Renewable Energy for Rural Municipalities
Renewable Energy for Rural Municipalities
A project to help municipalities municipalities understand their environmental, social, economic concerns and opportunities, and what support tools they may need to process applications for large scale (over 1MW) solar and wind development in their municipality
The Issue / Idea
What tools do municipalities need to balance development considerations with high value agricultural, ecological, and cultural lands?
The Project
“By 2030, renewable sources like wind and solar will account for up to 30 per cent of electricity generation,” says Alberta’s Climate Leadership Plan.
To achieve this goal, large scale wind and solar developments are being proposed and are likely to have direct impacts in rural jurisdictions that have the land base to support them. In discussions with several municipal staff, it has become apparent they are uncertain how renewable electricity regulations and development will affect them. What is their role in the regulatory and approvals process? How do they balance competing interests between agriculture, ecology and renewable development? What do they need to know to make informed decisions?
Miistakis is working with municipalities to understand their environmental, social, economic concerns and opportunities, and what support tools they may need to process applications for large scale (over 1MW) solar and wind development in their municipality. Miistakis will then collaborate with stakeholders to develop the support tools required to inform decision making at the local level.
Renewable Energy Development: Ecological Fact Sheet for Municipalities
Renewable Energy Development: Regulatory Resources for Municipalities
Rural Municipal Wind and Solar Decision Support Tools: Regulatory Context Background Paper
Survey Report: Large Scale Wind & Solar Decision Support Tools for Rural Municipalities Project
Rural Municipalities and Renewable Energy Development: Education Session (January 23, 2018, Brooks, AB)
Rural Decision Support Tools for Renewable Energy Development: Progress Update (Miistakis Institute)
Organization
This project was undertaken by
Miistakis Institute
Status
Completed in
2018
Supporters
Alberta Association of Municipal Districts and Counties
Wheatland County
Working with Nature
Working with Nature
Harnessing the power of natural infrastructure to increase municipalities’ flood and drought resiliency
The Issue / Idea
Every municipality has “natural infrastructure,” but what is it, where is it, and how does it relate to flood and drought risk?
The Project
The Working With Nature toolkit was created to help municipalities catalogue their natural infrastructure, and then develop a prioritized plan for better using it to mitigate flood and drought risk. A Primer document was developed to provide a starting point for municipalities to understand the type of information, data, and programs available to inform and support flood and drought mitigation planning.
This free toolkit provides the materials and directions for a municipality to self-navigate through workshops, worksheets, and ultimately a living Workbook. In the process, a municipality will address Goals and Principles, Risks and Hazards, Natural Infrastructure, Actions, and Policy Development.
Working with Nature Toolkit Website
Working with Nature Webinar Slide Deck
Municipal Flood and Drought Action Planning Primer
Adapting to Flooding: An Adapt-action Summary Report
Adapting to Water Scarcity: An Adapt-action Summary Report
Organization
This project was undertaken by
The Miistakis Institute
Status
Project was completed in
2019
Supporters
Government of Alberta’s Watershed Resiliency and Restoration Program
Town of Cochrane
Urban Ecoroofs
Urban Ecoroofs
Exploring the impacts ecoroofs may have on climate change resilience in Alberta municipalities
The Issue / Idea
What impacts can ecoroofs have on climate change resilience in Alberta municipalities?
The Project
As cities develop, vegetation is typically replaced with non-permeable, non-vegetated surfaces. Ecoroofs are one way to provide some of the lost ecosystem services in urban centres including improved stormwater management (both quantity and quality), better regulation of building temperatures, reduced urban heat island effects, improved air quality, and increased urban wildlife habitat and biodiversity (Oberndorfer et al., 2007). Some jurisdictions refer to ecoroofs as a ‘no-regrets’ climate adaptation measure (Mees, Driessen, Runhaar, & Stamatelos, 2013) because they serve multiple societal goals.
Between 2017 and 2019, the Miistakis Institute partnered with the City of Edmonton, Environmental Strategies team to explore the impacts ecoroofs may have on climate change resilience in the city.
Ecoroof Guide for Municipalities
Ecoroof Fact Sheet
Edmonton Ecoroof Initiative for Climate Change Resiliency: Ecoroof Function Research
Jurisdictional Review
Edmonton Ecoroof Case Studies
Edmonton Ecoroof Website
Organization
This project was undertaken by
The Miistakis Institute
City of Edmonton, Environmental Strategies
Status
This project was
completed in 2019
Supporters
City of Edmonton
Alberta Ecotrust Foundation
Edmonton Community Foundation
Federation of Canadian Municipalities
Municipal EcoToolkit: Tools for Maintaining your Natural Systems
Municipal EcoToolkit: Tools for Maintaining your Natural Systems
A resource for Alberta municipalities seeking to maintain their natural infrastructure systems
The Issue / Idea
How can a municipality maintain their natural infrastructure?
The Project
The Municipal EcoToolkit was created by the Miistakis Institute as a resource for Alberta municipalities seeking to maintain their natural infrastructure systems. It is not intended to be a prescriptive statement on what must be done. It is intended to help generate awareness, creativity, collaboration, and questions, and assist those people doing the challenging work of maintaining our natural systems.
To make this toolkit, we focused in such things as law/bylaws, policy directives, inventories or datasets, protective designations, maps, management constraints, proactive strategies, staff positions, guidelines, legal designations, education/communication resources, workshops, case studies, financial analyses, technologies, restorative actions, etc., etc. ..!
Municipal EcoToolkit Website
Organization
This project was undertaken by
The Miistakis Institute
Status
This research was completed in
2020
Supporters
Alberta Innovates
Environmental Law Centre
Alberta Low Impact Development Partnership
Informing Urban Ecosystem Management
Informing Urban Ecosystem Management
A literature review and case studies to inform urban ecosystem management, prepared for the City of Calgary, Urban Conservation
The Issue / Idea
How are cities using an urban ecosystem management approach?
The Project
The goal of this research is to support the revision of the City of Calgary’s Natural
Areas Management Plan (NAMP) with findings from relevant literature and case studies, based on the evolving nature of urban ecosystem management. Because the mandate of the Urban Conservation portfolio is city-wide, this research is also intended to support the development of an urban ecosystem management approach for the City of Calgary.
The authors identified two key goals and associated research objectives:
- Ensuring a scientific rationale exists to support an ‘urban ecosystem management’ approach for the City of Calgary; and
- Ensuring a basis exists for translating ecological management principles into asset management approaches.
For both, the research approach included reviews of peer-reviewed and grey literature, relevant case studies, analogous jurisdictions, and relevant organizations and resources. There was no intent at this stage to deeply analyze the research nor provide management recommendations.
Informing Urban Ecosystem Management: Literature Review and Case Studies
Organization
This project was undertaken by
The Miistakis Institute
Status
This research was completed in
December 2016
Supporters
City of Calgary
Climate Resilience for Local Communities
Climate Resilience for Local Communities
The Adapt-action Web Tool
The Issue / Idea
How do municipalities adapt to a changing climate? How can they become more climate resilient?
The Project
After extensive research to determine the best way to help municipalities, the Adapt-action tool was created – a web-based decision-support tool for municipalities seeking guidance in taking action regarding climate change adaptation.
Adapt-action guides you through the climate change issues of adapting to water scarcity and adapting to flooding. Each is outlined from the environmental changes you will see, to the implications for your community, through to the strategies you can employ to adapt and become more climate resilient.
As you navigate through each issue narrative, you will be able to view and collect information about: predicted climate change impacts and their effects; implications of these impacts on agriculture, health, recreation, infrastructure and biodiversity in your community; and what your municipality can do to prepare and adapt to these expected changes.
The research and tool development were undertaken as part of ABMI’s Biodiversity Management and Climate Change Adaptation project
Adapt-action Web Site
Adapt-action Overview
Research Reports – Year 1
Research Reports – Year 2
Research Reports – Year 3
(Did we miss something important? Let us know!)
Organization
This project was undertaken by
Status
This was a multi-pronged research project begun in 2012, culminating in the release of Adapt-action in
April 2014
Supporters
ABMI Biodiversity Management and Climate Change Adaptation Project
Municipal Management of Water Bodies
Municipal Management of Water Bodies
Part 2 of the Municipalities and Environmental Law Series
The Issue / Idea
Municipalities need to better understand what authority they have to regulate the water bodies within their boundaries.
The Project
Alberta’s water bodies are a precious resource, and their regulation and proper management is essential for, among other things, safe drinking water, healthy aquatic ecosystems, and watershed resiliency. This second publication in the Environmental Law Centre’s Municipalities and Environmental Law Series explores when and how municipalities can regulate the water bodies within their boundaries.
Report: Municipal Management of Water Bodies
Organization
This project was undertaken by
The Environmental Law Centre
Status
Development of this publication began with the Municipalities and Environmental Law information series in Fall of 2016, and was completed in
April 2018
Supporters
Max Bell Foundation
Anonymous Foundation