VICTORIA, B.C. - The City of Kimberley’s SunMine project was presented with a Climate and Energy Action Award by Minister of Environment Mary Polak. The SunMine project won in the Public Sector Collaboration category.
Kimberley’s Mayor Don McCormick thanked partners Columbia Basin Trust, BC Hydro, College of the Rockies, School District 6 and the Aq’am Community for their commitment to the project, noting that, “eighteen agreements with eight organizations were developed to realize B.C.’s first municipally owned utility-scale solar facility and to support local training opportunities. This project has received overwhelming support from the community.”
The Honourable Mary Polak, Minister of Environment presented awards recognizing the leadership of the cities of North Vancouver, Coquitlam and Kimberley at the Union of BC Municipalities convention. "B.C. communities are key partners in the fight against climate change," said Minister Polak. "These awards highlight the innovative actions communities are taking to achieve a sustainable future."
Since the project was completed in 2015, SunMine and its partners have also been honoured with the following awards:
Community of the Year Award by Clean Energy BC, 2015
2015 Community Excellence Award for Leadership and Innovation in Green
Initiatives from the Union of BC Municipalities (UBCM)
2016 Sustainability Award from the Association of Professional Engineers and
Geoscientists of BC
2016 National Award for an Engineering Project or Achievement from Engineers Canada.
2017 Clean 50 award for Top 15 Sustainability-Oriented Project
“The City of Kimberley is very honoured by the awards and attention that the SunMine has received. The project simultaneously promotes our community’s environmental values, our entrepreneurial daring, and our sunny climate to the rest of Canada,” says Chief Administrative Officer Scott Sommerville.
SunMine is the first large-scale solar facility in Western Canada, built on a reclaimed mine site and community-owned.