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Abstract
This presentation explores how the principles of Community Wealth Building (CWB) can support more equitable, community-centred pathways to net zero in Canada. Drawing on early findings from the first international comparative study of its kind, we examine how anchor institutions, public policy, and social networks shape the potential for just transitions in both the UK and Canada. While much of the net-zero discourse remains dominated by market- and state-led approaches, our work reframes the transition through a lens of community agency, local economic democracy, and inclusive growth.
Our talk begins with a Canadian context: a country rich in energy resources yet deeply unequal in how the benefits and burdens of the transition are distributed. We outline the case for integrating CWB and just transition frameworks and introduce the research design, including interviews, workshops, and cross-national collaboration. Key emerging insights include the role of institutional ecosystems, the power of anchor organizations, and semantic tensions surrounding the definition and framing of “community wealth” in policy and practice.
Together, we argue that advancing inclusive, community-rooted transitions is both a normative imperative and a strategic opportunity—one that is increasingly salient in light of current policy windows and global economic shifts.
Biography
Dr. Martin Boucher is the Research Chair in Sustainability at NorQuest College in Edmonton, Canada, and a Fellow of the Energy Futures Lab. His applied research explores community-led approaches to energy transition, with a focus on cooperative models, inclusive economic development, and public policy. Martin is the founding president of Community Energy Co-operatives Canada and co-leads several national and international projects examining the role of social infrastructure, anchor institutions, and local networks in driving just transitions. Prior to joining NorQuest, he was a faculty member at the University of Saskatchewan’s School of Public Policy, where he taught and published on sustainability governance and energy innovation.
Siobhan Stack-Maddox works on research and engagement at the Science Policy Research Unit (SPRU), University of Sussex. She has been involved in a range of projects bringing social science perspectives to energy and climate issues. Her research interests and experience include just transitions; co-benefits of energy and climate policies, including building community wealth; energy demand; comparative international perspectives; and political feasibility and institutions for impactful policy making.