The British Columbia government will give $25 million in energy retrofits to schools, universities, colleges, hospitals and Crown corporations to create jobs and cut carbon pollution, according to a government news release.   “We know this investment will immediately translate into a lower energy footprint for public sector buildings, less carbon pollution, ...

News | Rob Colman | Jun 17, 2010

According to a new global survey by workspace solutions provider Regus, 68% of Canadian companies believe that government tax breaks are required to accelerate adoption of green investment.   In Canada, the Regus survey also found that: 9% of companies monitor their carbon footprint (the lowest percentage globally) ...

News | Rob Colman | Jun 17, 2010

In its inaugural year, the Government of Alberta says its energy efficiency rebate program has delivered more than 66,000 rebates to Albertan homeowners—worth more than $13 million—who have invested in environmental upgrades.   “The tremendous response in the program’s initial year demonstrates Albertans’ commitment to reducing their environmental impacts,” said Environment Minister ...

News | Rob Colman | Jun 17, 2010

The Renault-Nissan Alliance announced early this week that Nissan Canada has entered into a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with the Government of Québec, the City of Montréal, Québec City, Hydro-Québec and the Agence de l'efficacité énergétique du Québec to advance zero-emission mobility in Québec. The parties will work together to ...

News | Rob Colman | Jun 3, 2010

Both the City of Thunder Bay and the Town of Caledon have taken notable steps in the past to improve their energy management practices and reduce energy usage. Now, to take their efforts further, they are enlisting the services of 360 Energy and entered into the Sustainable Energy Planning Program. The ...

News | Rob Colman | May 20, 2010

Canadians have missed out on approximately 66,000 jobs because the federal government has failed to match the U.S. in renewable energy investments, according to a report released this week by Blue Green Canada, an alliance between Environmental Defence Canada and United Steelworkers. The report, Falling Behind: Canada's Lost Clean Energy ...

News | Rob Colman | May 6, 2010

Undoubtedly, the way of the future for Canadian companies will be to adopt business practices that help reduce their carbon footprint and improve the environment. Some of this will be in response to consumer interest. But the majority of businesses believe it's up to government to create this behavioural shift. ...

Features | Leanne Sereda | Jun 3, 2010

On May 12, 2010, Senators John Kerry and Joseph Lieberman released the initial draft of a comprehensive climate change and clean energy bill, titled the “American Power Act” (APA). The 987-page draft bill, which has not been formally introduced in the Senate, is the product of months of negotiations led ...

Features | GB Staff | May 20, 2010

As part of its Open Ontario Plan the province is taking steps to make Ontario the leading clean water jurisdiction in North America. The proposed Water Opportunities and Water Conservation Act would, if passed, encourage the creation and export of innovative clean water technology, promote water conservation, attract economic development ...

Features | GB Staff | May 20, 2010

British Columbia’s new Clean Energy Act sets the foundation for a new future of electricity self-sufficiency, job creation and reduced greenhouse gas emissions, powered by unprecedented investments in clean, renewable energy across the province. According to a press release issued jointly by the Office of the Premier, the Ministry of Energy, ...

Features | Anthony Capkun | May 6, 2010

In his March 2 budget speech to the B.C. legislature, finance minister Colin Hansen announced $100 million over three years in new climate action and clean energy development funding. The future of B.C., he said, "is a future where our clean-energy expertise supports both our economy and our environment, and a ...

Features | Ricki Normandin | Mar 3, 2010

The power and utilities sector is rarely considered ground zero for green business practices. However, as the political and social climate mandates a more rapid reduction in global greenhouse gas emissions, power and utilities organizations find themselves in the spotlight. Dealing with this mandate implies more than simply identifying strategies ...

Features | Jane Allen | Jan 20, 2010

Climate change has been around as an environmental issue since the late 1980s and finally emerged to capture the spotlight in 2007, helped by a combination of climatic, political and media events (including Al Gore’s award-winning documentary, An Inconvenient Truth). Polls showed the public in most parts of the world ...

Columns | Keith Neuman, Ph.D. | Dec 2, 2009

British Columbia is aggressive in its determination to remain a global leader in clean and renewable energy. This is not surprising, given that a recent PricewaterhouseCoopers study predicts that BC’s independent power sector could inject $26.1 billion into the provincial economy by 2020.  Determined to maximize this economic potential, the ...

Columns | Cheryl Slusarchuk | Dec 2, 2009

The British Columbian renewable energy sector is back on the straight-away after a few tight corners over the past few months. First, there was the economic downturn. Then, the British Columbia Utilities Commission (BCUC) decided that it wouldn’t endorse BC Hydro’s 2008 Clean Power Call.  Despite these setbacks, the provincial ...

Columns | Cheryl Slusarchuk | Oct 26, 2009

The COP 15 international summit on climate change will be convening in Copenhagen in less than two months. While few would confidently predict the outcome, almost everyone agrees this will be a critical event in determining whether or not it is possible to reach a multi-lateral agreement on a problem ...

Columns | Keith Neuman, Ph.D. | Oct 16, 2009

How times have changed. Just a few years ago, Canada was viewed as a leader on the climate change front (Chretien signing the Kyoto Accord, Dion hosting an international conference in Montreal), while the United States was widely castigated as the principal villain in the piece. Now in 2009, U...

Columns | Keith Neuman, Ph.D. | Jun 12, 2009

By Keith Neuman, Ph.D. Environmental pricing reform (or EPR) is the term now used to describe the various types of market mechanisms (e.g. carbon pricing, cap and trade, congestion fees) which are now being given serious attention as the most promising strategy for addressing climate change and other pressing environmental ch...

Columns | | Apr 29, 2009