Question Period Note: Climate Change Adaptation and Clean Energy in Northern and Indigenous Communities

• Our government is working with Indigenous and northern communities to support the development of knowledge and tools to adapt to the impacts of climate change and to reduce reliance on diesel in the North by shifting to renewable sources of energy.
• We remain committed to improving access to clean, reliable and affordable energy in northern communities. Through Budget 2021, new investments of $40.4 million over three years will support feasibility and planning of hydroelectricity and grid interconnection projects in the North that will provide clean power to northern communities.
• Building on the success of current programs, we will continue to work with our Indigenous, territorial and northern partners to ensure a sustainable future for all communities.

Climate change impacts in Indigenous and northern communities
Indigenous and northern communities are already experiencing the significant and complex impacts of climate change on every aspect of their lives, and are the most in need of adaptation support. Unprecedented changes in temperature, precipitation, sea ice, glaciers, permafrost, freshwater availability, ecosystem dynamics, oceans, and sea level exacerbate existing challenges and health stressors across communities.

The overlapping impacts of climate change are especially apparent in the North as is evident in the northernmost Inuit hamlet of Grise Fiord. For example, the community, which is located along a narrow strip of land between the ocean and a glacier, is experiencing coastal erosion accelerated by reduced sea-ice extent and permafrost melt which is threatening infrastructure and roads. In addition, the community’s freshwater source, the Brume glacier, is retreating with run-off from the glacier menacing landslides and flooding in the community. Beyond the physical impacts, Indigenous communities are also experiencing impacts to food security due to changing animal migration patterns and un-safe travel conditions over sea ice. When animals are no longer available to hunt and fish, or accessing them becomes too dangerous, cultural and spiritual practices linked to these activities are also compromised which can have an effect on the survival of the culture and language in the long term.

Indigenous communities also face challenges in ensuring a safe, reliable, and affordable supply of energy. This challenge is even more significant in Indigenous and northern communities that rely on diesel for heating and electricity generation. Climate change will place additional stress on all Indigenous and northern infrastructure, including energy systems and already vulnerable supply chains. Increasing volatility in both the price and availability of fuel supplies will also place these communities at greater risk and increase financial contributions required by the federal government. Fuel transportation costs will continue to increase due to winter road failures and other climate change impacts.

CIRNAC climate change programming
CIRNAC’s suite of five climate change adaptation and clean energy programs have been recognized as best practices for working with Indigenous Peoples on climate change by ECCC and the AFN. They are:
o First Nation Adapt – funding for climate change adaptation assessments including flood maps in First Nations south of the 60th parallel with an emphasis on impacts to infrastructure and emergency management.
o Climate Change Preparedness in the North – climate change adaptation program for Indigenous and northern communities in the three territories and four Inuit regions with funding for small scale implementation of adaptation measures.
o Indigenous Community-Based Climate Monitoring – distinctions-based for climate monitoring in Indigenous communities across the country.
o Northern REACHE – funding for the planning and construction of renewable energy and energy efficiency projects and related capacity building in the three territories and four Inuit regions.
o Engaging Indigenous Peoples in Climate Policy – funding for the participation of the National Indigenous Organizations at bilateral distinctions-based senior-level tables with the Government of Canada with additional funding for non-affiliated groups to participate in climate change policy discussions.
These programs aim to empower Indigenous Peoples and northerners to take a leadership role in climate action through participation in policy and programming. Projects are community-led, build capacity and skills and yield economic opportunities for communities.

Opportunities and constraints for renewable energy development

Besides the high risks and costs associated with supplying fuel to northern and Indigenous communities, burning diesel fuel presents a number of environmental, social and economic challenges, including, but not limited to, greenhouse gas emissions, risks of fuel leaks and spills from storage facilities, and energy security issues (i.e., reliance on uncertain availability of seasonal roads, barges, etc). These challenges drive the need for programming targeted at reducing energy consumption and developing clean energy projects within these communities.

Improving energy efficiency and deploying clean energy technologies such as hydro, wind and solar diversifies the energy mix in remote communities. Energy efficiency and conservation measures reduce overall energy demand and can provide significant savings to communities ahead of adding new generation capacity. While renewable energy sources, some of which are intermittent such as wind and solar, cannot completely replace diesel consumption, they can displace it in part to reduce the negative impacts of diesel generation while also creating opportunities for local skills development, job creation, and economic development.

CIRNAC Investment in Clean Energy

Budget 2021 proposes to invest $40 million over three years, starting in 2021-22, to support feasibility and planning of hydroelectricity and grid interconnection projects in the North. This funding could advance projects, such as the Atlin Hydro Expansion Project in Yukon and the Kivalliq Hydro-Fibre Link Project in Nunavut. These projects will provide clean power to northern communities and help reduce emissions from mining projects.

Under the Pan-Canadian Framework on Clean Growth and Climate Change, Budget 2016 provided $10.7 million over two years starting in 2016-17 to Indigenous and Northern Affairs Canada to implement the Northern Responsible Energy Approach for Community Heat and Electricity Program (Northern REACHE program). Program funding was renewed in Budget 2017 for $53.5 million over ten years starting in 2018-19, and $5.4 million per year ongoing starting in 2028-29.

CIRNAC's Northern REACHE program provides funding for planning and construction of renewable energy and energy efficiency projects, and related capacity-building and planning in Yukon, Northwest Territories, Nunavut, Nunavik, and Nunatsiavut. The objective of the program is to reduce diesel fuel use for electricity and heating and to build capacity within northern communities, governments, and organizations to support the development and long-term operation and maintenance of clean energy projects.

Federal coordination to reduce diesel reliance in northern and remote communities

CIRNAC also works in close collaboration with federal partners including Infrastructure Canada and Natural Resources Canada to ensure coordination of other investments that aim to support energy security and reduce reliance on diesel in the North, such as:
o Natural Resources Canada: $220 million over six years to reduce the reliance of rural and remote communities on diesel fuel, and support the use of more sustainable, renewable power solutions.
o Infrastructure Canada: $400 million over 10 years in an Arctic Energy Fund to support energy security in communities in the North, including Indigenous communities, by investing in upgrades to existing fossil fuel-based energy systems, as well as supplementing or replacing these systems with renewable energy options thereby improving energy reliability and efficiency as well as reducing pollution. Funding is delivered through integrated bilateral agreements with territorial governments. This Fund is distributed among the three territories-$175 million each to the Northwest Territories and Nunavut, with $50 million allocated to Yukon.

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