Well over 400 communities in Canada, and over 50 in Ontario, have completed Community Energy Plans. Many of them are now demonstrating continuing implementation efforts driven by aggressive GHG (greenhouse gas) and energy efficiency targets coupled with community demands for climate emergency declarations.

In two separate webinars we will look at; what other successful Ontario communities are doing and then explore best practices from around the world. We are honoured to have two leading experts in this field –  Rob Kerr and Dr. Karen Farbridge – as our guests.

Registration is necessary for attending these events: you have to register for each event separately by visiting the corresponding registration links:

1. What Other Ontario Cities Are Doing – Rob Kerr – Sep 15 ,2020 @7:00 PM
2. Canadian and Global Best Practices – Dr. Karen Farbridge – Sep 23 ,2020 @7:00 PM

What Other Ontario Cities Are Doing – Rob Kerr

7:00 PM on Tuesday Sep 15 ,2020

This webinar will look at what other successful Ontario communities are doing to drive climate and energy action. Rob will explore how they are establishing the building blocks necessary to achieve the benefits of reaching ambitious climate targets.

Canadian and Global Best Practices – Dr. Karen Farbridge

7:00 PM on Wednesday Sep 23, 2020

Dr. Farbridge will provide insight into the best practices that have emerged over the last decade of community energy planning in Canada and globally and how they are accelerating the transition to a low-carbon and energy efficient economies.

About Our Speakers

Rob Kerr

Rob’s 40-year career focuses on transitioning society to a low carbon economy while reducing the impacts of climate change. He does this through policy development and implementation of projects and programs in the municipal and community space.

To get there, he wears many hats including: Senior Associate with QUEST, Canada’s leading organization in advocating for Smart Energy Communities, Managing Director of Garforth International Canada Inc. and his independent consultancy – Robert J. Kerr + Associates.

His work experience has been a balance between the private and public sector, having worked with the Honeywell, Hydro Quebec, Toronto Hydro Energy Services Inc., and Energy Advantage. Rob has held senior positions at ICLEI – Local Governments for Sustainability providing policy and program support to cities around the world committed to mitigation and adaptation activities related to climate change. There, he developed expertise in managing inter-governmental relationships – from his advocacy work at the global level (starting with the UN Climate Conference in Kyoto, Japan in 1997) – to ongoing advisory relationships with the Canadian federal and provincial governments as well as the Federation of Canadian Municipalities. He has also worked with the cities of Mississauga and of course Guelph.

Dr. Karen Farbridge

Dr. Farbridge has over 25 years of experience in change-making in the non-profit, public, and private sectors. She went from grassroots organizing with her early work at the Ontario Public Interest Research Group (OPIRG), to a PhD in Zoology, and then she became the first female Mayor in Guelph, after spending years on City Council.

She has a longstanding passion for building sustainable and resilient communities. She has been a leader in various community innovation projects including smart growth, downtown revitalization, open government, neighbourhood development, community wellbeing, resource and natural heritage protection, community energy and municipal governance. She is a respected speaker who has worked to educate on matters of urban interest and community resiliency to broad and diverse audiences both locally and internationally.

Karen is an urban connector that helps communities and governments across the country fight climate change in practical and achievable ways.

Dr. Karen Farbridge received the eMERGE Climate Change Hero award in 2019.