Three Ontario municipalities receive top honours at this year's Community Conservation Awards

Halton Hills, London and Peel Region are recognized for their conservation leadership

TORONTO, Aug. 18, 2014 /CNW/ - Halton Hills, London and Peel Region are recipients of this year's Community Conservation Awards, which celebrate the leadership and innovation that municipalities across the province are demonstrating to support province-wide conservation goals.

Now in its third year, the initiative is a collaborative effort led by the Ontario Power Authority (OPA) with the Association of Municipalities of Ontario (AMO) and the Electricity Distributors Association (EDA). The three winners received their awards today at AMO's Annual General Meeting. 

The Community Conservation Awards are presented to communities that demonstrate strong achievement in the following areas: 

• Conservation leadership
• Innovation and market transformation
• Corporate/internal and community engagement

The awards are open to all cities, towns and municipalities in Ontario. Participating municipalities were required to provide a written submission that outlined their conservation efforts, as well as a recent case study highlighting a specific conservation initiative undertaken in their community. Videos highlighting the winners' achievements are available at www.powerauthority.on.ca/cca.

Winning case studies from this year's winners include:

• Halton Hills' new library in Acton, which is a 9,000 sq. ft LEED Gold certified building with energy and water conservation features
• London's Arenas Energy Savings Challenge, which challenges arena staff to become energy-efficient and reduce energy consumption
• Peel Region's Water Pumping Optimization Project, which aims to maximize pumping efficiency, as well as minimize electricity costs

Quotes

"Ontario is putting conservation first. Conservation offers Ontarians a way to reduce their electricity bills, while contributing to a clean and sustainable energy future," says Ontario Energy Minister, Bob Chiarelli. "The important work of Halton Hills, London and Peel Region – as well as the efforts of other municipalities across Ontario – helps drive the province's leadership and innovation in conservation and energy efficiency."

"We are pleased to recognize these communities for their achievements in energy conservation and commitment towards ensuring long-term energy sustainability," says OPA CEO Colin Andersen. "Halton Hills, London and Peel Region have taken the initiative to promote conservation in their local communities and demonstrate their leadership province-wide."

"We congratulate the three winners of this year's Community Conservation Awards. By recognizing their leadership, we can help develop a culture of conservation across Ontario," says AMO President Russ Powers. "Conserving energy protects our environment and natural resources, while delivering cost savings to our communities and the electricity system as whole. AMO is committed to supporting communities to meet these important goals."

"Locally driven conservation efforts are often the most effective," says Jim Hogan, chair of the Electricity Distributors Association. "As an association representing one set of key local energy stakeholders, we're pleased to recognize efforts on the part of another set of stakeholders. And we commend the three municipalities being recognized with this year's Community Conservation Awards."

Links

More information about the Community Conservation Awards can be found at powerauthority.on.ca/cca.

More information about Ontario's saveONenergy energy conservation programs can be found at www.saveonenergy.ca.

The Ontario Power Authority is responsible for ensuring a reliable, sustainable supply of electricity for Ontario. Its key areas of focus are planning the power system for the long term, leading and coordinating conservation initiatives across the province, and ensuring development of needed generation resources.

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SOURCE: Ontario Power Authority

Media Contact: John Cannella, Ontario Power Authority, 416-969-6307, [email protected]