Establishing a Municipal Climate Network in Atlantic Canada

Communities in Canada have influence over nearly 50% of Canadian greenhouse gas emissions and stand on the frontlines of climate change impacts. In order to meet energy objectives, continued coordinated action at the municipal level is essential. However, many municipal governments are constrained with regard to both human and financial capacity. These constraints reduce the ability of communities to seek out the necessary information on best practices and available funding to drive needed changes. The Municipal Energy Learning Group in Nova Scotia serves as a resource for knowledge mobilization among municipal staff and for these staff members to gather relevant information, learn about successful plans, visit projects in action, and network with their colleagues. For the past three years, with support from the Nova Scotia Department of Energy and Mines, QUEST (Quality Urban Energy Systems of Tomorrow) has experimented with various methods of bringing municipal staff from different local governments together, including webinars, facilitated peer-to-peer meetings, workshops, and study tours. Facilitating this group has allowed for an identification of trends in the barriers and opportunities faced by municipalities with regard to climate change, but also in the effectiveness of this model in delivering benefits to the members. The use of inspiration and celebration of success has been an important factor in affecting change. Also, the involvement of representatives from multiple departments has shown that everyone has valuable experience to share and increased engagement and knowledge transfer.