Canadian Indigenous leaders roll out clean energy solutions

Canadian Indigenous leaders roll out clean energy solutions

October 14, 2024 0 By Julie Campbell

New renewable power projects have been tailored specifically to their communities

The Catalyst program is a new clean energy solution project run by non-profit Indigenous Clean Energy to support the acceleration of participation in greener power projects by First Nations, Inuit and Métis communities across the country.

This program has sparked some creative, bespoke strategies

According to Desiree Maurice, who is spearheading the clean energy projects after having spent the majority of her career working in uranium mines, her goal is now the creation of “sovereignty with energy” and making it possible for each Indigenous community to select the type of approach that will best fit with their needs, concerns and lifestyles.Opinions of the natives

“For example, one community is very set on doing solar and another community said, ‘I don’t want anything to do with solar, it’s an eyesore,” explained Maurice.

The idea is to develop options within each community.  Many Indigenous communities in Canada are remote and isolated, causing residents to be highly dependent on fossil fuel-powered vehicles to be able to reach cities and supplies.  According to Maurice, being able to develop clean energy programs for their own communities provides them with a way to feel positive in an atmosphere of “doom and gloom” surrounding climate change.

“You don’t just have to be a gas jockey, you don’t have to work in the oil field,” she said.

Clean energy projects are becoming more commonplace

With non-profits and the Canadian government working together to establish new financial resources such as subsidies and grants to help support the establishment of these projects, a rising number of Indigenous communities are choosing to participate.

The effort is not a small one, as each community is different and has its own unique needs and culture.  The needs of a community on the West Coast will be substantially different from those in the far north of one of the Canadian territories such as Nunavut.

‘Eye opening’

According to Tara Dantouze from an Indigenous community on Manitoulin Island in Ontario, the Catalyst clean energy program has been “eye opening”.  This was particularly the case as she never thought that it would be possible to enter into an energy sector career from within her remote community.hydrogen tshirt mugs

“It’s helped me understand a lot of the complex procedures and processes that occur over the life cycle of a project,” explained Dantouze.

“We can define what solutions are clean,” said Serena Mendizabal of the Six Nations of the Grand River in Ontario, adding that many Indigenous communities feel that their voices have historically not been heard. “Our communities don’t deserve to be fossil fuel dependent.”

“To be able to provide the sustainability through a low carbon technology.… It’s a full circle moment for me,” she added. “And it’s honestly one of the most amazing things in my lifetime so far.”

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