The Pembina Institute is helping to build a sustainable future for British Columbians. We work directly with B.C. communities through our Sustainable Communities program and through grassroots outreach on energy issues.

Pembina provides the information, tools and support to help communities make decisions that enhance their social, economic and environmental well-being.

Click on one of the following categories to learn more:

Sustainable Communities Consulting

Our Sustainable Communities Group has worked with municipalities in Abbotsford, Bowen Island, Dawson Creek and Smithers, and with First Nations communities in Hartley Bay, Kyuquot and Quinault.

We help communities identify and achieve their sustainability goals through a variety of services including resource monitoring, renewable energy assessments, and energy and sustainability planning.

For example, Pembina's BC team helped the City of Dawson Creek complete an energy baseline of its municipal operations and facilities. The process resulted in:

• a green municipal vehicle purchasing policy,
• municipal building energy efficiency audits and retrofits, and
• solar domestic water heating systems.

We are currently assisting the community with the design of an Integrated Community Sustainability Plan. When the plan is complete, Dawson Creek residents and municipal leaders will have a shared vision for a sustainable future that includes sustainability targets, strategies, an implementation process and a system for monitoring progress towards their vision. Visit planningforpeople.ca to learn more.

We also completed a Community Energy Plan for the Gitga'at First Nation in Hartley Bay. The project included:

• a baseline energy assessment,
• an energy demand forecast,
• a survey of household energy use,
• stream flow monitoring, and
• a pre-feasibility study for small-scale hydro options.

The Gitga'at First Nation is implementing the plan's recommendations and has begun construction of a mini-hydro system which will replace diesel generators as the community's primary source of electricity. Shifting to clean, renewable hydro power will save the community money over time while also significantly reducing air pollution and the environmental risks associated with diesel fuel spills.

For more information on the services we offer and the communities we've worked with, please visit the Sustainable Communities website.

Community Outreach

The Pembina Institute has presented energy-related talks and grassroots workshops in more than 15 communities throughout B.C. since 2005. Often, the only perspective remote communities receive on proposed energy projects comes from the energy company itself or from the government. We provide communities with clear information about the potential environmental and social impacts of fossil fuel development, as well as possible sustainable energy alternatives.

For example, Pembina delivered workshops to communities along the proposed route of Enbridge's Gateway pipeline, including Kitimat, Hazelton, Burns Lake, Fort St. James and Prince George. The workshops included presentations by four First Nations women who spoke about the impacts of mining and oil and gas development on their traditional territories. The Gateway pipeline project has since been put on hold. A series of fact sheets developed for these workshops provide an in-depth look at resource development issues in northern British Columbia.

Pembina's B.C. team, in collaboration with Wildsight, held community forums in Princeton, Keremeos, Dawson Creek and Tumbler Ridge to inform people about potential impacts from two proposed coal-fired power generation projects. A fact sheet produced for these forums details the threat coal-fired power poses to B.C. communities, including dangerous air pollution and high levels of greenhouse gas emissions. Both of the proposed coal-fired power projects were later put on hold.

Pembina has delivered talks and workshops on coalbed methane extraction - a form of oil and gas development with extensive local impacts - to communities including Smithers, Fernie, Elkford, Sparwood, Telegraph Creek, Iskut and Dease Lake. For more information on coalbed methane in B.C., please read our fact sheet.

In addition to providing information, our workshops help communities develop strategies for responding to industrial development and build networks of people concerned about energy issues. If you are interested in having Pembina organize a workshop on energy issues in your community, please contact: