September 23, 2021

Nelson, BC — The City of Nelson's new plan to tackle climate change, Nelson Next, has some of the highest emission reduction targets in the world while at the same time implementing practical mitigation strategies. Council adopted the Plan in Spring of 2021, and the next step is to develop the implementation process. The Plan will continue to build infrastructure and programming to prevent or lessen our most urgent climate impact risks, such as flooding, drought and interface wildfire.

The City has long been a leader in sustainability, putting Council on a solid footing towards achieving the aspirational goals as envisioned in Nelson Next.  Nelson has a long history of being an innovator in energy and climate action, starting with Council acquiring its own municipal electric utility 125 years ago and developing its own transit system with the electric streetcars.  The City continues to operate one of the best-utilized transit systems in the Province.  The core work of the City is well-aligned with Nelson Next, including the protection of our water supply, replacing ageing water mains, stormwater management and building new infrastructure such as the new cycling route.  Recent initiatives include bringing the Emergency Management Program back in-house, the Low Carbon Homes Pilot, the E-bike Loan Program, and the upcoming roll-out of the first technology-based approach to Organic Waste Diversion in Canada.

Carmen Proctor was promoted to lead the implementation of Nelson Next in her new role as the Climate & Energy Manager. Carmen has a wealth of experience in achieving climate and energy action results through the development and growth of the EcoSave Program, which delivers several initiatives, including one of the country's most successful energy retrofit programs. 

Council also welcomes our new Climate & Energy Advisor, Cecilia Jaques, to the team. Cecilia has a Masters in Sustainability Science from Lund University in Sweden and was the founder of her own sustainability consultancy practice in Vancouver before relocating to Nelson for this new role. 

"Council has set a very high bar which will require an all-community approach to achieve success and building a team that both develops and manages programs as well as supports our various departments is also a crucial step in implementing Nelson Next," says City Manager Kevin Cormack. "The implementation of Nelson Next is a key Council priority and affects every department, and as such, this new team has been embedded into my office."

The City will continue to take a thoughtful and innovative approach as it implements Nelson Next, but it can't do this alone.   It will take bold action as citizens to do things differently and drive down emissions.  Council is asking us to rise to the challenge and embrace both City and community-led programs.  Council is confident that by working together, Nelson can once again be an innovation leader and an inspiration to the country as we tackle climate change. 

To learn more about Nelson Next and how you can help, visit www.nelson.ca/programs.  

Media Contact: Kevin Cormack  kcormack@nelson.ca

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Carmen Proctor, New Climate & Energy Manager (far left) with Mayor John Dooley, City Manager Kevin Cormack and Nelson Hydro General Manager, Scott Spencer – Introducing Nelson Next in front of the new EV Charging Station at Selkirk College’s Silver King Campus.

Cecilia Jacque, New Climate & Energy Advisor