The latest updates from the team at Urban Climate Leadership
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The Heat Pump Power Play: Utilities, Demand and the Grid
As heat pumps scale up across Canada, utility leaders from BC Hydro and Hydro-Québec join UCL and Toronto 2030 District to discuss what faster adoption means for the grid and for customers.
UCL Reaction to PMO Carney’s Canada’s Home Retrofit Announcement
“We applaud the federal government’s leadership in making heat pumps and home retrofits more accessible while strengthening support for rental buildings. Building on this momentum, a whole-building approach that explicitly includes older three- and four-storey apartments and condo buildings will help bring these benefits to vulnerable residents.”
New Resources For Local Communities Navigating Data Centres
Urban Climate Leadership and Climate Caucus announce new national initiative equipping municipal leaders with practical tools to assess data centre proposals and secure stronger federal funding and support mechanisms that enable local decision-making about data centre planning.
Bell’s Saskatchewan data centre could quadruple in size. What does that mean for communities?
Bell’s proposed Saskatchewan AI data centre could quadruple in size, drawing up to 1.2 gigawatts of power. UCL’s Mairin Loewen joined CBC Blue Sky to discuss what the expansion could mean for communities—and the questions to ask about energy, water, land, public costs and local benefits.
Heat Pump Initiative Would Turn Local Climate Crises Into Opportunity
The Better Ideas Show: UCL’s Shauna Sylvester and The Energy Mix’s Mitchell Beer sit down to discuss local leadership and the clean economy.
UCL's Shauna Sylvester featured on CBC's What on Earth
Laura Lynch explores what has happened 5 years after the Coroner's report from the 2021 deadly heat dome in BC. UCL's Founder and Lead Convenor, Shauna Sylvester, provides an overview of the "Keep It Cool" initiative as a systemic solution to a worsening problem for residents living in older 3- and 4-story apartments and condos.
What is ‘behind-the-meter power’?
Why are AI data centres quietly building their own power plants? ⚡
As grid capacity struggles to keep pace with AI's growth, more data centres are turning to 'behind-the-meter' power, by generating electricity on-site, largely from natural gas, to skip the wait for grid connection.
In this breakdown, we look at how this trend is playing out from Alberta to Nevada, and what it means for emissions, transparency, and regulatory oversight.
Swipe through for the explanation.
How are other countries managing data centre developments?
How are other countries managing the data centre boom, and what can we learn from them? 🌍
Governments worldwide are grappling with the tension between economic opportunity vs. energy and water sustainability.
In this breakdown, we look at how Ireland, Germany, Sweden, and Australia are each approaching this challenge.
There's no one-size-fits-all model, but these countries all demonstrate climate-conscious planning that responds to the needs, challenges, and opportunities they're experiencing on the ground.
Swipe through for the full comparison.
UCL Welcomes Alex Cool-Fergus to Steering Committee
We're pleased to welcome Alex Cool-Fergus to Urban Climate Leadership's Steering Committee.
Alex brings extensive experience advancing climate action at the intersection of policy, advocacy, and local government. Through leadership roles with the Climate Action Network and the Federation of Canadian Municipalities, she has worked closely with municipalities and partners across Canada to accelerate climate solutions that are ambitious, practical, and equitable.
On Sunday, May 3, over 20 daily heat records were broken across BC. Without immediate action, more people will die. Today, BC Leaders are going to Victoria with a solution.
BC is getting hotter and smokier. By upgrading 5,000 low-rise buildings with energy-efficient heat pumps, BC can turn heat traps into safe havens for over 175,000 residents. Saving lives. Saving money. And creating jobs.
Keep it Cool: Scaling a Made-in-BC Heat Pump Economy
In January, UCL convened entrepreneurs, manufacturers, technology innovators, and allied organizations to identify the opportunities and barriers facing businesses working in building electrification. The dialogue helped shape a clearer pathway for scaling adoption while supporting local supply chains, workforce development, and market readiness.
The growing cluster, now more than 260 leaders across private, public, and nonprofit sectors, is helping transform what began as a conversation about barriers into a strategy for deployment at scale.
New Dialogue Report Highlights Economic Opportunity in Scaling Heat Pump Retrofits for Low-Rise MURBS in BC
Urban Climate Leadership has released a new dialogue report exploring how British Columbia’s innovation, technology, manufacturing, and building sectors can help transition 5,000 low-rise apartment buildings to energy-efficient heat pumps while strengthening local economic development and workforce opportunities.
When the Cloud Lands: How the Data Centre Boom Is Becoming a Climate Issue for Cities
As proposals for AI data centres appear across Canada, local governments are being asked to approve major infrastructure projects with significant implications for water, electricity, and municipal systems. In this piece, Mairin Loewen explores why the rapidly expanding data centre boom is becoming a climate and governance issue for cities — and the questions municipal leaders must ask before approving new developments.
Looking back: 2025 YEAR IN REVIEW
A snapshot of how Urban Climate Leadership supported cities and partners across Canada in advancing equitable climate action over the past year.
AI, Energy, and Water: What Cities Need to Know
As artificial intelligence reshapes cities, its hidden demands on energy systems, water resources, and public budgets are coming into focus. In this four-part commentary series with The Energy Mix, UCL’s Mairin Loewen examines what AI really costs—and what cities can do to govern it responsibly.
New Partnership Aims to Build a Made-in-Canada Heat Pump Economy by Targeting Underserved Building Sectors.
A new partnership between Urban Climate Leadership, Toronto 2030 District, and in collaboration with the Building Decarbonization Alliance aims to accelerate a made-in-Canada heat pump economy by strengthening supply chains, expanding manufacturing, growing the workforce, and electrifying underserved building sectors across the country.
Inside UCL’s Fall 2025 Newsletter
UCL’s Fall 2025 Newsletter celebrates a season of collaboration. Discover how local leaders and partners across Canada are working together to make climate action more equitable and community-focused.
Summary of Key Asks for Advancing a Made-in-BC Strategy for Heat Pumps in Low-Rise MURBs
Urban Climate Leadership (UCL) outlines eight key policy recommendations for a Made-in-BC heat pump strategy that emerged from the fifth Dialogue Session at SFU Vancouver Climate Day. The strategy brings together bold retrofit targets, workforce development, blended finance, and public engagement to protect residents and build a resilient retrofit economy.
Blended Finance for Climate Action: A Made-in-BC Model
Urban Climate Leadership (UCL) is advancing a Made-in-BC blended finance model that unlocks large-scale investment in building retrofits. By aligning public, private, and philanthropic capital, UCL’s approach transforms the retrofit challenge into an engine for good jobs, affordability, and climate resilience.
AI and Climate Action in Canada’s Cities: What We’re Hearing
Artificial intelligence is transforming how Canadian cities plan, manage, and deliver services. But what does this mean for equitable climate action? Urban Climate Leadership (UCL) shares insights from recent dialogues with local governments, nonprofits, and the private sector on opportunities, challenges, and the environmental impact of AI approaches.
Read about our recent dialogues and join us at the SFU Vancouver Climate Day on September 26.