Halifax Regional Event: Regional Solutions to Atlantic Canada's Carbon Challenge

Many Initiatives are moving ahead aggressively that are transforming energy systems in Atlantic Canada to address the region’s environmental issues and market opportunities.  Changes are underway to green the generation mix, to foster regional cooperation in managing energy markets, to implement new energy and environmental policy, and to exploit new technologies in green generation and energy storage.  Public acceptance of new energy projects by communities and First Nations has been achieved successfully.  Taken together, Atlantic Canada is a leading-edge example of implementing practical solutions to a region’s carbon challenge.

Several dimensions of the transformation will be examined during this event – provincial energy policy, examples of regional cooperation, launch of new technologies by entrepreneurs, and feedback from First Nations communities now engaged in clean energy.  The program will include:

• Deputy Ministers’ Panel: the latest developments energy policy from leaders across Atlantic Canada including initiatives within each jurisdiction and intergovernmental actions across the region;
• First Nations Leaders’ Panel: learn more about how First Nations communities are developing clean energy as an integral component of implementing their economic and social strategies, including updates on building partnerships, key ingredients for success, and “lessons learned” along the way;
• Highlights of Large-scale Regional Energy Projects, implications for the region and for increasing energy trade: Energy East oil pipeline, opportunities to provide clean electricity to New England markets, and promising new technologies; and, 
• Utility CEOs’ Panel: insights from utility leaders across the region providing updates on strategic investments, and remaining challenges and opportunities at hand to address the carbon challenge.

Plan to join your colleagues from across the region representing industry, government, First Nations, ENGOs, and academia.  The event will start on November 21 with an opening reception and keynote address.  On November 22, the program features two keynote presentations and three sessions, each followed by and open dialogue with all participants.  Our goal is to profile Atlantic Canada’s latest developments in policy, projects and community participation and to provide an open forum for discussion of the learnings from actions to date, on the remaining issues, and on possible ways to address them.

We look forward to your participation and your contributions to enriching the energy dialogue around regional solutions to Atlantic Canada’s carbon challenge.