Thank you for the opportunity to be here today to speak to this wonderful announcement.

econext is an organization that works day in and day out to drive and support clean growth in Newfoundland and Labrador.

That means helping our key industries become more competitive in a world that is increasingly concerned about greenhouse gas emissions and environmental impacts.

That means doing what we can to support new industries that help not just Newfoundland and Labrador, but the world fight climate change.

And that means working with communities to understand their role in all of this, and to maximize adjacent economic development opportunities.

In this work, econext finds itself in the middle between industry, governments, communities, and research institutions sharing ideas, experiences, challenges, and opportunities.

And through this work, we can see now that this province is on the verge of big things. Why? Simply put, we have what the world needs.

From our green electricity grid, to our world class undeveloped renewable energy resources, to our emerging clean fuels and energy storage hubs, to our rich cache of critical minerals… Newfoundland and Labrador has a clean energy advantage that positions us extraordinarily well internationally.

Let’s be clear. We have the resources here to fuel the world’s energy transition.

Newfoundland and Labrador has the ability to make a globally significant contribution in the fight against climate change. It is time to be bold and to seize these opportunities.

To succeed, we need more investment into research, development, and innovative green economic activity.

The Green Transition Fund announced today is a big step forward in that regard and will help ensure that Newfoundland and Labrador reaches its economic growth potential while advancing its pursuit of net zero.

Congratulations to Minister Parsons and to the Government of Newfoundland and Labrador on this announcement.

To econext members: this is a funding program that you have been asking for for a long long time. It’s going to be competitive. Get busy developing your project ideas. Make them innovative, and make them collaborative.

Let’s get to work.

From L to R: Kieran Hanley – CEO, econext; Dr. Michael Long – Dean of Applied Research and Innovation, CNA; Charlene Johnson – CEO, Energy NL; Hon. Andrew Parsons; Bruce Billard – Manager, Green Transition, IET; Kirk Youden – Director, Sector Diversification, IET.