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Transport Electrification
LOW CARBON COMMUNITIES
Community-Based Planning & Design for the Electrification of Transport Systems in Rural Municipalities
Engagement with stakeholders has been central to this project from the very beginning. By collaborating with rural municipalities, community organizations, provincial agencies, and transportation advocates, this initiative has ensured that local knowledge, priorities, and lived experiences shape the planning and design of rural electrification strategies.
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The engagement process has included early sessions that helped inform the project’s development, as well as a series of structured workshops designed to guide the project’s implementation.
Pre-Project Engagement Sessions
Stakeholder Roundtable – November 2023
This virtual roundtable brought together municipal staff, transportation advocates, and provincial representatives to explore the potential for electrifying rural transportation in Nova Scotia. Participants emphasized the need for community-specific solutions and highlighted the importance of supportive policies, tourism links, and partnerships.
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Key themes included:
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The economic and tourism potential of destination charging
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Infrastructure gaps and reliability concerns in rural areas
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The need for broader access to EVs and charging for all residents
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Rural Electrification Transport Priority Areas Roundtable – June 2024
A second virtual session helped refine the direction of the project and shape the funding proposal. Participants discussed roles, priorities, and the types of support needed to move forward with rural electrification.
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Key outcomes included:
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Identification of interested municipal partners (e.g. Yarmouth, Antigonish)
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Recognition of the link between electrification and community transportation
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Support for a regional engagement approach and knowledge-sharing network
Workshop #1 Electrification Strategies
May 16, 2025 | Halifax, NS
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The first in-person workshop was held at the Halifax Central Library and brought together stakeholders from rural municipalities, transit organizations, non-profits, and provincial agencies. The session began with a presentation on the state of rural transport electrification in Nova Scotia, including findings from the NovaTRAC survey. Key issues identified included affordability, infrastructure gaps, and the need for community-based solutions.
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Participants took part in activities to explore their perceptions of EVs, identify benefits of electrification, and suggest guiding principles and strategies to support a net-zero future. The idea of creating the Rural Electrification Strategies Alliance (RESAlliance) was introduced to build momentum and collaboration across the province.
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Key Takeaways
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Participants expressed strong interest in flexible and locally driven electrification solutions.
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There was an emphasis on expanding public education and supporting municipal partnerships.
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Transit electrification emerged as a recurring theme, signaling the need to explore it more deeply in future workshops.
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This session laid the foundation for continued engagement and helped surface early insights into the opportunities and challenges facing rural electrification in Nova Scotia.
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Workshop #2 Transit Electrification Strategies
July 15, 2025 | Yarmouth, NS
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​The second in-person workshop was held at IGNITE Atlantic, bringing together local decision makers, planners, and municipal staff members. As with the first workshop, this session began with a presentation on the current demand for and effort towards transportation electrification in Nova Scotia and across Canada, with findings from the 2023 NovaTRAC Survey being used to highlight interest among Nova Scotian's for electric transportation. The presentation also showed how Yarmouth is developing electric charging infrastructure to support a future built around electric transportation.
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Just like in Halifax, participants took part in activities to explore their perceptions of EVs, identify benefits of electrification, and suggest guiding principles and strategies to support a net-zero future. To address local interest in electric bus service, a new activity asked participants to describe local initiatives being taken electrify said service. The RESAlliance was also expanded upon, bringing together likeminded people who will push forward the rural transportation electrification initiative.
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Key Takeaways
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Participants highlighted the importance of project cost effectiveness, diverse funding streams, and general affordability as being central to making electrification initiatives financially feasible and achievable by rural municipalities.
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It was shown that electrification should involve a variety of different transportation options, such as general municipal vehicles, transit vehicles, and industrial vehicles.
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Municipal collaboration should take place to simplify and lower the cost for infrastructure and vehicle procurement.
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This session helped grow the knowledge base for how rural transportation electrification can take place, as well as what should be discussed in the final workshop in Colchester.
Workshop #3 Transport Electrification in Colchester
November 20, 2025 | Truro, NS
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​The third and final workshop was held at the Truro Library, where public officials, municipal staff members, non-profit workers, and university representatives came together to discuss transport electrification in Colchester County and across Nova Scotia. As with the first two workshops, the event started with a presentation highlighting Nova Scotia's interest and current efforts in transportation electrification, and how examples of transport electrification in urban and rural settings can inform future development of the initiative in Nova Scotia.​​​
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Just like in Halifax and Yarmouth, participants worked individually or in small groups to complete activities which highlighted perceptions of EVs, benefits to electrification, and guiding principles and strategies for electrifying rural transportation. Additionally, participants took part in a new activity which looked at strategies for electrifying bus service and providing public charging infrastructure. The RESAlliance was also expanded, bringing members from Colchester together with those from Halifax and Yarmouth.
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Key Takeaways
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​Supply chain issues and servicing gaps will make electrification challenging for rural municipalities, especially if they want to develop an electric vehicle fleet and infrastructure that fits their municipality's needs.
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Transport electrification provides a great opportunity to improve a municipality's public image, as it shows a sustainable, low-carbon, and future thinking mindset.
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Careful implementation of rural transport electrification should occur, regarding right-sizing of vehicle purchases and infrastructure development, and finding potential cost savings.
As this was the final workshop for the rural transportation initiative, findings from all three workshops will be brought together and analyzed by CART members. This will be done to develop a final report showcasing the interests of rural municipalities regarding electric transportation, and how a low carbon future can be achieved through the electrification of rural transportation systems.
This project is supported by the Low Carbon Communities program through the Nova Scotia Department of Natural Resources and Renewables.