PORT HAWKESBURY, NS , Nov. 10, 2022 /CNW/ – Across the country, Canadians are feeling the impacts of climate change. By investing in renewable energy initiatives that support energy independence and economic development while lowering greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, we can build a clean energy future that strengthens the economy, creates good, middle-class jobs and supports the natural resource sectors.
Today, Mike Kelloway, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Fisheries, Oceans and the Canadian Coast Guard and Member of Parliament for Cape Breton–Canso, on behalf of the Honourable Jonathan Wilkinson, Minister of Natural Resources, announced an investment of nearly $1.8 million in Net Zero Atlantic to lay the foundations for new Nova Scotian offshore wind projects through capacity building. Net Zero Atlantic and the Confederacy of Mainland Mi’kmaq are also contributing to the project, bringing the total investment to nearly $1.9 million.
Working with Mi’kmaw groups the Unama’ki Institute of Natural Resources and the Confederacy of Mainland Mi’kmaq, as well as with local communities, the Capacity Building for the Sustainable and Inclusive Development of Nova Scotia’s Offshore Wind Resource program will ensure an inclusive approach to offshore wind development in Nova Scotia in two phases.
Phase One will bring together Mi’kmaw and other communities in educational forums and workshops toward the creation of community outreach plans. Phase Two will deliver on these plans by developing the foundations for off-shore wind developments across Nova Scotia’s coastal communities.
MP Kelloway also highlighted the 2022 Fall Economic Statement, which includes a refundable investment tax credit for clean technologies, including clean energy generation and storage. The statement also included the creation of a Sustainable Jobs Training Centre and Secretariat, which will support thousands of workers in skills training and placements in the low-carbon economy.
These investments demonstrate the Government of Canada’s ongoing commitment to supporting innovative projects in energy sectors toward a clean, sustainable and competitive energy and resource industry while reducing greenhouse gas emissions, advancing economic reconciliation and fighting climate change.
“Today’s announcement of nearly $1.8 million in support for Net Zero Atlantic’s offshore wind capacity-building program creates a foundation for further clean energy deployment, including in rural and Indigenous communities. In the recent Fall Economic Statement, the Government of Canada announced support for clean energy and technologies and the creation of a sustainable jobs training centre and secretariat. Smart investments like those announced today are enabling a sustainable and prosperous low-carbon future powered by clean, abundant and reliable energy.”
The Honourable Jonathan Wilkinson
Minister of Natural Resources
“I was pleased to announce $1.8 million in federal support of Net Zero Atlantic’s program, which works with Mi’kmaw and rural communities to create pathways for more offshore wind here in Cape Breton and North Eastern Nova Scotia. Offshore wind represents a clean growth opportunity that allows us to fight climate change while creating sustainable jobs. This investment, alongside the recent Clean Technology Tax Credit, is an example of how the Government of Canada is acting on climate change while creating sustainable jobs for generations to come.”
Mike Kelloway, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Fisheries, Oceans and the Canadian Coast Guard and Member of Parliament for Cape Breton–Canso
“Through this project, our team at Net Zero Atlantic will assist members of Mi’kmaw, rural Nova Scotia and other equity-deserving communities in developing capacity related to offshore wind. As the use of renewable energy continues to grow, it’s critically important that communities and the industry, research and government sectors build mutual understanding of potential benefits and concerns. We’re grateful for the Government of Canada’s support for this important work.”
Alisdair McLean
Executive Director, Net Zero Atlantic
- The 2022 Fall Economic Statement proposes a refundable Clean Technology Tax Credit equal to 30 percent of the capital cost of investments in:
- Electricity Generation Systems, including solar photovoltaic, small modular nuclear reactors, concentrated solar, wind and water (small hydro, run-of-river, wave and tidal);
- Stationary Electricity Storage Systems that do not use fossil fuels in their operation, including but not limited to batteries, flywheels, supercapacitors, magnetic energy storage, compressed air energy storage, pumped hydro storage, gravity energy storage and thermal energy storage;
- Low-Carbon Heat Equipment, including active solar heating, air-source heat pumps and ground-source heat pumps; and
- Industrial zero-emission vehicles and related charging or refuelling equipment, such as hydrogen or electric heavy duty equipment used in mining or construction.
- The 2022 Fall Economic Statement also proposes $250 million over five years, starting in 2023–24, to help Canadian workers thrive in a changing global economy. Specific measures include:
- The Sustainable Jobs Training Centre to bring together workers, unions, employers and training institutions across the country to examine the skills of the labour force today, forecast future skills requirements and develop curriculum, micro-credentials and on-site learning to help 15,000 workers upgrade or gain new skills for jobs in a low-carbon economy. The Centre would focus on specific areas in high demand, starting with the sustainable battery industry and low-carbon building and retrofits.
- A new sustainable jobs stream under the Union Training and Innovation Program to support unions in leading the development of green skills training for workers in the trades. It is expected that 20,000 apprentices and journeypersons would benefit from this investment.
- The Sustainable Jobs Secretariat, a one-stop shop that would provide the most up-to-date information on federal programs, funding and services across government departments to support workers on the road to sustainable, good-paying jobs.
- Federal funding for the project is provided by Natural Resources Canada’s Smart Renewables and Electrification Pathways program, a $1.56-billion program that provides support for smart renewable energy and electrical grid modernization projects, including projects that support capacity building. This program was created to significantly reduce greenhouse gas emissions by enabling increased renewable energy capacity that will provide essential grid services while supporting Canada’s ongoing transition to a net-zero economy by 2050 as well as Canada’s commitment to achieve a 100-percent net-zero-emitting electricity system by 2035.
- This spring, we also released the Clean Power Roadmap for Atlantic Canada, which outlined a collective vision for an interconnected clean power grid that would serve as the foundation for a competitive, electrified, net-zero economy across the Atlantic region. This is a shared commitment to keeping our air clean while powering people’s lives with affordable, reliable electricity. Canada is committed to accelerating and building upon existing progress.
- Canada’s 2030 Emissions Reduction Plan: Clean Air, Strong Economy ensures Canada will remain a world leader in clean power.
- This investment is yet another step in reaching Canada’s target of a net-zero grid by 2035. And just like investments in everything from clean energy to nature protection, today’s announcement is part of achieving Canada’s ambitious climate change goals to build a cleaner, healthier and affordable future for all Canadians.
Net Zero Atlantic
Unama’ki Institute of Natural Resources
Confederacy of Mainland Mi’kmaq
Smart Renewables and Electrification Pathways Program (SREPs)
Clean Power Roadmap for Atlantic Canada
2030 Emissions Reduction Plan: Clean Air, Strong Economy
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SOURCE Natural Resources Canada
