Skip to Main Content
Skip to Navigation
Accessibility Statement

Indigenous Clean Energy Opportunities

Search

This initiative is a collaboration between First Nations Leadership Council, BC First Nations Energy and Mining Council and Ministry of Energy, Mines and Low Carbon Innovation.

ICEO Workshop: June 27 & 28, 2023

The ICEO hosted a two-day virtual energy workshop discussing the hydrogen and electricity sectors, featuring sessions on BC’s changing electricity landscape, BC Hydro’s UNDRIP implementation, and promising hydrogen market opportunities.

A poster for the June ICEO Workshop.

A two-day workshop of information sharing, discussion, and exploring opportunities in the electricity and hydrogen sectors for Indigenous communities in B.C.

In June 2023, the ICEO hosted a workshop on the hydrogen and electricity sectors. Our two-day virtual energy workshop explored B.C.’s changing electricity sector, B.C. Hydro’s UNDRIP implementation and hydrogen market opportunities.

We visualized our clean energy aspirations for British Columbia with the help of an Indigenous graphic facilitator who creatively captured our discussions.

Resources from the event can be found on our resources page.

Agenda

Day One: Electricity 101 & Implementing the Declaration Act in BC’s Electricity Sector

Learn more about recent provincial announcements for clean electricity production, generation, transmission, distribution, utilities, and regulation as well as alignment of the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UN Declaration) Act into B.C.’s electricity sector.

9:00 – Opening & Acknowledgement

  • Kwatuuma Cole Sayers, Director of Clean Energy, FNEMC, ICEO Lead
  • Tricia Thomas, Facilitator, FNEMC, Tumuxw Communications
  • Larry Grant, Musqueam Elder

B.C. Context

9:30 – The Evolving Future of Electricity in B.C.

  • Les MacLaren, Assistant Deputy Minister, Electricity & Utility Regulation
  • Simon Coley, Assistant Deputy Minister, Strategic & Indigenous Partnerships

10:00 – B.C.’s Electricity Grid & Markets

  • Bruce Chow, Manager, IPP Portfolio Management, BC Hydro
  • Alex Tu, Senior Strategic Technology Specialist, BC Hydro
  • Monique Stevenson, Call for Power Project Lead, BC Hydro
  • Michael Corrigan, Senior Marketing Manager, Powerex

11:05 – Break

Utilities, Regulation, & Indigenous Utilities

11:10 – Role & Regulation of Utilities

  • Damon Boyle, Legal Counsel, B.C. Utilities Commission

11:20 – B.C. Utilities Commission Indigenous Utilities Regulation Inquiry

  • Kwatuuma Cole Sayers
  • Jeremy Cairns, Lead for Indigenous Relations, B.C. Utilities Commission

11:45 – Panel: Q&A

  • Moderator: Kwatuuma Cole Sayers
  • Nicola Simon, Executive Director, Facilities & Planning, B.C. Utilities Commission
  • Dr. Judith Sayers, President Nuu-chah-nulth Tribal Council, ETAG Member
  • Les MacLaren, Assistant Deputy Minister, Electricity & Utility Regulation

12:25 – Lunch Break

Energy Planning & Funding

1:00 – Community Energy Planning & Funding Sources

  • Sarah Powell, Program Specialist, New Relationship Trust
  • Sean Brennan, Advisory Council Member, Wah-ila-toos NRCAN
  • Leona Humchitt, Advisory Council Member, Wah-ila-toos NRCAN

Generation, Transmission, & Distribution

1:30 – Generation, Transmission, & Distribution Basics

  • Jason Rennie, Business Development Manager, BC Hydro

2:00 – Breakout session

  • Accessing Capital

2:50 – Break

BC Hydro UN Declaration Implementation Plan

3:00 – Presentation

3:30 – Breakout session

  • Co-development/Indigenous-led development
  • Ownership
  • Transparency/Evaluation

4:15 – Closing and next steps

4:30 – Adjourn

Collapse

Day Two: Exploring Hydrogen Opportunities for First Nations

Explore what factors should be considered by communities when making decisions on hydrogen projects. Uncover what questions and barriers exist when it comes to First Nations opportunities in hydrogen. Discover what resources are needed to overcome barriers and move hydrogen projects forward for BC First Nations.

9:00 – Opening & Acknowledgement

  • Kwatuuma Cole Sayers, FNEMC Director of Clean Energy, ICEO Lead
  • Tricia Thomas, Facilitator, FNEMC, Tumuxw Communications
  • Larry Grant, Musqueam Elder

9:25 – Recap of Workshop #1

Evaluating Hydrogen Opportunities for B.C. First Nations

10:00 – Where does hydrogen make sense for different communities and why?

10:45 – Break

11:00 – Breakout session

  • Hydrogen Project Decision-Making Pathway

12:00 – Lunch Break & Prizes

Industry

1:00 – Introduction to Industry Session

  • Doug Slater, Vice President, FortisBC

1:10 – Panel: First Nations Hydrogen Opportunities (Ask the Experts)

  • Moderator: James Delorme, Former Chief of Klahoose First Nation

1:45 – Federal and provincial funding opportunities

  • Anna van der Kamp, Executive Director, Clean Fuels, Natural Resources Canada
  • Rebecca Luedtke, Policy Advisor, Electricity & Utility Regulation

Capacity Building for BC First Nation Projects

2:00 – Breakout session

  • Have you explored developing a hydrogen project?
  • What opportunities and barriers/concerns have you identified? 

2:40 – Break

2:50 – Breakout session

  • What resources do you need to overcome barriers or leverage opportunities?
  • What resources would be helpful?

3:30 – Closing and next steps

4:00 – Adjourn

Collapse