Governance
Develop a governance model that supports a community energy transition
Communities that undertake to implement a CEP with a business-as-usual approach will have limited success. Communities that have introduced new governance models to oversee and implement their plans have consistently proven that doing so will ensure that the CEP remains top-of-mind for elected officials, local government staff and community stakeholders.30
New governance models provide a platform for political, staff and community stakeholders to convene regularly. In some cases, they provide the legal framework needed to implement projects. This can ensure that a process is in place to monitor and report regularly on the implementation of the CEP.
GTI Advice
The Getting to Implementation in Canada (GTI) Initiative, designed by QUEST Canada, is a tool to help communities move Community Energy Plans from a vision to implementation. Strategies in this framework were derived from the GTI Initiative.
Governance Models to Support CEP Implementation
Table 7 provides a list of governance models to consider to support implementation at the council, staff and stakeholder levels. The table below is non-exhaustive, and communities should consider implementing governance frameworks for each of the tiers involved in the CEP (council, staff and stakeholders).
Table 7: Governance Models to Support CEP Implementation
- A community-wide committee should be formed to maintain ongoing support for CEP implementation activities.
- The committee should meet on an ongoing basis.
- The committee can include a Council representative but this may be informal
- Staff may attend meetings as a resource but generally not be members
- Meeting minutes would not usually be reported to Council in a formal way
- Meetings would be open to the public, by nature of the committee
- See Strategy 7: Engage community stakeholders and recognize their implementation progress.
Options | Primary Tasks and Considerations |
Committee of Council
Mayor’s Task Force
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STAFF-LEVEL | |
Dedicate Staff to Manage CEP Implementation
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Staff Advisory Committee
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Staff Committee
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Corporate Energy Manager
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Community Steering/Advisory Committee
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Relevant Resources
Clarke, A., MacDonald, A. & Ordonez-Ponce, E. (forthcoming)
Implementing Community Sustainability Strategies through Cross-Sector Partnerships: Value Creation for and by Businesses. In: Borland, H., Lindgreen, A., Vanhamme, J., Maon, F., Ambrosini, V. & Palacios Florencio, B. Business Strategies for Sustainability: A Research Anthology. London, UK: Routledge.
Clarke, A. & Ordonez-Ponce, E. (2017).
Case Studies
Case Study 6
Establishing a Committee of Council in Yellowknife, Northwest Territories
The Community Energy Planning Committee was established by City Council on September 10, 2007, following the completion of the Community Energy Plan (CEP).79 The Committee is chaired by the Mayor and includes representatives from across the Community. The primary purpose of the Committee is to assist the City of Yellowknife in an advisory capacity to ensure the CEP is implemented and evolves in an effective manner. The scope of the Committee is to report and make recommendations to City Council through the appropriate
Case Study 7
Establishing a Governance Framework for Edmonton’s Community Energy Transition Strategy, Edmonton, Alberta
Case Study 8
Stakeholder Engagement in the City of Kelowna, British Columbia
In 2012, the City of Kelowna adopted a Community Climate Action Plan containing 87 actions to be implemented by 2020. Of those actions, 59 were assigned to the local government and 28 were assigned to community stakeholders, including utilities, provincial government and others. In an effort to ensure that community stakeholders understood their roles in the implementation of the plan, the City of Kelowna circulated letters to the organizations responsible for implementing actions in the plan. These letters enabled the City of Kelowna to move forward on implementing actions that are not within its jurisdiction.82
Case Study 9
Stakeholder Engagement in Markham, Ontario
In 2014, the City of Markham began to develop a Municipal Energy Plan (MEP). As part of the MEP, the City created a Stakeholder Working Group.83
The desired outcome of the Stakeholder Working Group is to provide recommendations and feedback on the development of Markham’s MEP including:
- Identifying energy opportunities and solutions to increase local energy production and conservation
- Identifying synergies between industry stakeholders to implement MEP recommendations84