Government of Nova Scotia gov.ns.ca
gov.ns.ca Government of Nova Scotia Nova Scotia, Canada
Energy

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Context for Change

Why renew the Energy Strategy?

A lot has changed since we last had a comprehensive look at energy in 2001. Since then there has been:

  • increasing volatility in energy prices for our homes and our economy
  • major shifts in our knowledge and policy from energy exploration
  • growing public awareness and desire to address climate change and energy use
  • emerging technologies

How did we go about developing a renewed strategy?

In October, 2007, the Government of Nova Scotia released a Consultation Paper and a Climate Change Backgrounder. Both documents were created to help inform stakeholder discussion, including broad public input. Interested parties were asked to attend public workshops around the province and make written submissions.

How did you consult?

In November and December of 2007, Dalhousie oceanographer Bob Fournier facilitated 13 public consultation workshops to get Nova Scotians' comments on the renewed energy strategy and the climate change action plan. More than 250 people took part in workshops held across the province from Yarmouth to Cheticamp.

Notes of these public consultation workshops are available here.

Department staff also met with 19 stakeholder groups, including energy producers, major energy consumers, and environmental advocacy organizations. The department encouraged groups and individuals to make written submissions about the energy strategy renewal. All told, we received 145 written comments. They are available here.

The Department of Energy also commissioned a survey to get a detailed picture of how Nova Scotians consume, conserve, and think about energy.  The survey polled over 2,900 Nova Scotians, and is available here.

How does this fit with the rest of government?

The 2009 Energy Strategy and the Climate Change Action Plan are based on other government policies and legal requirements including:

The shared result is that government policies, plans and actions support the development of our energy resources, reduce our overall energy demand, and increase our use of renewable and clean energy sources.