Rural and remote communities that are not connected to the North American electricity grid often use diesel and fossil fuels to generate heat and power. Using fossil fuels for heat and power is expensive and has an impact on the environment, including air quality.

Energy efficiency and conservation measures can help to reduce overall demand for fossil fuels, create warmer, healthier homes and provide savings to communities. Cost savings can enable communities to invest in other community-driven priorities.

Sunact Disaster Resilience Unit (S-DRU) can replace diesel, reduce environmental and health impacts, and create local economic opportunities.

Federal government and provinces have set up specific programs and funds for indigenous people and remote communities to transition to clean energy and have access to more reliable power source but normally finding proper solutions is not an easy process.

Sunact Disaster Resilience Unit (S-DRU) can help small communities to be qualified for available fundings and Federal/Provincial programs related to shifting to clean energy, wildfire resilience and resolving water issues.

Please see following examples and contact us if you would like to apply for such programs for your community across North America.

  • Clean Energy for Rural and Remote Communities Program

    The Clean Energy for Rural and Remote Communities (CERRC) program provides funding for renewable energy and capacity building projects and related energy efficiency measures in Indigenous, rural, and remote communities across Canada. The program is working to reduce the use of fossil fuels for heating and electricity by increasing the use of local renewable energy sources and energy efficiency. This creates environmental, social, and economic benefits to support healthier and more sustainable communities.
    https://www.nrcan.gc.ca/reducingdiesel

  • BC Community Climate Funding Guide

    Please check following link for BC Community Climate Funding Guide:
    https://communityclimatefunding.gov.bc.ca/
    This guide was created to simplify your search for funding and to quickly connect you to the next opportunity to fund your community project. It’s a one-stop resource to find the best programs available to match projects that increase sustainable energy use and prepare for a changing climate. The guide provides a comprehensive list of funding opportunities for Indigenous communities and local governments to reach their climate action goals. All programs listed in the guide are eligible for applications from Indigenous communities or local governments; programs for individuals and businesses are not listed.

  • CleanBC Remote Community Energy Strategy (RCES)

    The CleanBC Remote Community Energy Strategy (RCES) is a multi-stakeholder initiative to achieve the CleanBC diesel reduction goal of reducing diesel consumption for generating electricity in remote communities by 80 per cent by 2030. The initiative promotes reducing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, economic development in remote communities and furthers the province’s reconciliation commitments with Indigenous peoples.

    There are almost 50 remote communities in B.C. that are not connected to the provincial electricity supply grid, the largest number of any province in Canada. Most are Indigenous communities that depend on diesel fuel to generate power and heat.

    The province is currently working with remote communities to further develop the strategy and supporting programs. Please email the Community Clean Energy Branch for more information.
    CommunityCleanEnergy@gov.bc.ca

  • Indigenous Off-Diesel Initiative: Cohort 2 (2022/2023)

    The Indigenous Off-Diesel Initiative (IODI) is a clean energy training and funding program that supports Indigenous-led climate solutions in remote Indigenous communities that currently use diesel or fossil fuels for heat and power.
    https://indigenouscleanenergy.com/our-programs/20-20-catalysts/

  • Toward net-zero homes and communities

    The Toward Net-Zero Homes and Communities program will provide funding to:

    • Support the implementation of original and creative tools and methods to facilitate Canada’s “Just Transition” to net-zero residential building emissions by 2050
    • Support initiatives to empower all residents, including professionals and other levels of government, to contribute to Canada’s “Just Transition” to net-zero residential building emissions by 2050
    • Support Indigenous, rural and remote, and under-resourced communities in their efforts to reduce residential GHG emissions

    https://www.nrcan.gc.ca/energy-efficiency/homes/toward-net-zero-homes-and-communities/24522

Drinking Water

Water is the essential of every community, and without it, life is unsustainable. Access to potable water is everyone’s fundamental human right, as acknowledged by the United Nations. Insufficient quantity and poor-quality water resources will adversely affect the communities and make them vulnerable to infectious diseases. The use of water resources in any form, depends on its availability, quality, management, and associated infrastructure.

Drinking water challenges have consistently affecting rural, remote, and Indigenous communities throughout Canada and lack of and/or aging infrastructure is one of the top causes of these challenges.

A recent report by Environment and Climate Change Canada stated that 87 per cent of Boil Water Advisories (BWAs) issued in Canada in 2019 were due to problems with the equipment and processes used to treat, store, or distribute potable water. This statistic will only grow as our infrastructure continues to age and deteriorate. The majority of these BWAs in Canada (82 per cent) were issued in rural communities where potable water systems serve 500 people or less.

Explore the map of lifted and remaining long-term drinking water advisories on public systems on reserves across Canada.


The Government of Canada is working with indigenous people to end long-term drinking water advisories. On the map, an LT-DWA refers to long-term drinking water advisories which have been in effect for more than 12 months.

Indigenous Services Canada (ISC) funds public water systems that serve 5 or more household connections. One unit of Sunact AWG (S-AWG) can produce 60 liters of water/day @25°C & 65% RH or 100 liters of water/day @30°C & 80% RH. This is enough drinking water for 15-25 people. Please refer to AWG webpage for more information.

ISC also funds public water systems serving public facilities that are funded by the department. These water systems are managed and operated by the band, a band-owned utility or a qualified third party under contract.

Sunact Atmospheric Water Generation (S-AWG) could give remote communities access to clean drinking water for around 6 months with a fraction of the cost and time it takes to plan or implement conventional solutions such as water treatment facilities.
Wildfires

In Canada, wildfires or forest fires are common in forested and grassland regions from May to September, which
can cause extensive damage and put lives in danger.

More than 10 per cent of Canadians are living in homes that are increasingly threatened by wildfires, with
on-reserve indigenous people communities being disproportionately affected, according to new research published by
scientists from Canada’s natural resources department.

There are multiple programs in Canada which provide funding for remote community wildfire resiliency projects.
Couple of examples include:
  • FESBC Funding

    In Budget 2022, the B.C. government provided $25 million in new funding to the Forest Enhancement Society of BC
    (FESBC) for projects that protect communities from wildfire risk and prepare for climate change impacts.

    FESBC has supported 263 projects throughout BC, 43 of which have been in partnership with indigenous people. These
    projects have reduced wildfire risk in 120 communities, created thousands of jobs, and reduced emissions. The
    new funding will allow FESBC to continue supporting this important work.

  • Emergency Management Assistance Program (EMAP)

    The Emergency Management Assistance Program (EMAP) provides funding to indigenous people communities so they can
    build resiliency, prepare for natural hazards, and respond using the 4 pillars of emergency management:

    • Mitigation
    • Preparedness
    • Response
    • Recovery

These pillars are the core attributes of Sunact Disaster Resilience Unit (S-DRU) design. S-DRU wildfire
protection capabilities could increase the resilience of remote communities against wildfire in all
stages of EM. Please refer to our wildfire protection web page for more information.

In British Columbia, FireSmart funding for indigenous people communities is administered through the First
Nations Emergency Services Society (FNESS). https://www.fness.bc.ca/


Sunact Disaster Resilience Unit (S-DRU) is designed and built to increase the resiliency of small communities by providing following benefits all year-round (including before, during and after disasters):

  • Clean and reliable source of power
  • Pure drinking water
  • Protections to reduce the impact of Wildfires
  • Emergency communication
  • Firefighting capabilities for communities which don’t have access to firefighting stations