2679 Community Events QUEST has released two publications that unveil key lessons learned from the Municipalities and Utilities Partnering for Community Resilience Initiative. Municipalities and utilities are on the front lines when it comes to coping with the impacts of climate change. This initiative was a response to communities’ need to have relevant tools and assessment processes to adapt their energy system to climate hazards, reduce the risk associated with prolonged power outages, and respond to emergency situations, in order to mitigate the social and economic costs to residents and businesses. Devon was one of twelve Canadian municipalities that worked with QUEST, local utilities, and community stakeholders through workshops, research, and mentoring. With a specific focus on energy, QUEST helped each community better incorporate climate data in planning documents and processes, map vulnerabilities and strengths to specific climate hazards, and prioritize actions and solutions to address identified gaps. “This project was efficiently delivered by QUEST through their network to bring in great presenters during the two workshops. The workshops also allowed our internal and external stakeholders to provide feedback and learn during the engagement sessions,” said Ray Ralph, Mayor for the Town of Devon. “Thanks to the reports generated by QUEST, we now have an understanding of where our strengths and weaknesses lie and how to better manage them in case of climate emergency.” The twelve Canadian municipalities that participated in the project include: The City of Charlottetown, the City of Summerside, and the Town of Stratford in PEI The City of Campbellton, the City of Saint John, the Town of Tracadie, and the Town of Woodstock in New Brunswick The City of Dauphin and the Rural Municipality of Alexander in Manitoba The Town of Cochrane, the Town of Devon, and the Town of Okotoks in Alberta QUEST has shaped the lessons learned from this on-the-ground work into a set of two resources for communities interested in starting or reviewing their climate adaptation and climate planning strategy and their emergency responses, with a specific lens on energy infrastructure. The two new publications include: Building Community Resilience: Key Considerations and Lessons Learned from Twelve Canadian Communities and the Community Resilience Mini-Guide. “The Municipalities and Utilities Partnering for Community Resilience Initiative has been instrumental in identifying how communities in Canada and their utilities can work better together and adapt energy infrastructure through end-use planning, asset planning, and emergency response during power outages. QUEST is proud to provide the Building Community Resilience Report to inform communities across Canada enabling them to become Smart Energy Communities,” said Tonja Leach, Executive Director at QUEST. This project is made possible by support from the Federation of Canadian Municipalities (FCM) Municipalities for Climate Innovation Program (MCIP) and Natural Resources Canada. FCM’s MCIP helps communities to build sustainable and reliable services while tackling climate change and its effects. Learn more about MCIP. To learn more, visit the project webpage or join the upcoming webinar where QUEST will present key insights from the Building Community Resilience report, on Thursday, February, 20th, 2020 at 12:30 PM AT / 11:30 AM EST / 9:30 AM MST. Register now. ABOUT QUEST QUEST is a national non-government organization that works to accelerate the adoption of efficient and integrated community-scale energy systems in Canada by informing, inspiring, and connecting decision-makers. The organization commissions research, communicates best practices, convenes government, utility, and private-sector leaders, and works directly with local authorities to implement on-the-ground solutions. QUEST recognizes communities that have embraced these principles by referring to them as Smart Energy Communities. -30- For more information contact Justin Janke Communications Coordinator Town of Devon P: 780-987-8302 E: JJanke@devon.ca Andy Tchir Environment and Sustainability Coordinator Town of Devon P: 780-987-8333 E: ATchir@devon.ca Share Print