Tag: Renewable Energy

Open letter: 105 groups call on PM Mark Carney to build Canada’s east-west electricity grid with renewable energy

105 environment, labour, Indigenous and community groups, including CRED-NB, released a letter today, July 3, calling on Prime Minister Mark Carney and the federal government to prioritize building out Canada’s east-west electricity grid with renewable energy, while upholding workers’ and Indigenous rights. 

The following is a summary of the priorities listed in the letter. The full letter can be found HERE.

  • Commit significant federal funding toward permitting, planning and construction of strategic interprovincial and intra-provincial electricity transmission projects.
  • The Green Budget Coalition, Green Economy Network and Climate Action Network Canada each identify a funding commitment of at least $20 billion over five years while the Canada Electricity Advisory Council recommends significant investment and reducing barriers for these transmission projects.
  • Uphold legal and inherent Indigenous rights for Indigenous communities throughout Canada.
  • Implement key labour supports as a condition for federal funding on electricity projects.
  • Alongside the work on transmission and generation, the federal government should strengthen its financial support for energy efficiency, demand-side management, energy storage and other electricity system upgrades.
  • With these priorities in mind, the federal government should update and implement Canada’s Electricity Strategy. This includes implementing the Clean Electricity Regulations, and continuing to advance Canada’s work to achieve a net-zero electricity grid.

See the press release HERE.

Tariff threats spur need for “east-west” electricity integration

Canada must focus on increasing our energy security.

Unfortunately Ontario is increasing reliance on the U.S. by building four U.S. GE-Hitachi nuclear reactors which require U.S. enriched uranium fuel.

This is not the time to increase our economic and energy dependency on the U.S. Sharing renewable electricity interprovincially can cut that dependency.

As Prime Minister Carney has suggested, Canada can be an energy superpower, but only if we follow the world by focusing on low-cost, reliable renewable energy.

We do not need a power corridor from coast to coast. We need more east-west interconnection of regional and distributed transmission systems. This would allow the growth and sharing of new community-based, low-cost renewable energy, creating local green jobs while meeting Canadian needs.

CRED-NB is a member of the coalition of groups that publish the SMRs Information Task Force Bulletin. This information is from the June 2025 bulletin. Read the full edition HERE.

Climate Action Network Canada: Letter to PM Carney and Election Priorities

CRED-NB is a signatory to the Climate Action Network Canada (CAN-Rac) letter to Prime Minister Carney sent the day after the federal election. The letter congratulates Prime Minister Mark Carney and urges him to use this opportunity to build a fairer, more resilient society grounded in reliable, renewable Canadian solutions.

Prime Minister Carney has long been involved in climate initiatives; now, he has the chance to enact change at a national scale to make Canadians’ lives safer, healthier, and more affordable.

Read the full letter HERE.

Before the election, CAN-Rac released Made-in-Canada Climate Solutions: 2025 Election Priorities, setting out its calls to action for federal parties this campaign. See more details here.

NB Power review: few details and no climate action requirement

Ongoing concerns about energy poverty and spikes in NB Power bills sparked public protests earlier this month. On Monday, Premier Susan Holt and Minister responsible for Energy René Legacy, held a media event short on details but full of promises that changes are coming to the troubled public utility.

The government revealed that the public review of NB Power announced three weeks ago will take place this year and wrap up with a government decision no later than March 2026. More details are promised “later this spring.”

The review, to be led by three expert leads supported by steering and advisory committees, will engage with stakeholders and the public and focus on financial sustainability, governance and utility structure, investor attractiveness and strategic partnerships, and customer expectations.

Despite the link between energy generation and the climate crisis, the review will not include any guidance or requirement that the solutions proposed align with the province’s climate action plan. Minister Legacy said he thinks that “groups will come forward and ask about anything to do with clean energy, so that will come up as a focus.”

Read the full article here.

Susan O’Donnell is a core member of CRED-NB, on the NB Media Co-op board of directors and the lead researcher for the CEDAR project at St. Thomas University.

Climate Action Network Canada releases Election Priorities

Climate Action Network Canada (CAN-Rac) has released Made-in-Canada Climate Solutions: 2025 Election Priorities, setting out its calls to action for federal parties this campaign.

The calls to action are based on six pillars:

  1. Strengthen Canada’s independence and economy by shifting to clean energy.
  2. Build on Canada’s climate and nature progress.
  3. Make Canadians’ lives safer, healthier, and more affordable.
  4. Center people and communities.
  5. Protect our public institutions and tackle billionaire power and greed.
  6. Champion international cooperation amidst geopolitical chaos.

See the CAN-Rac press release HERE

CRED-NB is a member of Climate Action Network.

Climate Action Network – Réseau action climat (CAN-Rac) Canada is a coalition of over 180 organizations operating from coast to coast to coast. Their membership brings environmental groups together with trade unions, First Nations, social justice, development, health and youth organizations, faith groups and local, grassroots initiatives.

Should Mactaquac be replaced by wind power?

The Mactaquac hydroelectric dam 20 km upriver from Fredericton is a major source of electricity in New Brunswick. Although only halfway through its expected life, it requires major refurbishment. Is spending $8.9 billion to fix a 60-year-old power generation station really the best path forward?

NB Power must answer this important question soon. The utility’s decision will impact the future price of electricity and its ability to pay down its crushing debt.

Three considerations are how much electricity the dam generates, the maximum power it can produce, and how “dispatchable” it is. Power is dispatchable if it can be turned on, up, and down as needed.

Mactaquac is an important source of clean, renewable energy. The key question that will impact future energy costs is: how does the cost of refurbishment compare with building a new alternative source of renewable energy generation? An additional consideration: how many new jobs would the alternative create in New Brunswick?

To read more click HERE.

Tom McLean is a member of the Core Group of the Coalition of Responsible Energy Development in New Brunswick (CRED NB) which is developing a strategy for affordable renewable electricity supply in New Brunswick.

Earth Day Rally at the New Brunswick Legislature

Seniors for Climate, a Canada-wide movement of concerned older adults, invites you to an Earth Day Rally at the Legislature, 706 Queen Street, Fredericton on Tuesday, April 22, from noon to 2 pm.

At this action-packed gathering, we’ll hear from climate and community leaders, connect with grassroots groups taking positive social and climate action, listen to great music, and shout out loudly for our politicians to stop the burning of fossil fuels and move rapidly to clean, affordable, and reliable renewable energy. Later is Too Late!

At 11:30 am just before the Rally, join us in front of Fredericton City Hall, 397 Queen Street, to hear the Mayor proclaim April 22 as Earth Day in Fredericton at 11:45, then make your own way to the Legislature. You are permitted to carry signs. Share this message with 10 friends, youth to seniors, and invite them to share with 10 friends, and so on. If everybody shares, we could see 1,000 people! 

Come, bring a friend, bring signs and lend your voice.

Climate-concerned organizations published open letter to Mark Carney

Today, climate-concerned organizations from across Canada published an open letter to Mark Carney, calling on the newly elected Prime Minister-designate to future-proof the Canadian economy by putting forward climate-aligned finance policy.  

The letter, signed by 57 organizations and individuals, calls on Canada’s next Prime Minister to make good on his record of inviting financial actors to the climate problem-solving table and take the necessary next step of championing legislation that legally requires their alignment with a stable, climate-safe future ahead of an upcoming federal election.    

See full press release HERE.