The Government of Canada is committed to working in collaboration with Indigenous partners, the energy and electricity sectors, and renewable energy leaders across Canada to tackle climate change, accelerate the transition to clean energy and create impactful and local economic opportunities.
Today, the Honourable Jonathan Wilkinson, Canada's Minister of Natural Resources, announced $650,000 in funding for QUEST Canada to evolve and adapt its Accelerating Implementation of Renewable Energy (AIRE) for Indigenous Communities project to expand knowledge of local energy systems and developing pathways to accelerate clean energy opportunities in their community.
The adapted project, AIRE for Indigenous Communities, will be deployed over three years with three rural Indigenous communities: Pelican Narrows and Southend in Northern Saskatchewan, governed by the Peter Ballantyne Cree Nation, and Frog Lake First Nation in Alberta. QUEST Canada will provide training and support for the participating communities in building capacity to plan and implement land-based renewable energy initiatives.
Indigenous AIRE will provide an entry point for Indigenous communities to work with QUEST on identifying and pursuing clean energy opportunities. QUEST Canada will provide training through the development of a publicly available toolkit that will provide remote, Indigenous communities with the means to establish and deploy more collaborative planning processes for local renewable energy development and will contribute to clean energy jobs, knowledge and skills development.
QUEST Canada and its partners also contributed to the project, bringing the total investment to $1,154,000.
The Government of Canada is committed to the meaningful participation, ownership and decision-making by Indigenous Peoples in natural resources development as they expand innovative clean energy solutions to reduce emissions, advance self-determination, create good jobs and combat climate change.
