An energy project is said to be \u201ccommunity-based\u201d when it actively involves local communities at each phase of its development: from planning to project management, right through to the economic spin-offs.<\/p>\n
As a project initiator and business partner in the renewable energy sector, the Indigenous community of Mashteuiatsh (Pekuakamiulnuatsh First Nation), in the Lac-Saint-Jean region, is a pioneer in this field.<\/p>\n
The use of a collaborative approach has enabled the community to economically and socially grow, while better protecting its territory, and generating positive spinoffs for present and future generations.<\/p>\n
For the past 15 years, Transfert Environnement et Soci\u00e9t\u00e9 (TES) has been involved in supporting the development of local projects, acting as a third-party facilitator and an ESG advisor for projects such as the Soci\u00e9t\u00e9 de l’\u00e9nergie communautaire du Lac-Saint-Jean<\/a>‘s mini hydroelectric power plants (Val-Jalbert<\/a> and Onzi\u00e8me Chute<\/a>). These two projects were jointly led by the community of Mashteuiatsh and the MRCs of Maria-Chapdelaine and Domaine-du-Roy, also partners.<\/p>\n TES has thus had front-row seats to the potential of community-based approaches as an effective tool for energy development in Quebec.<\/p>\n These projects, carried out by and for communities, on their terms, promote social cohesion and development that meets community expectations and the specific features of the region.<\/p>\n This has allowed Mashteuiatsh to develop its expertise and share it with other Indigenous and non-Indigenous communities, making the community an inspiring model for community-based energy development in Quebec.<\/p>\n TES is proud to collaborate with the Pekuakamiulnuatsh and their partners on new projects in the Lanaudi\u00e8re (\u00c9nergie Matawak<\/a>) and Abitibi-T\u00e9miscamingue (\u00c9nergie Renouvelable Onimiki<\/a>) regions. These projects are led by D\u00e9veloppement PEK<\/a>, the non-profit organization set up by Mashteuiatsh to develop a community-based energy sector.<\/p>\n Learn more in this video shared by the Mashteuiatsh community (in French) :<\/p>\n