After a year of work, the Town of Bridgewater has submitted its Smart Cities Challenge finalist application.
“It feels amazing to have crafted such a unique and bold action plan, one that will certainly stand out in Canada,” said Leon de Vreede, the town’s sustainability planner.
Bridgewater was originally announced as one of the five finalists for Infrastructure Canada’s $5-million prize in 2018.
The program’s goal is to help town residents by reducing energy poverty rates 20 per cent by 2025.
“Through our Energize Bridgewater program, our community has demonstrated nationally recognized leadership in understanding and planning a pathway toward a new kind of energy economy,” said Mayor David Mitchell in a press release.
As per the release, members of the town’s Smart Cities Challenge team will head to Ottawa in May to present their program.
The winner will be announced at that time.
And although the submission signifies the end of the application process, de Vreede said the real work is only starting.
“Already we have actions in place to bring new energy financing tools to the community and to develop advanced projects such as community-owned solar photovoltaics,” he said.
New technologies like photovoltaics — which is the conversion of light into electricity through solar panels — smart thermostats and others are just some of the tools the program will implement to achieve its goal.
De Vreede said finding real, long-term solutions are something welcomed by both the town and people in the community.
In fact, switching to a smart energy economy could have a positive economic impact.
“It means hundreds of new jobs in the trades as homes and apartment building receive much needed upgrades and new technologies,” he said.
When asked what would happen to the program if Bridgewater does not win, de Vreede said much of the plan can be worked on even without the prize money.
At this time, he said, staff are looking at applying for additional funding through government departments and financial investors.
“Obviously $5 million would be a huge boost to our program and would effectively fund all of its development and operations for about five years,” said de Vreede.
“Whether we win the challenge or not, we’ll continue working with our residents and our community partners to continue designing these solutions and putting them into practice.”
And no matter the result, de Vreede said the town is already a winner given the momentum that the challenge has generated.
“It’s not often that a community the size of Bridgewater can gain the national spotlight for positive reasons,” he said.
