Category: News

March 25, 2020

This week the Newfoundland and Labrador Environmental Industry Association (NEIA) participated in a national initiative with its cleantech and environmental services counterparts across the country to understand the challenges being faced by their businesses and what their immediate needs are during this COVID-19 crisis.

NEIA members were each provided the opportunity to give feedback on a wide range of challenges and potential measures to address them.

The message from NEIA’s membership was clear: they are most concerned about how they are going to manage to keep their employees on the payroll. Whether supports be through increased payroll subsidization, payroll tax relief, or the restructuring of existing programming, NEIA’s members need to be able to retain the talent that they have invested so heavily in.

In the coming days, NEIA will be engaging its provincial, federal, and industry partners with its findings and proposing pathways forward.

For Immediate Release
February 6, 2020

ST. JOHN’S (NL) – The Newfoundland and Labrador Environmental Industry Association (NEIA), in partnership with Noia and the Canadian Association of Petroleum Producers (CAPP), held a workshop on Tuesday exploring international sustainability trends in the offshore oil and gas industry – and what they mean for the industry in this province.

“We know that the oil and gas industry is vital to Newfoundland and Labrador’s economy,” said Hanley. “It has driven exceptional research, development, and commercialization of technologies – providing for enormous business growth opportunities within the environmental sector, among many others.”

“But as the global urgency to curb climate change intensifies, as does the public pressure on the oil and gas industry to take action.” Hanley says that the trend is not going anywhere, and that in the months, years, and decades ahead it is only going to become more prevalent.

“This is a challenge for the industry, and our province – but it is also an opportunity,” said Hanley, noting that the world is going to increasingly demand a cleaner barrel of oil. “We are in a good position – from a greenhouse gas perspective we are performing relatively well – but we need to make a concerted effort to make sure that this remains the case into the long term.”

Hanley said this opens the door to the development and application of clean technology products and services within the industry that help improve its performance from an environmental perspective. “This is an opportunity for the growth and diversification of our supply chain here in Newfoundland and Labrador.”

Tuesday’s workshop included presentations from two world-class speakers in Peter Tertzakian (Executive Director of the ARC Energy Research Institute) and Gareth Wynn (Stakeholder and Communications Director with OGUK). “We heard two important messages from these speakers,” said Hanley.

“First, the oil and gas industry has a crucial role to play in reducing global greenhouse gas emissions – and those jurisdictions that excel in this regard will gain a competitive advantage.” Hanley noted that with global demand and supply both continuing to trend upwards, the industry must be viewed as part of the solution.

“Second, we can learn from other jurisdictions as we work to balance the oil and gas industry and environment here in Newfoundland and Labrador.” OGUK presented on the work the industry undertook in the UK to develop a plan to help it reach net-zero emissions by 2050. ”We need to work together to ensure we can continue to compete as the world moves to cleaner energy,” said Hanley.

Hanley said he hopes the workshop was just the beginning of the sustainability discussion within Newfoundland and Labrador’s oil and gas industry. “This is a very important pursuit in the interest of both the province’s economy and environment,” he said. “If we can continue to have evidence-based and forward-thinking discourse between stakeholders – there is much that we can accomplish together.”

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.

Media Contact:
Kieran Hanley
709.237.8190
kieran@neia.org

For Immediate Release
January 22, 2020

(ST. JOHN’S, NL) – The Newfoundland and Labrador Environmental Industry Association (NEIA) is supporting the provincial government’s work in establishing renewable energy as a regional priority for Canada.

Last week the Council of Atlantic Premiers agreed to ‘move forward in an expeditious manner on new clean, reliable, sustainable and affordable electricity generation, improving transmission networks, and reducing greenhouse gas emissions in the region.’

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• Premiers Discuss Clean Energy Collaboration and Regional Priorities

“We support the Premier, the current Chair of the Council, in helping make this a priority for the region,” said Kieran Hanley, NEIA’s Executive Director. “We haven’t scratched the surface yet on the renewable energy resources that we have in this province, and their development presents a significant opportunity for economic growth and diversification for Newfoundland and Labrador.”

“These clean energy resources can benefit the entire region, but the reality is that many of them are stranded,” said Hanley. “To facilitate their development, transmission infrastructure investments are going to be required and we were pleased to see the Council in agreement on that.”

Hanley says that NEIA and its members are looking forward to working with the provincial government in the development of a renewable energy plan for Newfoundland and Labrador. “Part of NEIA’s mandate is to help businesses from the province explore growth opportunities in global renewable energy industries,” he said, “so our members have worked on projects around the world – and have lots of experience and insight to offer on how we can grow this industry in our own backyard.”

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.

Media Contact
Kieran Hanley
kieran@neia.org
709.237.8190

For Immediate Release
December 5, 2019

St. John’s (NL) – Last month, ten (10) firms from Atlantic Canada returned from a NEIA-led business development mission to the Caribbean, including activities in Trinidad & Tobago, Barbados, St. Lucia, St. Vincent, Granada, and the Bahamas.

“This is the seventh business development mission we have led into the region over the past five years,” says Abbie Lacey, NEIA’s Manager of International Business Development. “Our program, running since 2013, is comprehensive and has provided firms with a wide range of supports beyond just these missions,” explains Lacey.

Lacey says that a mission to market is one of the last steps for a firm participating in the program. “We help businesses acquire market intelligence specific to them to gain a better understanding of the need or opportunity relating to their products or services in the region,” she explains. “We then work with each firm to develop a strategy to pursue business in the most opportune areas, and do considerable work up-front to uncover and pre-qualify a series of potential partners for them in the region.” Only after this work has been done, says Lacey, is a firm ready to participate on an outbound mission.

Lacey says firms in Atlantic Canada are well positioned to engage in Caribbean markets. “The products and services developed in this region can work well in other island and rural coastal environments, such as those found in the Caribbean.” Lacey notes the region faces similar challenges such as the impacts of climate change, coastal zone erosion, distance from markets, and economies that are resource dependent. “Our province has a long history of trade with the Caribbean, and we are working to continue and deepen that tradition.”

NEIA’s Caribbean program will continue with a follow-up mission to the region in the Spring of 2020. Lacey is encouraging interested firms to get in touch. “Since the beginning of its program, NEIA has helped almost 30 firms develop strategies to enter Caribbean markets, and there have been some remarkable successes” she says. “Atlantic Canada has a long history of trade with the Caribbean, and we are eager to continue and deepen that tradition.”

NEIA’s international business initiatives in the region are a product of a continued collaboration with the Department of Tourism, Culture, Innovation, and Industry, the Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency (ACOA), and Global Affairs Canada. “The provincial government, ACOA, and our Trade Commissioners have been strong partners in the pursuit of international business growth for our sector,” said Lacey. “We look forward to continued collaboration towards the diversification of the region’s economy through export and trade.”

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.

On October 16th and 17th, the Newfoundland and Labrador Environmental Industry Association (NEIA) held its annual clean technology and green economy conference – Newleef – at the Holiday Inn in St. John’s, NL.

“This year we had three objectives with our conference,” said NEIA’s Executive Director Kieran Hanley. “First, we wanted to highlight some of the excellent work being done within a number of the province’s municipalities relating to climate change mitigation and adaptation.” Newleef featured organizers and participants in a number of projects funded by the Federation of Canadian Municipalities, including one administered by NEIA, presenting on the forward progress being made in Newfoundland and Labrador’s communities. “It is quite remarkable how advanced these discussions have become within our municipalities, even compared to those we would have at this conference just a few short years ago.”

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The second focus of the conference was around the province’s electricity grid. “We spent a full day of Newleef talking about rate mitigation and how that translates into opportunity for industry in the form of electrification, energy efficiency, and things like conservation and demand management,” said Hanley. “And building from the work we have been doing this past year to identify opportunities for renewable energy growth in the province, we explored some of these opportunities in greater depth.” Hanley said the conference was intended to help stakeholders understand the context within which economic development could take place related to the electricity grid. “If stakeholders can find a way to row in the same direction on some of these things, there could be real opportunity for Newfoundland and Labrador.”

This session featured a presentation from the Minister of Natural Resources Siobhan Coady which touched on the province’s priorities and commitments related to each of these subjects:

“Our third objective for Newleef was to highlight what we see as a world-class expertise in the characterization and monitoring of the environment in our province,” said Hanley, noting that Newfoundland and Labrador pushes well above its weight in terms of R&D, commercialization, and application of technologies in this space. “What is the state of the natural environment? How are our activities impacting that environment? And vice versa – how are nature and climate change impacting our built environments? These are are questions we are answering with lasers, satellites, radar, sonar – and it’s a story we need to start embracing and promoting.”

“Newleef is the one event during the year that brings environmental entrepreneurs, professionals, researchers, decision-makers, regulators, support agencies, and other stakeholders in the province together to engage each other on these important topics,” said Hanley. “It provides an opportunity for the clean technology and environmental services sector to explore emerging business opportunities, examine challenges and barriers related to that growth, and to celebrate its achievements over the past year.”

Hanley says the event was the culmination of many months work on behalf of NEIA’s staff – but relied on the support of its sector partners for its success. “Our Newleef conference would not have been possible without the contribution to the program from all of our presenters, and the support of our partners – including the Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency (ACOA) and the Department of Tourism, Culture, Industry and Innovation. NEIA looks forward to continuing its work to help drive the development of clean technology and the growth of the green economy in Newfoundland and Labrador.”

For a full summary of presentations and speakers at Newleef 2019, view the conference website at www.newleef.ca. 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.

Media Contact:
Kieran Hanley
kieran@neia.org

For Immediate Release
October 10, 2019

(ST. JOHN’S, NL) – The Newfoundland and Labrador Environmental Industry Association (NEIA) has released a series of recommendations to support the growth of the province’s renewable energy sector.

“Our province is blessed with an abundance of natural resources, and when it comes to renewable energy we haven’t even scratched the surface,” says Kieran Hanley, NEIA’s Executive Director. “We believe there to be significant economic opportunity for this province associated with the development of our renewable energy assets”

Hanley says that NEIA’s publication “Untapped Potential in Our Natural Resources” is the culmination of a over a year’s worth of engagement with its membership and key industry partners. “We have a lot of home-grown expertise here in the province,” notes Hanley. “Our members have worked in renewable energy projects around the world, and have lots of experience and insight to offer on how we can grow this industry in our own backyard.”

Download the Recommendations

“There’s a bright future for renewable energy in Newfoundland and Labrador, but there are things that need to be done today to realize that potential.” Hanley says the publication explores both present and long-term opportunities for the sector in the province.

“What we need is an open discussion and a plan – a shared vision between industry and government on what our renewable energy future could and should be,” says Hanley. “In 2018 our provincial government committed to the development of such a plan, and NEIA is eager to get started; we look forward to working with our provincial partners in realizing a strategy for renewable energy growth in Newfoundland and Labrador.”

Hanley will be presenting NEIA’s recommendations at its Newleef Clean Technology and Green Economy Conference next week in St. John’s (http://www.newleef.ca).

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.

Media Contact:
Kieran Hanley
709.237.8190
kieran@neia.org

For Immediate Release
September 3, 2019

(ST. JOHN’S, NL) – The Newfoundland and Labrador Environmental Industry Association (NEIA) is engaging its membership in the months ahead to identify the association’s sector growth priorities.

“The time is now for NEIA to zero in on a number of key priorities with respect to supporting business entrepreneurship, innovation, and acceleration in clean technology and environmental services,” says Kieran Hanley, NEIA’s Executive Director.

Noting that a series of public/private strategies relating to the province’s key industries have been developed and published within the past 24 months, Hanley says that there is a wealth of information readily available that can be drawn upon to inform strategy.

“From oil and gas, to forestry, to mining, to aquaculture, to technology – we have an excellent sense as to where these industries are going and what clean technologies can be developed and applied to fuel their growth.” Hanley says this is in addition to federal and provincial commitments around climate change and clean growth, and major investments into the ecosystem including the creation of Canada’s Oceans Supercluster.

“In the weeks and months ahead, as we analyze all the information available to us, we will be consulting with our members on our findings and for advice on how to move forward.” Hanley says this process will be instrumental in NEIA’s engagement with its partners and ecosystem stakeholders in the pursuit of identified priorities.

“There is enormous global momentum and demand relating to clean growth, and this is a trend that is only going to intensify as time goes on,” says Hanley. “From our sector’s perspective, we need to identify where Newfoundland and Labrador can make the greatest contributions to this trend, and what we can do as an association to support that.”

Hanley says members should keep an eye to NEIA’s newsletter for surveys, and on their inboxes for direct communications. Interested members can contact NEIA directly with their ideas at www.neia.org/contact.

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.

Media Contact:
Kieran Hanley
kieran@neia.org

“The economic and environmental sustainability of Newfoundland and Labrador’s primary industries is dependent in part on their ability to understand, identify and adapt to how the changing climate is impacting their operations. The capacity and expertise to do so, developed through this new program, will present new clean growth opportunities for these industries and their respective supply chains. NEIA is looking forward to engaging its government and industry partners in addressing climate change challenges.”

Kieran Hanley
Executive Director, Newfoundland and Labrador Environmental Industry Association (NEIA)

Via News Release from Natural Resources Canada:

Delivering Climate Change Training to Newfoundland and Labrador
August 28, 2019 – Ottawa, Ontario – Natural Resources Canada

Communities across the country are feeling the effects of climate change and want to be part of the solution. This is why Canada is investing in adaptation measures that will prepare communities and industries to tackle the impacts of climate change and deliver a more resilient future.

The Honourable Amarjeet Sohi, Canada’s Minister of Natural Resources, today announced an investment of more than $900,000 for the Government of Newfoundland and Labrador to deliver training to address climate change challenges across the province.

This investment will go towards the development and delivery of training materials tailored to the specific needs of five key sectors: fisheries, forestry, agriculture, tourism and mining. Training activities will focus on climate change education and awareness, risks and opportunities through workshops, webinars and hands-on engagement activities.

With a total value of $1.9 million, the Building Adaptation Capacity in Key Economic Sectors in Newfoundland and Labrador project also received support from the provincial government and industry partners, including the Newfoundland and Labrador Environmental Industry Association (NEIA).

This project is funded through Natural Resources Canada’s Building Regional Adaptation Capacity and Expertise (BRACE) program, which works directly with provinces to deliver projects that include training, internships and knowledge-sharing activities. Knowledge and tools on climate change adaptation exist, but the capacity to use them is limited. The BRACE program addresses this critical barrier.

Today’s announcement contributes to the objectives of the Adaptation and Resilience pillar of the Pan-Canadian Framework on Clean Growth and Climate Change. It does so by building the knowledge and capacity needed to make informed decisions about how best to address the impacts of our changing climate.

Quotes

“This project will provide targeted sectors across Newfoundland and Labrador with the tools and training necessary to adapt to a changing climate. Our government is proud to support projects such as this, which will directly benefit local communities.”
The Honourable Amarjeet Sohi
Canada’s Minister of Natural Resources
 
“As part of our five-year Climate Change Action Plan, we are working to build capacity among industry and organizations. The Government of Newfoundland and Labrador is providing approximately $700,000 for this project. We’ve been working with stakeholders to identify key adaptation priorities within various sectors and incorporate this information into planning and decision-making to reduce risks of the effects of climate change.”
The Honourable Lisa Dempster
Newfoundland and Labrador’s Minister of Municipal Affairs and Environment

“The economic and environmental sustainability of Newfoundland and Labrador’s primary industries is dependent in part on their ability to understand, identify and adapt to how the changing climate is impacting their operations. The capacity and expertise to do so, developed through this new program, will present new clean growth opportunities for these industries and their respective supply chains. NEIA is looking forward to engaging its government and industry partners in addressing climate change challenges.”
Kieran Hanley
Executive Director, Newfoundland and Labrador Environmental Industry Association (NEIA)

Associated Links

• Building Regional Adaptation Capacity and Expertise (BRACE)
• Government of Newfoundland and Labrador
• Pan-Canadian Framework on Clean Growth and Climate Change

Contacts
Natural Resources Canada
Media Relations
343-292-6100
NRCan.media_relations-media_relations.RNCan@canada.ca

Vanessa Adams
Press Secretary
Office of the Minister of Natural Resources
343-543-7645
Vanessa.Adams@canada.ca

For Immediate Release
July 24, 2019

(ST. JOHN’S, NL) – The Newfoundland and Labrador Environmental Industry Association (NEIA) has been granted funding from the Federation of Canadian Municipalities (FCM) to work with six municipalities across the province to help them explore and pursue greenhouse gas emissions (GHGs) reductions opportunities.

“Most of Newfoundland and Labrador’s communities get their electricity from an energy grid that will soon be 98% renewable,” say Kieran Hanley, NEIA’s Executive Director. “The low-hanging fruit when it comes to GHG reductions in other jurisdictions – things like renewable energy and energy efficiency – do not have the same impact in this province.” Hanley said that the project will help establish strategies for municipalities to achieve GHG reductions within an existing clean energy context.

The grant, part of ‘Transition 2050’ – an initiative offered through FCM’s Municipalities for Climate Innovation Program (MCIP) – will allow six municipalities to participate in the program: Baie Verte, Bauline, Paradise, Port aux Basques, Stephenville, and Torbay. NEIA is one of thirteen organizations across Canada that has been selected to build a network of communities and support them as they develop long-term plans and projects contributing to a low carbon transition by 2050 in alignment with the target date as set out by the Paris Agreement.

Related information: