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Industry Chief and pReMieR Meet On Cheslatta teRRitORy fOR
PG 10 landMaRk deal
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COVER STORY
Re-Opening BRule COal PG Mine is undeRway 08
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Table of COntents
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Local student gets special seat at the Canfor table............................... pg 4-6 Robin Hood was sure about wood in Cariboo community forests......... pg 7 Re-opening Brule Coal Mine is underway.................................................... pg 8 Chief and Premier meet on Cheslatta territory for landmark deal....... pg 10
PG 10
Boost the moose: new cash for critical conservation.............................. pg 12 The power of community.............................................................................. pg 14
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Local Student Gets Special Seat at the Canfor Table Frank Peebles Citizen Staff
Danielle Amaral, an environmental engineering student at UNBC. Photo courtesy of Forest Products Association of Canada
A green dream is now a reality for a university student aspiring to make more out of the forest. Danielle Amaral is in an environmental engineering program jointly operated by UNBC and UBC, and her work caught the attention of the Forest Products Association of Canada (FPAC). They awarded Amaral this year’s Green Dream Internship position, which sets her up working for Canfor in Prince George to further her educational aspirations. “Striving towards a sustainable and environmentally conscious lifestyle is one of her top priorities,” said Simon Tuck, a senior spokesperson for FPAC. “She is adamant she picked her course of studies with this in mind so when she heard she was one of the interns chosen by the Forest Products Association of Canada for their Green Dream program, she felt it was the perfect
opportunity to share some of the innovative practices currently being implemented by the forest products industry.” Amaral’s internship is stationed at Canfor’s Northwood pulp plant just north of the city. She has been able to work alongside some of the company’s more senior employees to develop strategic plans for reducing the company’s energy use. “During my first year at UNBC, we had the chance to tour Canfor’s Northwood Pulp Mill,” Amaral said. “As the tour progressed, I was taken aback by the initiatives and energy saving projects Canfor was implementing. When I found out I would have the opportunity to work for them this summer in the forestry industry, I was thrilled. Here was my opportunity to make a difference, one kilowatt at a time.” Northwood has taken an aggressive approach to energy conservation and onsite power generation. They have become world leaders in this field, in the past few
years, becoming very much an energy production company alongside the lumber and pulp/paper products they produce. Amaral admitted the process is not as straightforward as she first assumed but she admired the ingenuity that goes into optimizing Canfor’s various pulp operations. “It is evident sustainability is a part of everything they do at Canfor,” said Amaral. “From existing processes to the new, innovative engineering projects, the staff at Northwood are determined to uphold Canfor’s core values of safety, quality and sustainability.” For any student, getting hands-on and job-real experience within their chosen field is golden. It boosts the resume but it also boosts their practical knowledge. FPAC knew that they were in a position to facilitate up-and-coming forestry professionals to plug into the top forest-profession firms in Canada.
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“The goal was to connect the industry with the next generation of workers and help those choosing career paths to become aware and enthused about a career in the forest industry,” said Tuck. FPAC also created an online career kickstarter tool for students aspiring to the forest industry and its multitude of professions. They named it the Greenest Workforce Job Match Tool and it is there to assist current or freshly graduated students is knowing about job openings and labour market information all across Canada. The online industry data is searchable at the national, provincial and regional levels, as well as by occupation. “This market information aims to help employers make sound business and human resources decisions, assist industry associations and post-secondary institutions to address skills issues, and reduce the likelihood of new skills shortages in the industry,” Tuck explained. “The new tool is also expected to boost employment by bringing employers and job seekers together more quickly, thereby reducing the lag between an employer’s decision to hire and the time that the post is actually filled.” For Amaral, who gets an inside and hands-on look at the forest industry, deep within her particular field of interest, there is an inside track. Trees can
do so much more than make a 2x4 (although that is a fascinating aspect of the forest industry as well), and the more young minds like Amaral work with established, well-resourced companies, and get familiar with the nationally connected FPAC, the brighter the future for the industry as a whole. There were 10 interns in Canada given an opportunity similar to Amaral’s. Each one, including Amaral, received a scholarship and tools with which to write their own blogs about how their experiences were going, so students coming along behind these interns could get peer information about potential positions in the sector. “Supporting and encouraging highly talented young people is a priority for our industry, and it’s also important for the Canadian economy,” said Derek Nighbor, CEO of FPAC. “These interns are the future of our industry and we want to follow their adventures as they explore our industry and share their stories.” In addition to Amaral in Prince George, other northern British Columbians who got FPAC internships include Sydney Goward who got a placement with West Fraser Timber Co. Ltd. in Williams Lake, and Caroline Thompson who also got a position with West Fraser but in Quesnel. Canfor opened its doors to two other interns elsewhere in B.C.
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Robin Hood Was Sure About Wood
in Cariboo Community Forests Frank Peebles Citizen Staff
support local, community employment and raise the profile of the community forest program in Robin The most famous Robin Hood in the world was a Hood’s honour. A community forest is one managed by a local legendary figure from the forest. His was Sherwood government, community group or First Nation for Forest from the area around Nottingham. Another notable Robin Hood is also connected the benefit of the entire community. When one is to the forest, the Cariboo forest, and his legend just established, it is planned out for a 25-year duration that has extension provisions if the plans carry out as grew like a seedling on a south slope. The Robin Hood of the adventure stories was an anticipated. They are long-term, area-based tenures outlaw who robbed back money from a pitiless gov- designed to encourage community involvement in ernment. This Robin Hood from close to home was the management of local forests, while expanding simply handed the money in his name, from a gov- economic opportunities and opening doors to local ernment that is grateful for Hood’s contributions to job creation. Hood was one of the first to grasp the importance the forest sector. He passed away of cancer in March of this year, so the cash is an ongoing legacy of his of these plots of forest and put in the work to get one working for the cyclical good work done for the cause of benefit of his home area. community forests. Robin Hood was a “Robin Hood was a visionMinister of Forests, Lands and cornerstone of the Likely ary, an inspiring leader and Natural Resource Operations a maverick with a contaSteve Thomson announced community. Enough gious drive to improve the the creation of a new $10,000 can’t be said for his communities and lives grant to be given annually to of those he came in conthe community forest that best commitment to the tact with,” said Jennifer exemplifies the values exhibitcommunity’s success Gunter, executive director ed by the late Robin Hood and of the BC Community Forest the community forest program. and for the people in it. Association. “The new, annuThesevalues include communial grant to the community ty leadership, providing local and social economic opportunity and passion for community forestry. that best mirrors the values that Robin displayed will Thomson made the announcement at the 14th annu- cement his legacy in the community forest program, and will serve as a yearly reminder for us to reach al BC Community Forests Association convention. “Robin Hood’s dedication to bringing success to solutions that have communities at the core.” In British Columbia, there are 57 community forhis community and local forest stewardship is admirable,” said Thomson. “His big heart and positive ests issued or communities that are close to getting influence touched the lives of those around him. one, accounting for approximately two million cubic These annual grants will recognize the community metres of timber volume. forest that best exhibits the values he demonstrated and will raise the profile of the community forest Photo courtesy of BC program.” Community Forest The first recipient of the $10,000 award is the comAssociation munity forest association from Hood’s own hometown of Likely, only 150 kilometres southeast of Prince George, as the crow flies. Hood was instrumental in establishing the Likely-Xat’súll Community Forest under a provincial pilot program in the late 1990s, said Thomson. “Robin Hood was a cornerstone of the Likely community,” said John Stace-Smith, secretary-treasurer of the LXCF. “Enough can’t be said for his commitment to the community’s success - and for the people in it. The Likely-Xat’súll Community Forest is honoured to be the inaugural recipient of the community forest award that bears his name and recognizes the values he stood for.” Going forward, these grants will be used for community, project-based proposals such as recreation trail construction and maintenance, incremental silviculture, and community fireproofing and fuel management. These activities will help to further
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Re-Opening
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Brule Coal Mine Is Underway Frank Peebles Citizen Staff
The region’s labour force and community economy is now feeling the reverse effects of the punch it took in 2014 when the Brule Coal Mine shut down, snuffing out hundreds of high-paying jobs. The mine is located about 40 kilometres south of Chetwynd and it stopped extracting coal when commodity prices shrank a few years back. The mine’s owner at the time, Walter Energy, kept 23 employees remained until May of 2015 working down the stockpile of coal. In all, Walter Energy owned three mining properties in the Chetwynd-Tumbler Ridge area, and closed them all. The shuttering of Brule, Wolverine and Willow Creek caused the loss of somewhere between 700-900 direct jobs. It’s not a complete rebound, but Brule has new owners and they are bringing it back to life. Conuma Coal Resources Ltd. plans to have Brule producing coal again almost immediately.
“Having Brule Mine back in production will create approximately 170 good-paying jobs and generate significant economic benefits for nearby communities,” said Minister of Energy and Mines Bill Bennett. “I know this is welcome news for families in the region, particularly those in Chetwynd and Tumbler Ridge who were most impacted when the mine went into care and maintenance two years ago.” “The restart of the Brule Mine will have a large positive impact on our local economy,” said Mike Bernier, MLA Peace River-South. “The shutdown two years ago was devastating to our local economy and residents. B.C. has the strongest economy in Canada and I’m happy to see my constituents benefiting from that strength through the jobs that accompany this restart.” Conuma Coal is a subsidiary of West Virginiabased mining company ERP Compliant Fuels, and the ultimate ownership lies in the hands of an American conservation interest that plans to profit from the mining, but also afix carbon offset and
reforestation transactions to these mines. They also took control of the Wolverine and Willow Creek mines. As part of the change in ownership of the mine, there are a number of permits that must be switched from Walter to Conuma. The provincial government is consulting with potentially affected First Nations on the transfer of permits between the two companies. Until this transition period is complete, Conuma Coal will operate the mine under a contract mining agreement with Walter Energy. “Conuma Coal Resources Limited is very excited to partner with the northeast B.C. community in the further development of the former Walter Canada Property,” said president of Conuma Coal Resources Mark A. Bartkoski. “The reserves have proven to yield a very strong and highly sought-after metallurgical quality coal. The co-operation between the previous owners, the local communities, numerous First Nations Groups, the ministry and Conuma was unprecedented and will quickly result in blessing
numerous families with employment opportunities.” The company estimates it will produce two million tons of metallurgical coal annually from the Brule Mine. Workers have already started the necessary work to transition the mine from care and maintenance back to production. Conuma Coal plans to have the mine fully-staffed and operating at fullproduction levels by December 2016. Shirley Bond, the Minister of Jobs, Tourism and Skills Training and Minister Responsible for Labour, said “I welcome Brule Mine back to production and I want to thank Conuma Coal Resources for recognizing the value of the Peace Region’s skilled and educated workforce, as well as its natural resources.” According to government staff, they and Conuma Coal are working together on a proposal to also restart the Wolverine Mine sometime in 2017 if possible. Reports also indicate the reopening of the Willow Creek Mine is in the works but moving more slowly.
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Chief and Premier Meet On Cheslatta Territory For Landmark Deal Frank Peebles Citizen Staff When one government wrongs another from across borders, apologies and reparations are usually the remedy. When one government wrongs another but then remains within those borders, cutting forests, harvesting crops, mining minerals and building enormous infrastructure without so much as a “please may we…” or “here’s your share of the profits…” it takes more than apologies and reparations. The Cheslatta Carrier Nation (also known as the Cheslatta T’En) was wronged in this fashion and the provincial government is showing what modern
intergovernmental relations with indigenous cultures looks like, today. As summer closed and fall transformed the colours of the northern interior, some new colours of friendship and co-operation bloomed in Cheslatta territory. The most senior of government officials were there, from both the province and the First Nation. No treaty has ever been signed between the Cheslatta and any occupying government, so their territory is still their own (most of B.C.’s First Nations can say the same). Yet there is a massive amount of provincial industry being done on that territory, including massive power generation happening at the Kenny Dam that holds back Ootsa Lake. That dam, when built in the 1950s, caused the violent expulsion of the Cheslatta people from their ages-old homes, a culture-crushing flood of water over their traditional land base, and the perpetually unstable water levels still distort the environment around the permanently flooded lake. It is hard to undo the multi-billion-dollar infrastructure and industrial regimen that now exists for the province, on Cheslatta territory. The discussions have been ongoing for years about how to come to a mutually beneficial arrangement. A unique agreement has been reached, it is part of ongoing negotiations, but it serves as a platform that both sides celebrated on Sept. 12. “We cannot change history, but working together, we can create more opportunity and sustainable prosperity for the Cheslatta people,” said Premier Christy Clark, during a visit with the Cheslatta community that included seeing first-hand one of the
INDUSTRY AND TRADES graveyards that has been subject to flooding. Over the past 63 years, the Cheslatta regularly recover skeletal remains of their ancestors on the lakeshore and estimate that more than 60 Cheslatta graves have been destroyed. More are threatened with the irregular ebbs and flows of the faux lake due to the dam’s fluctuating water levels year to year and season to season. “With goodwill and commitment we are working to chart a new path to reconciliation and the agreement we’ve signed moves us closer to that goal,” said Clark. “The recognition and willingness of the provincial government to resolve this on-going issue between the Cheslatta T’en and B.C. gives me confidence that, as a community leader, I can move my people forward with dignity toward a long term resolution,” said Cheslatta Chief Corrina Leween. “I’m excited, emotional and pleased and I believe this agreement will be positive for the Cheslatta community, as well as for neighbouring First Nations, our local community and the region as a whole.” Through the framework agreement, the Cheslatta and the province will explore economic opportunities in the resource sector, power infrastructure to support future industrial development, cultural, heritage and training initiatives and financial payments. The potential transfers of Crown land and resourceuse tenures for economic and social development will also be examined. The purchase of private land for community expansion and economic development will be con-
sidered, but only on a “willing seller, willing buyer” basis. Overall, the framework agreement provides the Cheslatta with early benefits up to a maximum of $2.3 million. The provincial minister responsible for Aboriginal Relations & Reconciliation, John Rustad, has set records for industrial agreements with First Nations across B.C. that bring ages-old aboriginal tenants of the land into more meaningful partnership with modern provincial entities. This agreement, coincidentally in his own riding of Nechako-Lakes, is something altogether different. It goes far beyond a forest tenure license or petroleum revenue sharing, for examples. It is also not a full treaty. But its complexity and comprehensive structure is akin to a treaty. “What we signed with the Cheslatta is an interim agreement towards long-term reconciliation over the impacts of the Kenney Dam,” said Rustad. “This is part of building capacity and moving forward towards larger goals, but working through shorter term goals in the process. There is an aggressive timetable but we think it is attainable for both sides.” The stated goal for signing off on the terms of this agreement is sometime late 2016 or early 2017. The agreement includes provisions for advancing the Cheslatta people’s interests in forestry, agriculture, commercial recreation, transportation, and other resource-based sectors.
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INDUSTRY AND TRADES It also aims to hook the Cheslatta nation up, literally. With so much of the provincial power supply being generated on their traditional territory, a co-ordination arrangement is in the works with BC Hydro and BC Power Authority to provide three-phase power to certain Cheslatta areas, including an industrial site. Most importantly of all, according to both sides, is the provision to flow revenue to the Cheslatta for the cash wealth generated on their lands plus an intention to include the Cheslatta like never before in the management of the water held behind the dam. “It was a pretty traumatic time, 60 years ago, and the Cheslatta people have been very patient about achieving reconciliation,” said Rustad. “They have chosen to walk a path with us and towards us, and we think that is going to result in something really meaningful for the Cheslatta people and for British Columbia.”
The Cheslatta Aren’t Alone On That Path John Rustad, B.C.’s Minister of Aboriginal Relations & Reconciliation, has another recent hybrid agreement to celebrate with a local first Nation. It, like the Cheslatta arrangement, is more than a single-track resource agreement and less than a treaty, but it covers a lot of economic ground in between. It was also a long time in coming. Talks with the Lake Babine Nation, headquartered less than 100 kms from the Cheslatta T’en in the region extending north of downtown Burns Lake, have been gathering momentum for some time and resulted in a recent breakthrough.
Signing a framework agreement designed to help heal historic wounds and shape a better future Photo from news.gov.bc.ca
“Lake Babine Nation and province have arrived at a 25-year deal, a 25-year path, and we are loosely calling it a reconciliation foundation agreement,” said Rustad. “It’s different than a treaty in many ways. Most notably there is no federal government participation yet. The intent is to create a vision as to where LBN wants to be in 25 years, and where the province wants to be. It’s about title, rights, economic future, and adding certainty and predictability to the land base in how we work together. This is a new approach, it’s never been tried before, it is a collaborative approach, all about co-designing rather than each side taking a position and trying to convince the other side to come closer to the other one’s position. We are quite excited about this. As a province we have many short-term tools, and we have treaty, but we had very little in between and we felt we needed to add that. LBN approached us, they had strong leadership and strong capacity, so they were a logical choice to bring this idea up. It’s a pilot program, but if this is successful we already have a number of other nations asking us to consider doing the same thing.” With scores of First Nations at various spots on the path to reaching a formal treaty with B.C. / Canada, the time frames would take untold decades if something wasn’t done to speed the process up, without glossing over important points. By two of the three sides (the federal government is outside of this arrangement, so far) collaborating on many of the elements particular to themselves, it is believed the brightness of the future will arrive more quickly in the present. “From our government’s perspective, we know finding ways toward reconciliation with all our First Nations is important to do,” said Rustad. “We are serious about achieving reconciliation, and this is part of the creative ways and new approaches to do that. First Nations deserve it; the whole province deserves it.”
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Boost The Moose: New Cash For Critical Conservation Frank Peebles Citizen Staff The big mammal of the woods has gotten some big rescue money from government. A drastic drop in the provincial moose population, most especially seen in north-central B.C., got the
attention of the provincial government over the past couple of years during a study phase. Now it getting a $1.2 million investment for the implementation phase as conservation interests attempt to stabilize the numbers. The drop in population was the topic of major
consultation in recent years, including public hearings and dedicated field operations. It culminated in a special report written by former Prince George resident Al Gorley, a registered professional forester and until recently the chair of the BC Forest Practices Board. The report was released this summer and made a number of key recommendations. “I was able to hear from nearly 300 people representing a wide cross-section of interests,” Gorley said. “In addition to receiving numerous emails and dozens of documents, I had the opportunity to participate in 30 teleconferences; 18 in-person meetings and two symposia. I heard from First Nations, wildlife user groups, industry stakeholders, members of the general public, and government staff from all of the regions moose inhabit.” Gorley said there was little structure in the way wildlife is managed on the B.C. land base. It tends to rely on the Wildlife Act and the regulatory spaces between the various resource-based industries at work on the land. This, he penned in his report, is not sustainable and the moose are but one signal. “The reason for lower numbers of moose is complicated and likely varies between regions,” he said. “Even where surveys have not shown significant
declines, First Nations and stakeholders frequently report fewer moose encounters than in the past. This is a threat to the food supply and economic wellbeing of some communities, and a serious concern to many British Columbians. There is uncertainty about the underlying causes, which are likely a combination of altered habitat, hunters and predators, and perhaps even climate change. Many people point to a need for the province to modernize the way it manages for wildlife, taking a more integrated, ecosystem-based approach. Although this report is focused on the immediate matter of moose, it could be a first step toward more holistic change.” To that end, said Forests, Lands and Natural Resource Operations Minister Steve Thomson, the province is investing $1.2 million to help increase moose populations. “The province is acting on all 21 recommendations in the report,” Thomson said. “This new funding is in addition to the $750,000 British Columbia is already spending on moose management this year. The new money is earmarked for on-the-ground activities like habitat enhancement and decommissioning unused forest service roads, which can affect moose survival, as well as research activities.”
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INDUSTRY AND TRADES Some of the immediate actions taken include: • Reducing the number of limited-entry hunts for moose cows and calves from 1,792 in 2011 to 200 in 2016. • Preparing moose management plans for the Peace, Omineca and Cariboo regions. • Using existing tools to increase habitat protection. The number of stakeholders is huge in the issue of environmental protection, sustainability of resourcebased industries, and healthy moose populations in specific. Some of them issued immediate statements on the government’s response. One of them was Prince George’s Jim Glaicar, president of the B.C. Wildlife Federation. “The B.C. Wildlife Federation supports the immediate implementation of recommendations from the Gorley report,” Glaicar said. “We commend the government for funding a framework for moose recovery that collaboratively sets measurable objectives for habitat and population goals at a landscape scale and we look forward to expanding this approach to other wildlife species.” Scott Ellis, executive director of the Guide Outfitters Association of BC, added that his group was likewise pleased to see an action plan get funding. “If we make good decisions surrounding habitat protection, the moose populations will recover.
This is important to all British Columbians,” said Ellis. “The Wildlife Stewardship Council supports First Nations, government and stakeholders working collectively to manage wildlife,” said John Henderson, president of the WSC, yet another conservation group endorsing moose restoration action. “We support this pilot project to restore moose populations and look forward to seeing increased funding support for ongoing wildlife monitoring and management.” Gorley described the problem as complex to the core. For one example: moose sometimes share territory with the precipitously endangered caribou. What do fluctuations in the moose populations mean for spinoff effects on the even more fragile caribou populations? For another example: heavy logging could be blamed on some downturns in the moose population in areas most harvested due to mountain pine beetle devastation, but as that forest recovers, will it not naturally bring moose numbers back along with it? It is going to take a lot of science, a lot of consultation, and a lot of investing in the things the experts need, said Gorley, and the $1.2 million was a good start. “Many of the recommended moose enhancement activities will be controversial with some stakeholders and members of the general public,” Gorley cautioned. “If controversy leads to political pressure, some measures may become difficult or impossible to implement. While this risk cannot be avoided completely, clear communications about the context, objectives, and reasons can mitigate the risk.”
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The Power Of
Frank Peebles Citizen Staff
Green power has grown some new fingers in Prince George’s downtown core. Two whole blocks have been added to the Downtown Renewable Energy System (DRES). The work was done over the final weeks of summer and has now wrapped up, allowing two enormous structures to tap into the unique source of heat along the George Street strip. The Prince George Law Courts, in between 2nd and 3rd Avenues, was first on the construction agenda. Next came the Plaza 400 office complex in between 4th and 5th Avenues. The DRES is operated by the City of Prince George but hooking up these latest buildings was the idea of the provincial government, the landlord in both cases. “The gas boilers in the two provincially operated buildings need replacing. A connection to the DRES will reduce capital and operational costs while reducing greenhouse gas emissions by an estimated 480 tonnes of CO2 equivalent per year,” said a statement issued by the Ministry of Technology, Innovation and Citizens’ Services. The environmental goals are met due to the source of the DRES’s power. It is a hot water system that creates thermal energy from the heat of waste wood
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burning done by Lakeland Mills, the city’s downtown lumber production facility. The system was already hooked up to several downtown buildings since it got underway in 2012. Those buildings include: City Hall, Civic Centre, Coliseum, the Four Seasons Pool, the Wood Innovation and Design Centre, and the new RCMP detachment. “The cumulative reductions in greenhouse gas emissions for the system are estimated at 1,820 tonnes per year,” the ministry estimated. To hook up the Courthouse and Plaza 400 buildings, construction crews had to close stretches of road in order to dig into the ground where the pipes are located and connected into the new locations. That labour put construction crews to work for most of the summer. The provincial government contributed about $450,000 to that effort while the City of Prince George contributed about $200,000. Since the new hookup will save about $139,000 per year, it won’t take long for the capital investment to pay for itself and then start accumulating benefits thereafter, in addition to the reduction in greenhouse gas emissions. “Projects like the Prince George Downtown Renewable Energy System do more than just heat the province’s buildings,” said John Martin, Parliamentary Secretary to Minister of Forests, Lands
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and Natural Resource Operations (after all, it is the wood industry that allows this system to work). “The DRES improves the city’s carbon footprint, results in cleaner and more efficient heating, and allows the province to participate in progressive and innovative energy solutions, all of which benefit the people of Prince George and the environment.” Prince George mayor Lyn Hall said “I am delighted that we are expanding our downtown energy system and strengthening our position as a leader in environmental technology. It is especially appropriate that we are announcing this development during the International Bioenergy Conference and Exhibition, one of Canada͛s largest renewable energy conferences, because it is a great example of cooperation between governments and the local forest industry.” The DRES initiative has even helped one of its partner buildings win awards. When Prince George constructed a new RCMP detachment - a striking architectural jewel of the city’s downtown - it was a project aimed at environmental example-setting. Hooking up to the DRES was a key part of it. In 2013 alone, according to municipal data, the use of the Downtown Renewable Energy System spared the consumption of 17,000 gigajoules of natural gas - enough to heat the equivalent of 110 homes for a year. This also enables
the building to achieve greenhouse gas reductions of approximately 234 tonnes per year. In the RCMP detachment’s case, using DRES (together with solar equipment plus some heat recovery and geo-exchange components) uses about 64 per cent less energy than baseline Canadian Building Code requirements. It’s a major component in the project’s achievement of Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) standards. “This is the first major civic building constructed since adopting our Energy Efficiency and greenhouse gas policy,” said mayor Hall. “In addition to helping the city meet our greenhouse gas reduction goals, this building supports downtown economic revitalization, conserves valuable resources, and enabled the extension of our District Energy System.” That extension means the necessary pipes are now in the ground from the George Street mainline all the way west across the downtown to the Victoria Street location of the RCMP building. If other buildings wish to join the system now, it is a shorter and cheaper proposition. With the addition of the Courthouse and Plaza 400, even more underground infrastructure now exists to take advantage of Lakeland’s excess bioenergy.