While this program was started in 2015 by the City of Edmonton, Alberta Ecotrust Foundation and the Edmonton Community Foundation began supporting in 2018 to help City of Edmonton invest over $1.2 million dollars through the EcoCity Edmonton grant program. This grant supported non-profits, community leagues, schools and charities to invest in citizen-led urban solutions to climate change.

While this grant is no longer available, this same partnership now offers the Climate Innovation Fund (CIF) grant program. This program targets the major urban greenhouse gas emissions sources in Edmonton, and aims to support a broad range of climate positive interventions while ensuring an equitable and just future for all Albertans.

 Projects supported through the program may cover a diverse range of activities, from technology demonstration to collective impact and policy advancement.

La Cité Franco et la résilience climatique was a bilingual project which responds directly to the City of Edmonton’s direction on climate resiliency, reaching beyond risk assessment to imagine the possibilities and opportunities for our communities in challenging times.

The Energy Transition Strategy and the Adaptation Strategy and Action Plan outline Edmonton’s future as an energy literate population with locally-produced electricity, solar power, and energy efficient buildings. Building on the community spirit and diversity of the Francophone community in Edmonton, La Cité francophone résiliente empowered Francophone participants and Anglophone Bonnie Doon neighbourhood residents of different ages, ethnic and cultural backgrounds to make localized energy infrastructure modifications to the world-renowned La Cité building — home to 38 separate community organizations and the organizing institution behind the popular Flying Canoe/Canoë Volant winter festival.

As participants learned the necessary steps to transform the building for climate resilience, they learned what it meant to make infrastructure adaptations to meet a changing world and to address the shifting needs of their vibrant community. The project was undertaken with the understanding that energy transition should be informed by Equity, Diversity and Inclusion measures informed by the work of Just Powers. Just Powers is led by Dr. Sheena Wilson, one of the leaders of La Cité Franco et la résilience climatique — it is a research project on the social aspects of energy, which stresses the importance of women’s voices and the voices of people of colour, relations to land and decolonization, particularly as they intersect with the material infrastructural reality of energy transition projects.

The project was documented using film and audio recording so that it could be shared with other communities, and participants will be encouraged to take an active role in the documentation process to further encourage skill development and skill sharing.

La Cite Francophone

This project aims to mitigate the iHuman Youth Society’s climate impact and operating costs through a series of building retrofits that will also be used as an opportunity to train, employ, and empower its program participants. 

The project, which took place at iHuman in downtown Edmonton, included the installation of a 55.6 kW solar system on the building’s roof, the complete retrofit of the building’s lighting to LED, and an upgrade to the roof’s membrane barrier. 

In partnership with Newo Global Energy, the Bissell Centre, and Energy Efficiency Alberta, 6 iHuman program participants were trained and compensated for their time in Newo’s 5-day solar training program. Of the trainees, 2 were hired by Newo to complete the solar and LED retrofits at iHuman. Newo also hired 1-2 trainees from past Bissell Centre training programs to aid in the solar and LED retrofits.

This project’s holistic approach allows an infrastructure retrofit to bring greater benefit to a wider community. The main and most important beneficiaries will be the youth who participate in iHuman programs. 

Some of the youth will be directly impacted by the training program and employment opportunities; however, all will benefit in some form since iHuman will be reducing its operating costs, which allows more funds to be allocated towards programming.

iHuman will also benefit by developing stronger partnerships with other non-profits in the city, such as Newo and Bissell, to strengthen their programs and their community engagement/connections. It is also an opportunity for iHuman to distinguish itself in the downtown core and to show the corporate high rises around it, a tangible and strong visual of iHuman’s innovation to incorporate green energy infrastructure into its operations. 

The project further aligns with the agency’s commitment to action recommendations from the young people that identify land-based teachings for Treaty 6.

iHuman Youth Society

The Metis Nation of Alberta (MNA) is committed to the development of climate initiatives, due to the negative impacts of climate change on Métis people. 

This project is aimed towards the areas of energy efficiency and education. It has two primary components: 

Lighting upgrades to the MNA Provincial Office Building in Edmonton and 

engaging with Métis communities on MNA climate-related programs and climate actions they can take, at events in the Edmonton area. 

The first project component focuses on climate change mitigation, as lighting upgrades will produce a lower carbon footprint and a step towards carbon neural infrastructure. 

The second component (education/engagement) is primarily focused on climate change adaptation, encouraging action by urban dwelling Métis. 

It will update MNA citizens on the background, current status, and future of the Climate Change Action Plan developed by the MNA, including mentioning of the lighting component of this project. Previous MNA engagement materials will be updated and re-purposed for use here. 

The engagements will also provide information on solar energy and energy efficiency tips for the home and business to provide guidance on climate change actions. 

Both the lighting upgrades and engagement sessions contribute to the MNA’s climate action plan goals of reducing its greenhouse gas emissions, and increasing education/awareness of climate change.

Métis Nation of Alberta

Climate Mitigation and Adaption for Métis Communities

The City of Edmonton, with support from Alberta Ecotrust, are partnering to deliver grants to  invest in citizen-led urban solutions to climate change. This grant is no longer available.

EcoCity Edmonton Grant Program

Program Partners

About

Projects we've funded

La Cite: A Hub for Climate Resilience

Edmonton

Climate Change

Solar Install and LED Retrofit Project

Edmonton

Climate Change

Climate Mitigation and Adaption for Métis Communities

Edmonton

Climate Change

Join our mailing list