopt Clean Energy Strategies for Sustainable Growth Going Forward
Source: SAINT ANDREWS. IMAGE: ADOBE STOCK.
As a seaside town, Saint Andrews knows it will be directly affected by climate change. St. Stephen is looking for new, cleaner energy sources and job creation projects with the decommissioning of the Milltown Generating Station.
Both communities are working toward solutions as part of the QUEST New Brunswick Smart Energy Communities Accelerator Pilot Program. Nine small New Brunswick municipalities and one First Nations community are taking part in the program.
QUEST Canada is a national non-profit that supports communities in Canada on their pathway to net-zero. Since 2007, they have been facilitating connections, empowering community champions and influencing decision-makers to implement efficient and integrated energy systems that best meet community needs and maximize local opportunities.
Kev Sumner, St. Stephen’s Director of Community Services, says the program’s information, goals, and strategies will help the town develop and execute clean energy plans that also help facilitate economic development.
“It would help us in our long term aims for saving energy, not just through facility management, but across many gamuts of the municipality,” says Sumner.
Saint Andrews Councillor Marc Blanchard says the town became involved through the efforts of Paul Nopper, the Town Clerk and Environmental Advisory Committee member.
“There has been a move for a while in [Saint Andrews] towards greening the town infrastructure or reducing greenhouse gas emissions,” says Blanchard.
He says the town takes climate change very seriously because it will be affected by the effects of climate change as a seaside community.
“Sea-level rise and more intense storms and storm surges associated with that flooding, those are all things that have impacted Saint Andrews and we will continue to be impacted by them in the future,” says Blanchard.
QUEST supports and guides the communities through the Accelerator Plan, helping them identify what areas they want to focus on and provide them with the expertise to follow through with their plans.
The planning process consists of interactive workshops focused on the development and implementation of community energy plans, monthly touchpoint meetings with QUEST and fellow participants, and access to customized services and tools.