Canada Invests in Nine Community-Led Indigenous Clean Energy Projects Across British Columbia

British Columbia: The impacts of climate change are felt across Canada, and many Indigenous communities have identified clean, reliable energy as key to a more secure and resilient future. The Government of Canada is investing in community-led clean energy projects with remote Indigenous communities to displace fossil fuels and advance reconciliation and self-determination.

Terry Beech, Member of Parliament for Burnaby North—Seymour, on behalf of the Honourable Seamus O’Regan Jr., Minister of Natural Resources, today announced almost $8.4 million for nine community-led clean energy projects across British Columbia that will build capacity and support rural and remote communities reducing their reliance on fossil fuel for heat and power.

Each project is unique, but all of them share the same goals: building a low-emissions energy future by supporting new economic opportunities and creating more energy-resilient communities by reducing their reliance on diesel or propane. Natural Resources Canada supports bioenergy projects that use forest fibre, a sustainably managed and renewable resource.

All nine projects were funded through Natural Resources Canada’s Clean Energy for Rural and Remote Communities program, a $220-million program to reduce reliance on diesel in rural and remote communities by deploying and demonstrating renewable energy projects, encouraging energy efficiency, and building local skills and capacity. The program is part of the government’s Investing in Canada infrastructure plan, a more than $180-billion investment in public transit projects, green infrastructure, social infrastructure, trade and transportation routes, and Canada’s rural and northern communities.

Canada’s strengthened climate plan, A Healthy Environment and a Healthy Economy, ensures Canada is a world leader in clean power. Canada is investing an additional $300 million over five years to give rural, remote and Indigenous communities currently reliant on fossil fuel the opportunity to be powered by clean, reliable energy by 2030.