2019 Canadian Energy Person of the Year

Oct 10, 2019 - 5 years ago

Mayor Lori Ackerman

Mayor, Fort St. John, B.C.

Canadian communities that grow alongside energy development, manage unique development opportunities. Balancing economic highs and lows, while moving toward a sustainable future for both the community and the energy industry requires vision, tenacity and strong leadership. Canada is fortunate to have a leader like Lori Ackerman who sees the big picture and the local reality and is able to fit the two together for mutual benefit. There is a lot we can learn from Mayor Ackerman, which is why we’re so pleased she is the 2019 Canadian Energy Person of the Year.

~ Jacob Irving, President, Energy Council of Canada. ~

Canadian Energy Person of the Year Award Gala

October 2019 | Westin Calgary

The Energy Council of Canada has chosen Mayor Lori Ackerman of Fort St. John, British Columbia as Canadian Energy Person of the Year.

As a 30-year resident of Fort St. John, B.C. and the community’s first female mayor, Lori Ackerman is one of Canada’s top energy advocates. She is admired for her leadership of a resource-driven municipality, striking a balance between energy development, community representation, and First Nations partnerships.

Mindful of the challenges and opportunities that energy resource municipalities manage, Mayor Ackerman consistently advocates for economic and community development, technological innovation, and Canadian competitiveness. Her willingness to share lessons learned and to engage in dialogue regarding the relationship between local communities and Canada’s energy sector marks her as a leader not only in her own community but across Canada.

Mayor Ackerman thinks globally and acts locally. Together with Fort St. John City Council, she successfully aligned the City’s Strategic Plan with UN Global Sustainable Development goals, toured local resource projects with mayors from across B.C. and received one of only two Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Platinum and Certified Passive House designations in Canada for Fort St. John’s demonstration house. Fort St. John, under Mayor Ackerman’s leadership, was presented Clean Energy B.C.’s Community of the Year Award and installed an in-line turbine on the City’s gravity-fed effluent outfall line generating 780 MWh of energy each year. Mayor Ackerman is also a contributing member of the Sustainable and Inclusive Communities in Latin America (CISAL) initiative, working with resource-based communities in Colombia and Peru to build capacity in local government, was recognized as one of the Top 35 Most Influential Women in BC and was awarded the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee Medal in 2012.