Growing Indigenous Power

The information in this report is intended to help Indigenous communities, governments and potential partners in the understanding of the potential benefits of and challenges to renewable energy development, and should only be used as a supplementary guide when making a determination to devote time and resources toward developing a project. [...] The information in this report is intended to assist both Indigenous proponents and potential partners in understanding the potential benefits and challenges to RE development, recognizing and celebrating the accomplishments that have already been achieved and considerations for addressing barriers to future development. [...] Ontario, home to the largest population of Indigenous peoples in Canada, with approximately 22% of the country’s population (Statistics Canada, 2016), has been quite successful in recent years with stimulating Indigenous Power development, made possible by the introduction of the Green Energy and Economy Act in 2009, which included the Feed-In-Tariff (FIT) program, the Large Renewable Procurement [...] The territory has several programs in place to procure more RE and move away from diesel generation, including the Solar Energy Strategy, the Biomass Energy Strategy, the Energy Action Plan, the Net Metering Program and the Alternative Energy Technologies Program. [...] Advice we heard for developers seeking to work with Indigenous communities to develop a RE project includes: engaging early and often; being patient and recognizing time constraints; learning about the community and striving for a genuine relationship, taking the time to build trust; clearly outlining the project details and benefits to the community; helping to build capacity by funding positions