Inviting Applications: Elizabeth Henry Scholarship

Applications open January 20 for the 2023 Elizabeth Henry Scholarship for Communities and Environmental Health.

The scholarship supports graduate students working on research projects in partnership with one or more Indigenous and/or non-Indigenous British Columbia communities that are addressing air quality, environmental health issues and/or promoting environmental sustainability through cooperative initiatives.

EPIC Network

The Energy Peers in Indigenous Communities (EPIC) Network is a program to build capacity, knowledge and skills related to renewable energy and electrification in Indigenous communities in British Columbia. Funding for the program was announced December 8 by Natural Resources Canada (see media release).

The EPIC Network program supports a cohort of participants (called Community Energy Champions) with a peer-to-peer cohort and peer mentorship approach to building and sharing knowledge, networking and engagement, skills development and training on renewable energy. BC First Nations communities are invited to reach out to learn about the Network.

Visit the EPIC page for more details.

Thanks to the partners in the initiative for their strategic guidance, oversight and support: New Relationships Trust; Natural Resources Canada’s Smart Renewables and Electrification Pathways Program; Province of BC, Ministry of Energy, Mines, and Low Carbon Innovation; BC Hydro and FortisBC.

2022 Scholarships

The Fraser Basin Council and the Scholarship Selection Committee warmly congratulate Micah May and Ezra Yu, recipients of the 2022 Elizabeth Henry Scholarship for Communities and Environmental Health. Learn about their projects!

CCSBC Youth

FBC's Co-Creating a Sustainable BC program brings together youth from different regions of BC to connect, collaborate, plan and lead sustainability projects in their own communities. Here's a peek at this fall's gathering!

Uchucklesaht Clean Energy Transition

The Uchucklesaht Tribe Government —a Modern Treaty Nation and member of the Maa-nulth Treaty Society — has been working on interrelated projects to increase energy efficiency, improve the quality of housing in its communities, and reduce greenhouse gas emissions. The projects include new housing developments, planning for a hydropower project to replace diesel electricity generation, and development of a Community Energy and Emissions Plan.

Read about it in the latest First Nations Home EnergySave community story!

BC Transit's handyDART Centre in View Royal is Certified Salmon-Safe

BC Transit’s new handyDART Centre in View Royal, set to open in 2024, has been certified as Vancouver Island’s first Salmon Safe site. The BC Transit site is being recognized for excellence in water conservation, stormwater management and restoration of a stream that runs into the salmon-bearing Craigflower Creek. Certification of the site was announced September 26 by the Fraser Basin Council and the Salmon-Safe program, which recognizes progressive, environmentally friendly land and water management practices in BC.

Read about it! Media Release and Backgrounder

Learn more about the urban site certification standards at Salmon-Safe BC.

Pictured above: Tim Croyle (Chief Operating Officer, BC Transit), Theresa Fresco (Regional Manager, Fraser Basin Council), Aaron Lamb (Chief Sustainability Officer, BC Transit), David Marshall (CEO, Fraser Basin Council) and Melissa Zimmerman (People & Culture Vice President, BC Transit)

Nuxalk Nation Brings Home BCIT Zero Energy Building Training

Nuxalk Nation is building a community workforce of carpenters, plumbers, electricians and other trade workers to meet its housing needs — and has wanted to make skills training available close to home. Working with Richard Hall, a housing consultant and member of Nuxalk Nation, the Fraser Basin Council has supported this work by organizing BCIT's Zero Energy Building Training at Nuxalk Nation. Twelve carpentry students in the community attended the training, through in-person and virtual sessions, and gained a grounding in zero energy building practices. Head to the First Nations Home EnergySave program for more on the Nuxalk Nation community success story.

At the same time, take a look at Ask an Energy Specialist, a project that connects energy specialists with First Nations communities in the early stages of planning or implementing energy efficiency housing projects.

READ ABOUT IT