The City of Nelson has a long history of leadership and innovation related to the development and implementation of actions to reduce emissions and build resiliency to a changing climate – dating back to 1886 with BC’s first hydroelectric green energy plant and the birth of Nelson Hydro. 

Now, as a signatory to the BC Climate Action Charter and an active member of the Federation of Canadian Municipalities (FCM) Partners for Climate Protection program, we provide renewable electricity to over 10,000 customers in Nelson and area, offer on-bill financing program for retrofits via our EcoSave program, have developed Canada’s first community solar garden, and continue to develop infrastructure and programming to prevent or lessen our most urgent climate impact risks, such as flooding, drought and interface wildfire.

We recognize that addressing climate change is crucial to ensure that our home remains prosperous, safe, and healthy. We are listening to climate scientists and their calls to respond to increasing global emissions and temperatures, and related shifts in climatic conditions. 

We are committed to action, and we are continually striving for impact.

Nelson’s Climate Change Action Plan

To make sure that our initiatives are coordinated and implemented collaboratively, the City of Nelson has recently produced a comprehensive climate change action plan entitled Nelson Next. This Plan builds on Nelson’s strong foundation with regard to delivering bold action on the environment, offering a range of evidence-based and community-grounded strategies and tactics that will reduce our greenhouse gas emissions (mitigation) and our vulnerability to climate change impacts (adaptation). 

 Nelson Next is a climate plan for the community. It draws from a rigorous set of baseline data, extensive research, and an intensive engagement process, to consolidate and coordinate existing policies and actions on climate change, while also introducing new actions to address emerging risks and opportunities. 

A draft version of Nelson Next was passed unanimously by City Council in December 2020, and the final version is available to the public here. 

A visual summary of the plan – which can double as a poster for your office or business – can be downloaded here. 

Get Involved

Nelson Next was informed by our community’s shared challenges, as well as the solutions that we know we have the ability and energy to achieve. As we move to implement the Plan and the solutions that you helped build, we will continue to require support and involvement from our citizens, businesses and organizations. 

If you are interested in staying connected:

• Please fill out this survey to let us know how you’d like to be involved and so we may inform you of any Nelson Next-related engagement and/or action opportunities in the future;
• Check out Nelson’s very own Social Innovation Lab for Climate Solutions, Nest Lab, which is now accepting applications for Phase II (due April 30^th, 2021). Go to www.nestlabnelson.ca to learn more and access the online application.

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