Provincial Government Establishes Net-Zero Advisory Council

  • Environment and Climate Change

December 13, 2021

The Honourable Bernard Davis, Minister of Environment and Climate Change, today announced the membership of the Net-Zero Advisory Council. The eight member Council will focus on providing advice to the Provincial Government on how to achieve the 2030 and net-zero targets.

The members of the Net-Zero Advisory Council are:

  • Kieran Hanley (Chairperson)
  • Carolann Harding (Vice Chairperson)
  • Angela Carter
  • Caron Hawco
  • Nick Mercer
  • Jonas Roberts
  • George Russell Jr.
  • Kelly Vodden

The Council will focus on identifying near term and foundational actions the government and others can take to set the province on a strong path to achieve net-zero that would grow the green economy, while considering a just transition and affordability. The Council will also advise on global trends to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and the importance and use of carbon sinks.

In addition to establishing the Net-Zero Advisory Council, the Provincial Government is committed to taking actions to address climate change, from building on our climate change plan, developing a renewable energy action plan and advancing electrification and innovation to further the transition into more renewable energy sources.

Biographies of the members of the Net-Zero Advisory Council are included in the backgrounder below.

Quote
“Urgent effort is needed to meet our 2030 and 2050 greenhouse gas emission reduction targets. Therefore, I am pleased to announce that the Provincial Government has established the Net-Zero Advisory Council. I thank this eight member Council for the work it will do to help identify and review near term and foundational actions our government and others can take to set Newfoundland and Labrador on a strong path to achieve its greenhouse gas emission reduction targets.”
Honourable Bernard Davis
Minister of Environment and Climate Change

-30-

Learn more

Follow us on Twitter @GovNL and @ECC_GovNL

Like us on Facebook

Media contact
Lynn Robinson
Environment and Climate Change
709-729-5449, 691-9466
lynnrobinson@gov.nl.ca

BACKGROUNDER

Biographies of Members of the Net-Zero Advisory Council

Kieran Hanley is the Executive Director of econext, an association of over 200 members working towards accelerating clean growth in Newfoundland and Labrador. Mr. Hanley has worked within the clean technology, green economy, and environmental services sector for over nine years – including a number of recent projects helping communities and industries in the province create plans to reach net-zero by the year 2050.

Mr. Hanley has an MBA (Community Economic Development) from Cape Breton University, a Bachelor of Commerce (International Business) with Dalhousie University, and a Certificate in Economic Development from the University of Waterloo. He is currently the Chair of the City of St. John’s Environment and Sustainability Experts Panel, and Vice-Chair of the Economic Development Association of Newfoundland and Labrador (EDANL).

Carolann Harding ICD.D, brings a wealth of knowledge and experience to the business development world. As CEO of SmartICE, Ms. Harding is leading a diverse coast to coast to coast award-winning team (President’s Award for Public Engagement Partnerships 2020, Governor General Innovation Award 2019, United Nations Momentum for Change 2017, Arctic Inspiration Prize 2016), focusing on meeting SmartICE’s social enterprise mandate, strategic directions, and social impacts.

Ms. Harding is currently the Chair of FoodFirst NL, director on the Pinnguaq Board, and a member of the ICD NL Chapter Executive. Ms. Harding is a graduate from both Memorial and Dalhousie Universities.

In March 2021, Atlantic Business Magazine named Ms. Harding as one of Atlantic Canada’s 25 most Powerful Women in Business and in November 2021, Ms. Harding was chosen as the RBC Women of Influence Eastern Canadian Finalist– National Impact: Social Change Award.

Dr. Angela V. Carter, born in Corner Brook and raised in Conception Bay, is an Associate Professor at the Department of Political Science and Balsillie School of International Affairs, University of Waterloo. Dr. Carter is the author of Fossilized: Environmental Policy in Canada’s Petro-Provinces (UBC, 2020), recipient of the 2021 Donald Smiley Prize for the best book on the study of government and politics in Canada. Dr. Carter is now extending this work in an international comparative project focused on understanding and amplifying national bans on fossil fuel extraction.

Dr. Carter also serves as Director of Arts First and frequently engages with community organizations and the media on issues relevant to her research.

Caron Hawco, ICD.D, is a business development, international trade, and communications strategist, with a solid track record in natural resources, ocean technology, and industry policy/regulations.

As President of the consultancy, Caron Hawco Group, Ms. Hawco’s current clients are focused on business growth, energy transition and accessing new markets in the ocean economy, such as ocean tech, oil and gas, clean tech, and shipbuilding; Indigenous consultation; as well as international trade, including Guyana, Norway and Mexico. She is also a Lab2Market faculty member as part of Canada’s Ocean Supercluster Ocean Startup Project, supporting the commercialization of Canadian ocean research.

From 2008-2015, Caron held a variety of management roles with Norwegian energy company, Statoil (now Equinor), serving as a member of its Offshore Canada leadership team. A designated corporate director (ICD.D), Caron has served on over 15 boards of directors and currently serves on the boards of TechNL, Noia and the Canada-Guyana Chamber of Commerce. She is an active gender diversity advocate, promoting the advancement of women in technology and industry. Ms. Hawco is the former chair of Noia and served on the Newfoundland and Labrador Oil and Gas Recovery Taskforce.

A graduate of Memorial University, Ms. Hawco is also an Internationally Accredited Communicator, awarded Newfoundland and Labrador’s Communications Professional of the Year, a Certified International Trade Professional and a Professional Project Manager.

Dr. Nick Mercer is a settler-researcher, who holds a Ph.D. in Geography and Environmental Management from the University of Waterloo, as well as a Bachelor of Arts and Master of Arts in Environmental Policy from Memorial University. Dr. Mercer’s research expertise includes renewable energy policy, the sustainability of off-grid energy systems, and participatory approaches to local planning.

Dr. Mercer lives in western Newfoundland. He holds a SSHRC Postdoctoral Fellowship within Dalhousie University’s School for Resource and Environmental Studies and provides formal support to communities in Labrador in their pursuit of energy security and autonomy. Dr. Mercer works at the intersection of clean energy and community, ensuring that local rights, knowledge systems, and priorities are at the forefront of energy transitions.

Dr. Jonas Roberts has worked as a climate consultant with Wood Environment & Infrastructure Solutions since 2015. He is currently the Operations Manager for Wood’s Digital Environment group, a pan-Canadian, multi-disciplinary team of operational resilience and technical professionals.

In his capacity as a consultant, Dr. Roberts has led and supported dozens of climate-centric projects for multiple industries and levels of governments in jurisdictions around the world. He has also volunteered with various committees and boards that focus on environmental, social, and technical issues at the municipal, provincial, and national scale. Dr. Roberts holds Bachelor of Engineering and Master of Engineering degrees, as well as a Ph.D. from Memorial University.

George Russell Jr. is a native of Williams Harbour and has been living in Happy Valley-Goose Bay since 2001. Mr. Russell is the Director of Environment and Natural Resource with the NunatuKavut Community Council and has more than 20 years’ experience in environmental assessment, policy and regulatory review.

Mr. Russell has proven experience in Indigenous issues; federal-provincial-Indigenous relations, negotiations, consultations and holds a degree in Environmental Studies from the University of Cape Breton.

Dr. Kelly Vodden is Professor (Research) with the Environmental Policy Institute, lead of the Rural Resilience research group, and Associate Vice-President of Research and Graduate Studies at Grenfell Campus, Memorial University.

Dr. Vodden has led a number of major research projects and has published widely on a range of topics related to sustainable community and regional development research, policy and practice across Canada, particularly in Newfoundland and Labrador. Dr. Vodden holds Masters in Geography and a Ph.D. from Simon Fraser University.

 

2021 12 13 9:30 am