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GM Canada to invest $1 billion in EV plant
GM Canada to invest $1 billion in EV plant
• Globe and Mail • CBC • Green Biz
Workers at the General Motors Co. auto plant in Ingersoll, Ont., have ratified a collective agreement that will see GM invest $1 billion retool the facility to make BrightDrop EV 600s, a new line of electric vehicles intended for parcel delivery.
Harbour Air is piloting emission-free commercial aviation
Harbour Air Seaplanes made history in December 2019 by flying the world’s first all-electric commercial aircraft. Sure, the trip out of the 350-employee company’s Richmond terminal lasted five minutes, but it was the thought that counted. That thought is a fuel-free fleet.
Toronto office tower takes the road to zero carbon
Downtown Toronto’s 68-storey bank tower at 40 King St. W. has long stood out for its distinctive slim profile, red granite cladding and energy-conserving reflective windows. Now it stands apart as Canada’s largest zero carbon certified building.
Shopify founder invests in B.C.’s General Fusion
• Business In Vancouver • NEI Magazine
Burnaby-based General Fusion, a B.C. clean-energy company seeking to unlock fusion power on a commercial level, closed financing from a new investor, Thistledown Capital, a VC firm founded in 2019 by Shopify founder Tobias Lutke and his wife Fiona McKean.
Alberta scraps coal-mining leases due to public outcry
• Globe and Mail (Sub. required) • Globe and Mail (Sub. required)
The Alberta government has cancelled all 11 coal mining leases it signed in December, but a controversial project in the scenic foothills of the Rocky Mountains will continue to make its way through the regulatory process.
Majority of Albertans support net-zero by 2050 target
• Pembina
Recent polling shows that 68 per cent of Albertans support the goal of achieving net-zero carbon emissions by 2050. The findings come from a poll of 900 Albertans, conducted last month by Calgary-based Janet Brown Opinion Research, commissioned by the Pembina Institute.
Edmonton offers home energy retrofit rebates
• CBC • Edmonton Journal • Global News
The City of Edmonton has launched a rebate program – the Home Energy Retrofit Accelerator – aimed at making homes more energy efficient and, in turn, help the city reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
Earthquake risk in Canada almost doubles in 40 years
Canada has a history of destructive earthquakes. Natural Resources Canada has just released the new 2020 National Seismic Hazard Model for Canada which indicates significantly higher levels of ground shaking hazard in several major urban areas relative to the 2015 hazard map.
Hydro-Québec invests in alternative energy company
In February, Hydro-Québec became a key shareholder of Innergex, an alternative energy company that owns small hydroelectric plants, wind, and solar parks, with an investment of $660 million following a year of brisk capital appreciation for Innergex of over $400-million.
Carbon capture technology can add to emissions
• CBC • Globe and Mail
Carbon capture is talked about as a climate solution but a growing chorus of experts caution it may not be effective, and in some cases could even add to emissions when it is repurposed to extract more oil and gas.
California’s new regulations to hasten microgrid growth
• Microgrid Knowledge • Microgrid Knowledge
In a decision likely to be studied by other states, California has approved microgrid tariffs and rules to hasten the commercialization of the technology following a year-long effort by the California Public Utilities Commission to make changes that support microgrids.
Amazon, McDonald’s, Starbucks sign clean energy deals
• GreenBiz
After a strange year, corporate renewable procurement deals ended on a high note, with corporations inking some of the biggest, most complex transactions to date with a blockbuster fourth quarter when more than 7.3 gigawatts of clean energy contracts were signed.
Apple to launch hub in pledge to fight racial inequity
Apple’s ‘big announcement’ might not have been as exciting as a new iPhone, but its impact could be just as monumental. First and foremost, Apple will be launching a “first-of-its-kind global innovation and learning hub” called the Propel Center.
Danish pension invests in Asia women’s fund
• IPE
Pædagogernes, a Dutch pension fund for early-childhood teachers, is becoming the cornerstone investor in the new Southeast Asia-orientated fund SEAF Women’s Economic Empowerment Fund focussed on improving women’s rights and working conditions through investments in Vietnam, the Philippines and Indonesia.
5 radical visions for a 2050 food system
• GreenBiz
The Rockefeller Foundation put out a global call for proposals for radical reform of our food systems. 1,300 teams from 119 countries responded and last week 10 “bold ideas for tackling some of the world’s most pressing food systems challenges” were selected.
Alberta’s Enterra receives funding for insect-based feed
• Canada Newswire • Toronto Star
Through the AgriInnovate Program, Enterra has established a state-of-the-art, 188,000-square-foot production facility just north of Calgary that produces insect-based feed ingredients, with products for the pet food, poultry and wild bird markets being shipped throughout North America and the EU.
Insurers see hefty payout from severe weather in 2020
• Globe and Mail (Sub. required) • CTV • Edmonton Journal
Canada’s insurance industry paid out $2.4 billion because of severe weather events last year, dominated by a flood and a hailstorm in Alberta. Catastrophe Indices and Quantification Inc., a Toronto-based disaster analysis firm, found 2020 was the industry’s fourth most expensive year.
EU’s ‘toxic-free’ vision shaping safer chemicals strategies
• GreenBiz
Since 2000, the European Union has played a leadership role in tackling the risks hazardous chemicals pose to health and the environment. EU chemical restrictions have gained limited traction in U.S. federal statutes yet many state laws rely on EU regulations.
France’s hydrogen production plant starts construction
Total’s La Mède started construction on a biorefinery powered by solar farms with a total capacity of more than 100 MW. A 40 MW electrolyser will produce five tonnes of green hydrogen per day for the biofuel production process.
Oil giant invests in world’s biggest solar developer
French energy giant Total SE is paying $2.5 billion for a 20 per cent stake in the world’s largest solar developer, Adani Green Energy to help it meet its targets low-carbon power generation amid a continuing global transition away from fossil fuels
Industry Events
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Greenbuild 2024: Built to Scale
Nov 12 2024
to Nov 15 2024
Pennsylvania Convention Center, Philadelphia, PA
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Sustainable Finance Forum 2024
Nov 28 2024
to Nov 29 2024
Shaw Centre, Ottawa
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