KINOOSAO CLEAN ENERGY PROJECT

We are pleased to announce that we are 1 of 15 finalists in all of Canada that are chosen to take part in the Indigenous Off-Diesel Initiative. The program is funded by Natural Resources Canada! The Indigenous Off-Diesel Initiative is a project that will reduce the overall usage of diesel within a community.

The project goal is to introduce the community to cleaner alternatives such as renewables/clean energy. This goal is so we can reduce living costs, diesel usage and improve the self-sustainability of the environment and to all our people.

Currently, we are moving on to phase 2 of the program. The project team is working on developing an ambitious community-based Community Energy Plan (CEP). Once the CEP is completed, we will begin the implementation plan & begin training for a community renewable project! We are working with all stakeholders to:

Develop a community energy consumption baseline
Host community workshops & events
Working with the utility, SaskPower
Build the Community Energy Plan

What is the Kinoosao Clean Energy Project?

Community Profile - Kinoosao, Saskatchewan

Kinoosao is a cree word that means "Fish." It is a small welcoming community in Northern Saskatchewan. Kinoosao has over 15 dwellings, a school, a church, a locally owned Co-op store, fish plant and a locally owned fishing lodge, The Grand Slam Lodge. It is one of the communities that in on the edge of Reindeer Lake, the second largest lake in Saskatchewan. Reindeer Lake is 200 miles long and 40 miles wide with over a thousand islands. Kinoosao was established in 1952 for commercial fishing. The fisheries that the community provides creates a huge economic impact for many communities including itself. There are a couple of ways to get into the community. A road from Lynn Lake is 99km long and is a windy and narrow road. Seasonally, it is accessible by boat on the lake during the summer from Southend, Saskatchewan or Brochet, Manitoba. Alternatively, in the winter it is accessible by snowmobile or truck when the lake is frozen.

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What is a Community Energy Plan?

A Community Energy Plan (CEP) will help guide your community through the process of energy education, creating an energy vision, selecting clean energy projects, creating clean energy roadmaps, and business plans to achieve that vision. A CEP allows communities to identify real project opportunities that are based on the interests, needs, and resources of the community. A CEP is designed to be done by the communities to identify real project opportunities that are based on the interests, needs, and resources of the community. A CEP is designed to be done by the community, for the community, with the support from government, utilities, and specialists. This ensures the projects are grounded in the community's needs and values, and are technically feasible.

It is important that energy be a part of your community's central or holistic planning efforts, as energy impacts so many different areas. A good energy plan not only makes electricity or fuel more affordable or clean; it also offers many other benefits. It can create jobs or businesses, reduce your community's carbon emission footprint, help to build self-reliance, and save money for households and the whole community.

Benefits of a Community Energy Plan:

Economic Development
Health and Safety Benefits
Education & Capacity Building
Environment & Climate Change
Community Independance

Whatever the community priorities are, the benefits of community energy planning may be too numerous to count! Many of the ways that energy planning intersects with community priorities are listed above.

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Community Events

The team has been very involved with the community and has hosted many events in Kinoosao. The team had students from the community come out and build some clean energy models. A special thanks to all the parents that came to help that day, as we could not have done it without you. We also hosted a community supper and renewable workshops at the Grand Slam Lodge just before Christmas 2019.

We also hosted a $250 logo contest for the community members and had many great entries. We put the logos on Facebook to have the public vote and that is how we found our winner, Darcey Olsen.

We will also be hosting many more community events during this entire process. Please come out and attend if you have time!

Logo Contest Winner!

Looking for Volunteers!

The team would like to document the project and post videos on YouTube and Facebook. We are looking for some volunteers to be interviewed and be part of the process. Let us know if you are interested!

Any Questions?

If you have any questions about the Kinoosao Clean Energy Project or would like to reach out and discuss any questions, concerns or community event suggestions that we can do for the community, please let us know!