The Newfoundland and Labrador Environmental Industry Association (NEIA), in partnership with the Maritimes Energy Association (MEA), is leading an effort to define how ‘green jobs’ will take shape in Atlantic Canada.
“The energy transition and the greening of the economy look different depending on where in the world you are,” says Kieran Hanley, NEIA’s Executive Director.
Hanley says that the makeup of regional economies, including their current industrial structure and future growth potential, have a substantial impact on what the unique workforce transition opportunities may be.
“Atlantic Canada has a unique economy within Canada; we don’t have an excellent sense of what a ‘green job’ means in that context,” says Hanley.
Hanley said it is clear that governments and financial markets around the world are moving quickly to support clean growth activities. “There is some urgency here for us to figure this out so that we can adequately support our workforce to thrive in a low-carbon future.”
“The Maritimes Energy Association is pleased to provide our input on this project,” said Jennifer Tuck, MEA’s CEO. “The greening of the Atlantic Canadian economy will support economic development in the energy sector and beyond.”
NEIA and MEA are partnered with ECO Canada with support from the Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency (ACOA) in its work, and will be engaging broadly throughout the region in the months ahead using the international Labour Organization’s definition of a green job as a guide:
“Green jobs are decent jobs that contribute to preserve or restore the environment, be they in traditional sectors such as manufacturing and construction, or in new, emerging green sectors such as renewable energy and energy efficiency. Green jobs help: 1) improve energy and raw materials efficiency, 2) limit greenhouse gas emissions, 3) minimize waste and pollution, 4) protect and restore ecosystems, and/or 5) support adaptation to the effects of climate change.”
“If you or your organization has ideas on what green jobs will be emerging in Atlantic Canada, we would welcome your insight”.
NEIA is a not-for-profit association of businesses that promotes the development of clean technology and the growth of the green economy in Newfoundland and Labrador. NEIA has over 200 members. More information can be found at http://www.neia.org.
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Media Contact
Kieran Hanley, Executive Director, econext kieran@econext.ca
(ST. JOHN’S, NL) – The Newfoundland and Labrador Environmental Industry Association (NEIA) has produced and released an information series that explores clean growth opportunities related to oceans industries in Atlantic Canada.
“Conversations around concepts like sustainable development, the energy transition, net zero, decarbonization, etc. are intensifying globally at a rapid rate,” says Kieran Hanley, NEIA’s Executive Director. “Atlantic Canada’s oceans industries – which are vitally important to the region’s economy – operate in international markets and as such need to be prepared to thrive in these changing conditions.”
Hanley says that the Offshore Cleantech Information Series aims to provide stakeholders in Atlantic Canada with the necessary insights to understand how these increasing environmental pressures will affect their industries, and where new opportunities for growth and innovation might lie. “We have produced 16 presentations and over 10 hours of content presented by subject matter experts on topics ranging from the fishery to offshore oil and gas to marine renewables,” says Hanley. “We believe this is a meaningful contribution towards advancing Atlantic Canada’s blue economy.”
The series also highlights firms from Atlantic Canada that are already engaged internationally, successfully exporting their clean technologies and environmental services throughout the world. “Investments and decisions are increasingly being made worldwide based on environmental performance indicators,” says Hanley, “and the truth is we have many local firms that have been very successful on the global stage in that regard.”
The Offshore Cleantech Information Series was produced by NEIA in partnership with the Newfoundland and Labrador Oil and Gas Industries Association (Noia), the Maritimes Energy Association, and Marine Renewables Canada. The series can be accessed for free via NEIA’s new professional development portal: https://neia.myvirtualcampus.co/product/offshore-cleantech-information-series/.
NEIA is a not-for-profit association of businesses that promotes the development of clean technology and the growth of the green economy in Newfoundland and Labrador. NEIA has over 200 members. More information can be found at http://www.neia.org.
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Media Contact
Kieran Hanley, Executive Director, econext kieran@econext.ca
A wide variety of funding opportunities are currently available to support clean growth projects in Canada.
NEIA is interested in helping ensure that Newfoundland and Labrador is making every effort to benefit from these programs.
Do you have a project in development that aligns with the objectives of any of these programs?
NEIA can help you position your application, and/or find partners to strengthen your proposal. Please contact NEIA’s Executive Director Kieran Hanley at kieran@neia.org.
This request for proposals will provide up to $6 million per project for a total of up to $59 million to eligible organizations over a maximum of five years.
Proposals should advance the quantification of, and reduce uncertainties in, our understanding of Canada’s carbon sinks to inform opportunities to employ Nature-Based Solutions to achieve net-zero greenhouse gas emissions in Canada. The results should inform the development of integrated estimates of greenhouse gas emissions and removals from Canadian ecosystems, our understanding of how direct land management actions impact ecosystem carbon cycles, or our understanding of the potential role of carbon sinks in Canada’s greenhouse gas mitigation strategy.
Also of interest are proposals that will inform Canada’s reporting on efforts to enhance natural carbon sinks, including the quantification of those actions, and will improve reliability and consistency in reporting methodologies for managed and unmanaged lands, wetland restoration, forestry and agricultural practices. Additionally, proposals could also address direct and/or indirect impacts on climate, air quality, ecosystem function, and biodiversity.
Eligible recipients: Lead applicants must be one of the following: universities and other academic institutions; not-for-profit non-government organizations (NGO, e.g., environmental community groups); or Indigenous organizations.
Advancing Climate Change Science and Technology – Understanding the potential for, and implications of, negative emission technologies
This request for proposals will provide up to $6 million per project for a total of up to $59 million to eligible organizations over a maximum of five years.
Proposals should advance our understanding of the extent to which technologies to remove carbon from the atmosphere — such as Direct Air Capture and Carbon Capture and Sequestration — may contribute to the net-zero goal. Proposals could explore the efficacy of different technologies and practices (including the development and testing of measurement tools), their economic viability, the risks associated with their use, and optimal policies for scaling up these technologies/practices (e.g., carbon price, tax credits). Also of interest are proposals that advance our understanding of potential environmental trade-offs and ecological or atmospheric parameters for validating large-scale quantitative assessments of emissions and removals resulting from intentional enhancement.
Eligible recipients: Lead applicants must be one of the following: universities and other academic institutions; not-for-profit non-government organizations (NGO, e.g., environmental community groups); or Indigenous organizations.
Advancing Climate Change Science and Technology – Understanding city- and municipal-level GHG emissions and mitigation effectiveness
This request for proposals will provide up to $6 million per project for a total of up to $59 million to eligible organizations over a maximum of five years.
Proposals should contribute to improving the quantification of GHG emissions and short-lived climate forcers at the city and municipal level, and enable the application of methods to identify mitigation opportunities and evaluate their effectiveness to augment national reporting processes (e.g., advancing the use of top-down atmospheric observations or bottom-up inventory-based approaches). Proposals could advance work related to atmospheric monitoring and modelling aimed at identifying emission reduction opportunities by source type and tracking changes in emissions (i.e., top-down approaches), as well as work to evaluate these top-down estimates against bottom-up emissions estimates. Proposals could also explore methodologies and protocols for using in-situ low-cost medium-precision GHG sensor technology to inform mitigation actions and evaluate effectiveness in a way that enables consistent application across Canada and aligns with international approaches.
Eligible recipients: Lead applicants must be one of the following: universities and other academic institutions; not-for-profit non-government organizations (NGO, e.g., environmental community groups); or Indigenous organizations.
Advancing Climate Change Science and Technology – Understanding multiple benefits of integrated mitigation approaches for greenhouse gases and air pollutants
This request for proposals will provide up to $6 million per project for a total of up to $59 million to eligible organizations over a maximum of five years.
Proposals should improve understanding of how greenhouse gas and air pollutant mitigation strategies impact both climate and air quality, recognizing that climate forcers and air pollutants frequently share common sources and climate forcers are often air pollutants themselves. This could include work to develop and apply new joint climate and air quality models and analysis frameworks to evaluate emission pathways for achieving net-zero GHG emissions and air quality objectives. Proposals aimed at quantifying the potential multiple benefits (e.g., reduced impact on human health and sensitive ecosystems) would also be valuable. This could include multidisciplinary studies across climate, air quality, health, and agriculture to understand the integrated impact of GHG and air pollutant mitigation.
Eligible recipients: Lead applicants must be one of the following: universities and other academic institutions; not-for-profit non-government organizations (NGO, e.g., environmental community groups); or Indigenous organizations.
Advancing Climate Change Science and Technology – Understanding and quantifying transportation sector emissions in Canada
This request for proposals will provide up to $6 million per project for a total of up to $59 million to eligible organizations over a maximum of five years.
Proposals should improve the characterization of travel behaviour in Canada (e.g., on-road public and private, including cars, trucks, buses, etc.) and inform improved inventory reporting and targeted policies to reduce GHG and air pollutant emissions, leveraging big data analytics, telematics, and other techniques. While there is high confidence in total transport emissions and some of the key drivers (e.g., total fuel consumption) and correlated variables (e.g., total number of vehicles), proposals are sought to address critical knowledge gaps in the more refined and geospatially resolved understanding of transportation emissions, such as use patterns of where, when, and what types of vehicles are driven over what distances or modal preferences. Proposals could also examine how travel patterns respond to significant changes, such as pandemics, socio-economic shocks, or extreme events, to quantify changes in travel patterns over time and modal shifts.
Eligible recipients: Lead applicants must be one of the following: universities and other academic institutions; not-for-profit non-government organizations (NGO, e.g., environmental community groups); or Indigenous organizations.
Smart Renewables and Electrification Pathways Program
Up to $964 million over four years for smart renewable energy and grid modernization projects.
The program provides direct financial support to eligible renewable energy and grid modernization projects during the construction phase. Projects must use market ready technologies and apply workplace equity, diversity, and inclusion components. Programs in the following streams can be supported:
Established Renewables (examples: solar photovoltaic, onshore wind, small hydro)
Emerging Technologies (examples: geothermal, energy storage)
Grid Modernization (examples: micro-grids, virtual power plants, and hardware/software to enable grid services). Open only to utilities and/or electricity system operators.
Eligible recipients: Legal entities validly incorporated or registered in Canada; Provincial, territorial, regional and municipal governments and their departments and agencies; Indigenous communities and governments, Tribal Councils, National and regional Indigenous councils or organizations, and Indigenous for-profit and not-for-profit organizations.
Deadline: The Program will continuously accept project registrations and applications until funds are fully committed.
Green and Inclusive Community Buildings – Continuous Intake
This five-year $1.5 billion program will support green and accessible retrofits, repairs or upgrades of existing public community buildings and the construction of new publicly-accessible community buildings that serve high-needs, underserved communities across Canada.
Applicants with small and medium retrofit projects to existing community buildings ranging in total eligible cost from $100,000 to $3 million will be accepted on a continuous basis and funded on a rolling intake basis.
Eligible recipients: municipal governments; provincial governments; public sector bodies that are established by or under provincial or territorial statute or by regulation or are wholly-owned by a province, territory, municipal government (economic development organizations, public utilities, etc.); federally or provincially incorporated not-for-profit organizations and registered charities; and Indigenous groups and focused organizations
Deadline: The program will continuously accept project registrations and applications until funds are fully committed.
Green and Inclusive Community Buildings – Scheduled Intake
This five-year $1.5 billion program will support green and accessible retrofits, repairs or upgrades of existing public community buildings and the construction of new publicly-accessible community buildings that serve high-needs, underserved communities across Canada.
Applicants with large retrofit projects to existing community buildings or new community building projects with total eligible costs ranging from $3 million to $25 million will be accepted through a competitive intake process.
Eligible recipients: municipal governments; provincial governments; public sector bodies that are established by or under provincial or territorial statute or by regulation or are wholly-owned by a province, territory, municipal government (economic development organizations, public utilities, etc.); federally or provincially incorporated not-for-profit organizations and registered charities; and Indigenous groups and focused organizations
The Zero Emission Vehicle Infrastructure Program (ZEVIP) is a 5-year $280 million program ending in 2024 and its objective is to address the lack of charging and refuelling stations in Canada.
NRCan’s contribution through this Program will be limited to fifty percent (50%) of Total Project Costs up to a maximum of five million dollars ($5,000,000) per project.
This Request for Proposals (RFP) targets ZEV infrastructure projects in public places, on-street, multi-unit residential buildings, workplaces and light-duty vehicle fleets, as described below:
Public Places – The program will support electric vehicle charging infrastructure deployment in parking areas intended for public use. Parking areas can be privately or publicly owned and operated. Examples of public places include, but are not limited to: service stations; retail; restaurants; arenas; libraries; medical offices; park and ride; etc.
On-Street – The program will support electric vehicle charging infrastructure deployment on-street. On-street charging is considered charging infrastructure for public use and is managed by local governments.
Workplaces – The program will support zero-emission infrastructure deployment at workplaces. A workplace is defined as a location where employees perform duties related to a job. For the purpose of the program, the charging or hydrogen refuelling infrastructure must be primarily used by the employees. Charging or hydrogen refueling infrastructure installations at a private residence even if a business is registered at the same address, are not included in this category.
Light, Medium and Heavy-Duty Vehicle Fleets – The program will support zero-emission infrastructure for on-road vehicle fleets. A light-duty vehicle is considered as having a gross vehicle weight rating (GVWR) of less than or equal to 3,856 kg. Medium and heavy-duty vehicles are considered as having a gross vehicle weight rating (GVWR) of more than 3,856 kg. Fleet vehicles are owned or leased by an organization and used in support of organizational or business operations and activities. Fleets are composed of multiple vehicles and are managed by common ownership. Examples of light-duty vehicle fleets include a fleet of taxis, car rentals, municipal vehicles, car sharing, etc. Examples of medium or heavy-duty vehicle fleets is a fleet of last-mile delivery trucks, school buses, refuse trucks, public utility vehicles, etc.
Multi-Unit Residential Buildings (MURBs) – The program will support electric vehicle charging infrastructure deployment in multi-unit residential buildings (MURBs). MURB charging is defined as infrastructure in parking spaces where people live. For the purpose of the program, to be designated as a MURB the building must include a minimum of three (3) dwelling units.
Eligible recipients: Electricity or gas utilities; Companies; Industry associations; Research associations; Standards organizations; Indigenous and community groups; Academic institutions; or Provincial, territorial, regional or municipal governments, or their departments or agencies where applicable.
Investments in Forest Industry Transformation (IFIT) – Capital Investment Projects
The Investments in Forest Industry Transformation (IFIT) program facilitates the adoption of transformative technologies and products by bridging the gap between development and commercialization. The IFIT program aims to create a more competitive and resilient forest sector with a focus on low-carbon projects that result in new or diversified revenue streams.
Capital funding to support transformational projects by forest sector firms to diversify into new product streams and ensure industry competitiveness.
Eligible recipients: For-profit companies located in Canada, that either: produce forest products in an existing facility (i.e. pulp, paper or solid/engineered wood products facility); or are new entrants in the Canadian forest sector for the purpose of the proposed project, will be new entrants in the Canadian forest sector for the purpose of the proposed project, or are the lead applicant for a cluster or consortium.
Investments in Forest Industry Transformation (IFIT) – Studies Projects
The Investments in Forest Industry Transformation (IFIT) program facilitates the adoption of transformative technologies and products by bridging the gap between development and commercialization. The IFIT program aims to create a more competitive and resilient forest sector with a focus on low-carbon projects that result in new or diversified revenue streams.
Funding to conduct studies linked to the advancement of innovation in the forest sector in support of a future capital investment or strategic shift by forest sector firms.
Eligible recipients: For-profit companies located in Canada, that either: produce forest products in an existing facility (i.e. pulp, paper or solid/engineered wood products facility); or are new entrants in the Canadian forest sector for the purpose of the proposed project, will be new entrants in the Canadian forest sector for the purpose of the proposed project, or are the lead applicant for a cluster or consortium.
Deadline: The program will continuously accept project registrations and applications until funds are fully committed.
Canadian Agricultural Strategic Priorities Program
Provides funds for projects that address national or sector-wide priorities that help industry address emerging issues and capitalize on opportunities.
The maximum AAFC contribution for a project will normally not exceed $1 million. You can apply for and receive funding for more than one project, but generally speaking, funding will not be more than $5 million over five years for each applicant. If approved for funding, eligible project costs will be shared between you and AAFC at a ratio of 50 percent from your organization to 50 percent from AAFC.
In order to be eligible for funding, applicants must clearly demonstrate the issue that is facing the Canadian agriculture, agri-food and agri-products sector, how the project results will benefit the sector, and how the project aligns with one or more of the four priority areas identified:
adaptation to new technology (e.g. Coordinated approaches to adapt and take full advantage of emerging opportunities; Test and adopt technology solutions in collaboration with research centres; Solve technical hurdles that overcome barriers to encourage adoption of new technology in Canadian agriculture; Develop more value added products)
environmental sustainability (e.g. Support the development of environmental initiatives, resiliency, and adoption demonstration projects; Complementing environmental sustainability and climate change activities under the Canadian Agricultural Partnership and other programs)
strategic planning and capacity building (e.g. Organizational capacity support; Supporting transformation in the agricultural sector; Developing strategic planning initiatives that complement value chain roundtable, agri-food economic table, and other discussions)
emerging issues
Eligible recipients: Not-for profit organizations that are incorporated in Canada.
Deadline: The program will continuously accept project registrations and applications until funds are fully committed.
The Northern Responsible Energy Approach for Community Heat and Electricity program, also called the Northern REACHE program, funds renewable energy and energy efficiency projects, and related capacity building and planning including in Nunatsiavut.
The program objective is to reduce Northern communities’ reliance on diesel for heating and electricity by increasing the use of local renewable energy sources and energy efficiency. This will result in environmental, social and economic benefits to support developing healthier, more sustainable Northern communities.
Eligible projects will focus on proven technologies such as: solar; wind; energy storage; hydro; biomass heating; residual heat recovery; and LED lighting.
Eligible recipients: First Nation and Inuit communities; First Nation and Inuit development corporations; municipalities; Indigenous organizations; territorial governments and their organizations; regional governments; not-for-profit organizations; modern land claim organizations; and
First Nation self-government.
Deadline: The program will continuously accept project registrations and applications until funds are fully committed.
This research was presented as part of a joint event between the Newfoundland and Labrador Environmental Industry Association (NEIA), the Newfoundland and Labrador Oil and Gas Industries Association (Noia), and the Canadian Association of Petroleum Producers (CAPP), and pursued through an initiative announced in January, 2021.
Each report is available for download, and accompanied by a pre-recorded video presentation by their author(s) summarizing the findings.
Understanding current activity and capacity in clean technology research, development, and innovation in Canada’s Offshore Oil and Gas Industry
This research compiled and thematically represented the R&D and innovation capacity of Canada’s offshore oil and gas industry as it relates to clean technology. This included an identification of areas of strength or emerging strength in the Atlantic region (e.g. by specific subject matter and/or collective capabilities) that could be leveraged to drive clean growth within the industry.
This research was completed, and is presented, by Hatch Ltd.
Identifying regulatory and support ecosystem initiatives from leading jurisdictions supporting clean technology innovation in the offshore oil and gas industry
This work will help stakeholders gain an understanding of what deliberate interventions related to clean tech were made (by leading global jurisdictions) to foster innovation, attract investment, diversify the supply chain, and enhance long-term environmental performance within the industry. This is compared to the regulatory and innovation support ecosystem in Atlantic Canada, and a series of recommendations are made to drive and/or enable clean growth within the local industry.
This research was completed, and is presented, by Caron Hawco and Dr. Tom Cooper with support from Rystad Energy.
Delineating emerging environmental requirements and expectations in the offshore oil and gas supply chain
Understanding the related emerging requirements and expectations for supply chain participants will help ensure the competitiveness of firms in Atlantic Canada – or help local firms gain a competitive advantage. This is important from both the perspective of firms maintaining their market share in domestic oil and gas supply chains, and for firms engaging internationally.
This research was completed, and is presented, by Stantec.
(ST. JOHN’S, NL) – The Newfoundland and Labrador Environmental Industry Association (NEIA) is encouraged by the strong language used in the Premier’s Economic Recovery Team (PERT) report related to the transition towards a green economy.
“While there is much for us to review in detail in this substantive report, we are very pleased to see such strong emphasis placed on the opportunities for Newfoundland and Labrador associated with clean growth,” said Kieran Hanley, NEIA’s Executive Director.
“NEIA strongly believes that a deliberate and strategic approach to the energy transition can yield enormous gains for the province – helping to grow and diversify its economy in a transformative way.”
Hanley points to the report’s references to hydrogen production, renewable energy development, and lowering emissions within the offshore oil and gas industry as being aligned with NEIA’s vision for Newfoundland and Labrador’s economic recovery.
“PERT says it believes that Newfoundland and Labrador has the assets to be a leader in the green revolution, and NEIA could not agree more,” said Hanley.
“Rising to the challenge before us must include realizing the potential of each of these opportunities,” said Hanley. “To do so will require a great deal of proactivity in the development of strategy, attraction of investment, and the cultivation of specific projects.”
“NEIA and its partners have the insight and the ambition to help the province realize these opportunities,” said Hanley, “and it is our hope that we can work with the Government of Newfoundland and Labrador to action some of these recommendations in the very short term.”
“Lastly, on behalf of the association, I want to thank Dame Moya Greene and the entire Premier’s Economic Recovery Team. It is evident that a substantial amount of research and analysis went into these recommendations. We are appreciative of the time, effort, and passion that you have committed to envisioning the future of Newfoundland and Labrador.”
NEIA is a not-for-profit association of businesses that promotes the development of clean technology and the growth of the green economy in Newfoundland and Labrador. NEIA has over 200 members. More information can be found at https://neia.org.
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Media Contact
Kieran Hanley, Executive Director NEIA
kieran@neia.org
(ST. JOHN’S, NL) – The Newfoundland and Labrador Environmental Industry Association (NEIA) congratulates recipients of the Emissions Reduction Fund – Research, Development, and Deployment component.
Sixteen projects are receiving a total of $24.4 million from Natural Resources Canada, managed by Petroleum Research Newfoundland and Labrador (PRNL), to investigate how to reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from Canada’s offshore oil and gas operations.
“We believe that the pursuit of net zero within the offshore oil and gas industry will help drive innovation and economic growth for Newfoundland and Labrador,” said Kieran Hanley, NEIA’s Executive Director. “We were happy to see that NEIA members were included in the announcement and congratulate all of the recipients on their efforts to improve the environmental performance of this important industry.”
Hanley said that NEIA was particularly pleased to see projects funded that build on the research it completed in a collaboration with Noia this past Fall. “NEIA and its partners worked hard to help decision-makers better understand opportunities around electrification and offshore wind related to the oil and gas industry,” he said, “and seeing major investments that are further investigations of these ideas validates the work that industry associations were able to do in this regard.”
NEIA, in partnership with Noia and the Canadian Association of Petroleum Producers (CAPP), is hosting an event next week that will continue the exploration of low-carbon offshore oil and gas. “We are going to learn about international trends in this space and do a deeper dive on some of the projects announced this week by PRNL,” said Hanley. More information on this event can be found at: https://neia.org/low-carbon.
In the meantime, Hanley said that a discussion is required on what happens next. “The Emissions Reduction Fund represents one of the largest clean technology investments our province has ever seen – we need to build on the momentum that it has helped create to shape Newfoundland and Labrador’s clean growth future.”
NEIA is a not-for-profit association of businesses that promotes the development of clean technology and the growth of the green economy in Newfoundland and Labrador. NEIA has over 200 members. More information can be found at https://neia.org.
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Media Contact
Kieran Hanley, Executive Director NEIA kieran@neia.org
ST. JOHN’S, NL – The Newfoundland and Labrador Environmental Industry Association (NEIA) held its Annual General Meeting (AGM) during the week of April 26-30, 2021. The AGM featured the election of its Board of Directors.
Newly elected members of the Board of Directors include:
Don Drew (Newo Metals & Auto Recycling – Treasurer)
Kris Costello (Oil and Gas Corporation of Newfoundland and Labrador)
Justin So (Wood)
NEIA is a not-for-profit association of businesses that promotes the development of clean technology and the growth of the green economy in Newfoundland and Labrador. NEIA has over 200 members. More information can be found at www.neia.org.
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Media Contact
Kieran Hanley
kieran@neia.org
709.979.0403
ST. JOHN’S (NL) – The Newfoundland and Labrador Environmental Industry Association (NEIA) is celebrating the achievements of four members who are the winners of the province’s Environmental Industry Awards.
“What these companies and individuals have been able to do in the midst of a global pandemic is remarkable,” said Kieran Hanley, NEIA’s Executive Director. “From Nunatsiavut to the Bahamas, our award winners have made a difference – bettering both the environment and our economy in the process.”
Watch the NEIA Industry Awards Ceremony
“Leaders like those that we have highlighted today are going to help lead Newfoundland and Labrador out of the fog and into the bright future that we know is within our grasp,” said Hanley.
“Congratulations to our award winners, and thank you for your work accelerating the clean growth economy in Newfoundland and Labrador.”
NEIA’s Industry Awards program features winners in four categories:
The Environmental Industry Business Excellence Award recognizes a significant initiative, project, or achievement of a business engaged in Newfoundland and Labrador’s green economy. 2020’s Environmental Industry Business Excellence Award has been presented to Heave Away Waste Management.
“Heave Away Waste Management has experienced substantial growth in the short time that it has been in business,” said Hanley. “This, in combination with the company’s focus on reducing the environmental impacts of commercial waste – and its commitment to increasing its competitiveness through the adoption of new technologies – make Heave Away Waste Management a deserving recipient of NEIA’s Business Excellence Award.”
The Cleantech Innovation Award recognizes achievement in research and development, commercialization, and/or refinement of products, services, or processes that can mitigate effects to, protect, or enhance the environment. 2020’s Cleantech Innovation Award has been presented to SmartICE.
“Not only has SmartICE created a new technological solution to an environmental challenge, it has done so via an innovative business model,” said Hanley. “The social enterprise is committed to expanding opportunities for economic and social development within the Indigenous communities that they operate in, and we are very pleased to recognize SmartICE’s excellent work with our Cleantech Innovation Award.”
The Cleantech International Business Award recognizes a significant initiative or achievement of Newfoundland and Labrador business engaged in international business activities relating to cleantech or environmental services. 2020’s Cleantech International Business Award has been presented to BEHI Engineering and Environmental.
“BEHI has secured contracts throughout the Caribbean – from Barbados to Jamaica – and has continued to succeed despite the challenges posed to international business by the pandemic,” said Hanley. “Dr. Eid is always willing to share the information, intelligence, and contacts he creates abroad, and many other NEIA members have benefitted as a result.”
The Environmental Industry Champion Award recognizes the contribution of an individual to the growth of Newfoundland and Labrador’s environmental industry. 2020’s Environmental Industry Champion Award has been presented to Edmundo Fausto.
“Edmundo has fostered a spirit of collaboration among his colleagues and within his practice, with a dogged determination to achieve progress of improve the City’s environmental performance,” said Hanley. “The City of St. John’s has taken enormous strides this past year in the fight against climate change; this is a team effort, but Edmundo’s peers have recognized him for being a major driving force in these accomplishments.”
More information on the award winners can be found in the attached backgrounder. NEIA is a not-for-profit association of businesses that promotes the development of clean technology and the growth of the green economy in Newfoundland and Labrador. NEIA has over 200 members. More information can be found at https://neia.org.
Heave Away Waste Management was created in 2019. It is a locally owned and operated company that provides professional waste management solutions to residential, commercial, and construction clients in the greater St. John’s area. Its services include: front load dumpster rental and general waste removal; roll-off bin rental and construction waste removal; cardboard, paper, and plastic recycling; composting; and special waste such as international waste and asbestos removal.
In just over a year in business, Heave Away is servicing hundreds of customers with plans for continued growth. In line with the company’s core values of reliable, sustainable, and local solutions, the company is focusing efforts on creating waste diversion programs for its clients to help businesses improve their management of waste and reduce their carbon footprint. Its first step in this regard will be through conducting waste audits for its customers. These waste audits will identify areas of improvement for businesses to turn their waste streams into more environmentally sustainable processes with a focus on food and organic waste – one of the province’s greatest waste management challenges.
While the reduction of waste might seem to be a counter intuitive objective for a waste management company, Heave Away believes that the movement towards a more circular economy is the right thing to do – and that the waste hauler is ideally positioned to have a positive impact. The waste management, audit, and diversion model that Heave Away Waste Management offers affords business the opportunity to view waste through a different lens and improve their environmental performance.
Meanwhile the company has set a goal to adopt new technologies for the digitalization of traditional processes and plans to leverage technology to adapt to the current industry environment and protect the core functions of the business from future disruptions. Heave Away believes that the increased productivity stemming from embracing new technologies will set the company apart from its competitors. Their fun, energetic, and professional team of experts focus on keeping informed, communicating, having fun, educating one another, and researching innovative ways to keep evolving the waste sector.
The growth that Heave Away Waste Management has seen this past year, in combination with its ambitious plans to have a positive impact on Newfoundland and Labrador’s waste streams – and its commitment to increasing its competitiveness through the adoption of new technologies – make the company a deserving recipient of NEIA’s Business Excellence Award.
SmartICE is an award-winning technological innovation for the North. As the world’s first climate change adaptation tool to integrate traditional knowledge of sea ice with advanced data acquisition and remote monitoring technology, the system combines these approaches to provide invaluable, data-driven insights into sea-ice thickness and local ice conditions, in near real-time.
The technology is a tool in the tool box combined with traditional knowledge that can improve planning for safe on-ice travel; it directly benefits public safety, food security, and the health and wellbeing of northern communities that rely on these methods of transportation. In addition, SmartICE enables and supports economic activities for communities and industries alike – for example ice-based fisheries and tourism, and environmental monitoring and emergency response (search and rescue) are typically carried out in the landfast ice zone where SmartICE units are deployed. SmartICE services therefore reduce risk and improve performance especially during highly dynamic freeze-up and break-up periods.
The business model is as important and unique as the technology itself. SmartICE is a not for profit social enterprise, aiming to expand opportunities for economic and social development in northern communities while preserving local cultures and lifestyles. SmartICE works with Indigenous youth to locally manufacture and deliver SmartICE’s advanced sea-ice environmental monitoring systems through the Employment Readiness and Technology Production Program at the Northern Production Centre in Nain.
SmartICE has successfully deployed over 20 units throughout the Artic and has operations in Nain, Pond Inlet, and Nunavut. SmartICE will expand to 30 communities across Inuit Nunangat by 2022, with potential opportunities beyond the Canadian Arctic.
In three short years, the organization has grown to 25 people (including interns) with 50% of staff identifying as indigenous. In Nunatsiavut the company has trained 15 local youth in Nain, 85 skills certificates earned and have surpassed 8500 employment hours. In Nunavut last year, SmartICE surpassed 5600 employment hours, trained 46 operators, employed 33 youth, and engaged with 50+ Elders in the communities.
The success that SmartICE has seen this past year has gained the company international accolades and attention, while it maintains that its greatest achievements are those where they are affecting the communities they work in and those of the individuals they work with. Through the deployment of its innovative technology via an innovative business model, SmartICE is a worthy recipient of the 2020 Cleantech Innovation Award.
BEHI was founded in 2005, with an initial focus on business in China and South East Asia market. Since 2014, BEHI Engineering & Environmental swiftly established itself as a successful exporter of highly specialized engineering and environmental services in North America and the Caribbean Region. With a key focus on the Caribbean market, BEHI has developed a reputation as being a reliable and esteemed source of expertise amongst an enviable network of clients and partners in the region that spans dominant engineering and environmental firms and key IFI’s such as the Caribbean Development Bank (CDB), the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB), as well as regional organizations such as OECS, CCCCC (5’C’s), CTO, etc.
Since 2015, the company has been an active participant in NEIA’s Caribbean programming and has provided valuable coaching to newer participants as the program evolved. The company continues to leverage trade missions and match-making services to expand and diversify its network of in-market partners and to establish strategic partnerships with other NEIA members.
On a number of occasions the company’s owner, Dr. Bassem Eid, has identified and shared leads and information with fellow delegates and is always quick to promote his home province’s capabilities and offerings to his in-market network. This has resulted in new partnerships between Newfoundland and Labrador companies, and generated leads for other businesses in the province. BEHI’s early engagements in Guyana, for example, provided valuable intelligence that has since helped shape Newfoundland and Labrador’s involvement in the country and its burgeoning economy.
BEHI secured most of its initial contracts in the Eastern Caribbean (Barbados, Montserrat, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Dominica and Saint Lucia) but has since expanded its client base to include clients in the Western Caribbean (Jamaica), Southern Caribbean (Guyana) and the Northern Caribbean (the Bahamas).
While BEHI’s offerings align exceptionally well to the needs of the Caribbean region, BEHI’s export success can also arguably be attributed to its sustained and targeted focus on the region and its firm commitment to establishing meaningful client relationships and in-market partnerships.
While the global pandemic has challenged international trade across the world, BEHI was still able to advance its interests in 2020. NEIA is pleased to present its International Business Award to BEHI, and its President Dr. Bassem Eid.
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Industry Champion Award
Edmundo Fausto Sustainability Officer – City of St. John’s
Edmundo Fausto was hired by the City of St. John’s as its first Sustainability Officer in 2019, bringing with him extensive experience as a Climate Change Consultant and Project Manager within the private and public sectors. Edmundo has been instrumental to the City’s team, helping to usher in a new era of proactivity for the City of St. John’s on issues and opportunities related to climate change adaptation and mitigation, environmental sustainability, energy efficiency, and clean growth.
Edmundo’s focus and energy has played a key role in the City’s invigorated action on climate change. Since 2019, the City has declared a climate change emergency, affirming that climate change mitigation and adaptation would take their place among its strategic priorities; undertaken an assessment of climate risks and vulnerabilities, and identified actions to increase local adaptation and resilience; developed a corporate and community energy and greenhouse gas inventory; instituted an environmental and sustainability experts panel to provide the City with strategic advice and engagement; developed reporting systems for energy utilization, greenhouse gas emissions, and weather impacts to inform policy and budgeting choices; and drafted a community climate change plan that is now going through a public engagement processes, to be finalized and released in the months ahead – identifying a 30-year strategy to reduce GHGs across the community.
These are enormous accomplishments for a municipality within a very short period of time.
The commendable achievements and undertakings of the City of St. John’s are reflective of the collective efforts and priorities of its elected officials, professional public service, and input of its citizens. This has been a team effort, but Edmundo’s peers have recognized him for being one of the driving forces. He has made meaningful contributions, in both leading and supporting roles, which have propelled the City of St. John’s to the forefront in the fight against climate change.
Edmundo has fostered a spirit of collaboration among his colleagues and within his practice, with a dogged determination to achieve progress of improve the City’s environmental performance. Through his and the City’s efforts, Edmundo has demonstrated leadership in Newfoundland and Labrador’s clean growth ecosystem, creating new partnerships for the City of St. John’s and in the process attracting new investments that have contributed to the City’s climate change advancements.
Congratulations to Edmundo Fausto on being this year’s recipient of the Environmental Industry Champion Award.
(ST. JOHN’S, NL) – The Newfoundland and Labrador Environmental Industry Association (NEIA) is encouraged by the focus the provincial government’s Speech from the Throne placed on clean growth.
“The Speech from the Throne was rich with references to addressing climate change, seizing opportunities around renewable energy, and positioning our traditional industries for success through the lens of sustainability,” says Kieran Hanley, NEIA’s Executive Director. “We hope that this is an indication that these areas will be at, or near the top of, the provincial government’s priorities.”
Hanley says that NEIA shares the sense of hope and optimism for the future of Newfoundland and Labrador which was expressed in the Speech. “We are seeing enormous opportunities for short and long-term economic growth and diversification for our province through the energy transition,” says Hanley. “A coordinated and strategic pursuit of net zero can create a wealth of new jobs and attract new investment into Newfoundland and Labrador.”
NEIA points to low-emissions offshore oil and gas, economy-wide electrification, renewable energy growth, and the development of a new hydrogen industry as being opportunities of transformative potential for the province.
“But bigger, bolder steps are going to be required if we are to exploit these opportunities, and at an accelerated pace because they are time-limited,” says Hanley.
Hanley adds that NEIA has a great deal of expertise, insight, and energy that it can bring to the table to help Newfoundland and Labrador meet its clean growth potential. “If given the opportunity, NEIA is ready and able to make a strong contribution to the clean growth future of Newfoundland and Labrador.”
NEIA is a not-for-profit association of businesses that promotes the development of clean technology and the growth of the green economy in Newfoundland and Labrador. NEIA has over 200 members. More information can be found at https://neia.org.
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Media Contact
Kieran Hanley
Executive Director NEIA
kieran@neia.org
The Newfoundland and Labrador Environmental Industry Association (NEIA) is developing a series of recommendations to inform Canada’s Blue Economy Strategy, and is looking to hear from its members and partners to understand key provincial priorities that should be reflected in its submission.
Context
In the 2020 Speech from the Throne, the Government of Canada articulated its plan for economic transformation post-COVID-19: addressing socio-economic gaps, building a stronger workforce, fighting climate change, and remaining committed to sustainable economic growthFootnote1. These broad objectives form a resiliency agenda to “build back better.” The development of a blue economy strategy is a key component of this plan as it aims to steer Canada’s ocean-based economy towards a more sustainable future and to “build back bluer.” Canada’s Department of Fisheries and Oceans (DFO) is leading in the development of the strategy, and has begun public engagement.
Click here for more information on DFO’s approach and timelines.
Contact NEIA’s Executive Director Kieran Hanley with your suggestions at kieran@neia.org.
