Yes Agenda identifies 110 clean energy projects across Canada

Climate Action Network Canada is challenging the focus on pipelines and LNG with the Yes Agenda, an initiative identifying 110 clean energy projects across the country.

Launched October 8, the initiative combines a report with an interactive map developed with Adamant, drawing on research by Dunsky Energy + Climate Advisors. It covers renewable generation, storage and electricity transmission at different stages of development.

In an interview with Energi Media, Ami Gagné, the network’s manager of clean energy initiatives, said the effort responds to the demand for concrete alternatives in the debate over major infrastructure.

Gagné argued that governments are making decisions that will shape energy systems for decades, while clean energy projects receive too little public attention.

“We have a choice as to which path we take,” Gagné said.

Geothermal and northern connections

Among the examples discussed was a First Nations owned geothermal development near Fort Nelson, British Columbia. Gagné described plans to repurpose a legacy gas field and use excess heat for greenhouses, linking electricity production with local economic activity.

In Atlantic Canada, Gagné highlighted the proposed Nova East Wind offshore project and the broader wind opportunity in Nova Scotia. Realizing that opportunity, Gagné said, would require major transmission expansion.

Northern infrastructure also features in the discussion. Gagné pointed to the proposed Yukon connection to British Columbia and the Kivalliq Hydro Fibre Link as opportunities to reduce diesel dependence and expand access to electricity infrastructure.

The projects illustrate the range of options available, but inclusion in the initiative does not establish that a development has secured financing, completed consultation or reached a final investment decision.

Procurement and political access

Gagné said barriers extend beyond the technical challenges of building infrastructure. Procurement processes can favour conventional energy sources, limiting opportunities for alternatives such as battery storage.

Gagné described hearing from storage companies that struggle to compete where bids favour or are restricted to conventional technologies. The interview also explored whether batteries could provide an alternative to proposed diesel generation in Atlantic Canada.

Access to policymakers is another concern. Gagné said civil society organizations have found federal conversations more difficult, while provincial engagement has been more successful in Gagné’s own experience.

The comments reflect the network’s perspective on government access; the interview did not include a federal response.

Electrification needs demand policies

Energi Media publisher Markham Hislop argued that expanding generation alone would not ensure households and businesses replace fossil fuels with electricity. New industrial demand could absorb much of the additional supply.

The discussion turned to heat pumps, efficiency and the ambition required to accelerate adoption. Gagné emphasized demand management and said governments must make choices about allocating limited public resources.

“There’s no endless amounts of money here,” Gagné said.

For the network, the Yes Agenda is intended to make those choices more visible. It presents projects that communities and governments can examine as Canada considers its next round of energy investment. The policy test is how those opportunities are assessed and supported alongside the fossil fuel infrastructure now attracting substantial political attention. Those decisions will influence which proposals move into construction.