Support Centre Helps Alberta Towns Save Millions, Cut Emissions

Source: | · THE ENERGY MIX · | February 15, 2024

The Municipal Climate Action Centre (MCCAC) is the brainchild of former Alberta MLA Bob Hawkesworth, who also served as a Calgary city councillor.

A hidden-gem organization in Edmonton is helping small towns and municipalities in Alberta get the funding and technical assistance they need to implement money-saving, emissions-slashing climate action.

“You probably haven’t heard of the Municipal Climate Action Centre (MCCAC),” writes David Dodge in a recent Green Energy Futures post on LinkedIn. “But since 2009, they have helped more than 150 small towns, cities, and municipalities install solar, install EV charging stations, and complete energy efficiency projects and reduce their greenhouse gas emissions.”

A collaborative initiative of Alberta Municipalities, Rural Municipalities of Alberta, and the provincial government, the organization has provided C$44 million in funding for climate action in 156 Alberta communities, cutting the energy bills by $166 million so far.

The centre is the brainchild of former Alberta MLA Bob Hawkesworth, who also served as a Calgary city councillor. Hawkesworth’s two-term tenure as president of the Alberta Urban Municipalities Association (since rebranded as Alberta Municipalities) deepened his understanding that despite a keen interest, some municipalities may not be able to embark on energy efficiency projects due to a lack of capacity.

He worked with then-environment minister Rob Renner to secure funding of $2 million, and the MCCAC was born in 2009. Since then, the organization has supported 878 projects, including 150 solar installations totalling 30 megawatts, energy efficiency projects in 200 municipal facilities, and 200 new EV charging stations across Alberta.

In 2022 alone, the MCCAC helped catalyze $11.5 million in green investments within the province, including $4.2 million in energy-efficient recreational facilities, and $1.59 million in.