Premier to Host Energy, Environment Ministers Conference

Premier Rodney MacDonald will convene an Energy and Environment Ministers Conference by the end of September.

Canada's premiers agreed to the conference at the Council of the Federation meeting held in Quebec City on July 17 and 18.

The focus will be on making Canadians more aware of the savings that can be realized through taking steps to use less energy such as home heating fuel or electricity, and promoting awareness of green technologies.

Premier MacDonald had pledged to raise the issue of rising energy prices with his colleagues from across the country at the Quebec meeting. He says his concerns were shared by all premiers.

"We agree this is the most important issue facing Canadians right now," said Premier MacDonald. "There is very little governments can do to lower the price of fuel, but what we can do is help people use less fuel or electricity, thereby lowering their costs."

Nova Scotia has a number of energy efficiency programs in place through Conserve Nova Scotia. The agency was created in 2006 to develop and coordinate policies and programs for energy efficiency and conservation.

Since its inception, Conserve has touched the lives of 300,000 Nova Scotians through a combination of education and energy saving initiatives.

Some of the initiatives are:

• Nova Scotia EnerGuide for Houses
• EnerGuide for Low-to-Modest Income Households
• EnerGuide for New Houses
• Residential Energy Affordability Program
• Solar Heating Rebate Program

Nova Scotia hopes to build on its initiatives by sharing information with other provinces, and learning more about programs that have been effective in other provinces and territories.

More information about Conserve Nova Scotia is available on the website at www.conservens.ca .