MONTREAL | TRADITIONAL, UNCEDED TERRITORY OF THE KANIEN’KEHÁ:KA FIRST NATION.
The David Suzuki Foundation welcomes the recent announcements of new federal and provincial partnerships on funding for clean electricity projects in Saskatchewan and New Brunswick and calls on the federal government to release the clean electricity regulations, expected before the end of 2024, as soon as possible.
Stephen Thomas, Clean Energy Manager, David Suzuki Foundation, said:
“We’re pleased to see new funding to help shift Canada’s electricity grid away from high-cost fossil fuels to cleaner, cheaper renewable energy. We all deserve affordable, secure, clean electricity and this type of federal-provincial collaboration is exactly what’s needed to make that happen.
“Everyone in Canada deserves the benefits of clean electricity, which is why we need the federal clean electricity regulations as soon as possible. Affordability research and numerous modelling studies, including research by the David Suzuki Foundation, show that consumers will benefit from cheaper overall energy bills as we shift toward clean electricity.
“More than a billion dollars in federal funding and loans in Saskatchewan and New Brunswick will help spur investments so communities can benefit from Indigenous-led renewable electricity projects, grid upgrades, battery storage projects, energy efficiency programming, capacity building and resource support for Indigenous communities.
“It’s time for all provinces to join the work of building solutions that provide energy cost savings, good jobs and better health outcomes for everyone.”
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Background:
- On December 5, the governments of Canada and Saskatchewan announced more than $250 million in funding for new Indigenous- and community-led clean electricity projects, including funding for grid upgrades, renewable electricity projects and energy efficiency projects.
- On December 8, the governments of Canada and New Brunswick announced more than $1 billion in funding and loans for clean electricity projects in New Brunswick, including up to 670 megawatts of Indigenous-led wind projects, and capacity building and resources for Indigenous communities in New Brunswick.
- The federal government is expected to announce the final clean electricity regulations, which aim to put Canada on a path for net-zero electricity by 2035, before the end of 2024.
- David Suzuki Foundation research shows a 100 per cent zero-emissions electricity grid is possible for Canada by 2035: Shifting Power: Zero-Emissions Electricity Across Canada by 2035.
- All G7 countries share the goal of 100 per cent net-zero emissions electricity, supported by the International Energy Agency and the United Nations as necessary for achieving overall net-zero emissions by 2050.
- Affordability modelling released in November 2024 by the Transition Accelerator and modelling released in 2023 by the Canadian Climate Institute show most households will see a decrease in overall energy bills as we switch from fossil fuels to clean electricity for household energy uses.
- No matter how Canada produces its electricity, financial supports will be needed for the most vulnerable already challenged by energy poverty and other affordability concerns. These supports exist, and the David Suzuki Foundation joins in the call for them to be implemented.
- Last year, consumers in the European Union saved an estimated 100 billion euros in electricity costs by moving to renewables like wind and solar.
- Wind and solar are the cheapest forms of electricity in history, according to the International Energy Agency and have been since 2020.
For more information, please contact:
Melanie Karalis, mkaralis@davidsuzuki.org +1 548 588 1279