(L-R) Kaye Kelly, Community Manager, RBC; Janice McNutt Lanctin, RBC Regional Vice President, Eastern New Brunswick and P.E.I.; Todd Strickland, RBC Regional Vice President, Cape Breton and North East Nova Scotia; Chris Ronald, RBC Regional President, Atlantic; Mark Ledwell, Holland College Foundation Board Chair; and Patricia Shields, Holland College Vice President of Academic and Applied Research.

The Holland College Foundation has received a $200,000 gift from RBC Foundation to establish a Green Retrofit Residential Lab at the college’s John and Christine Andrew Centre for Excellence in Watershed Management in East Royalty. The RBC Foundation gift will support the development of green skills and contribute to environmental sustainability through energy efficiency.

“This gift from RBC Foundation will allow us to involve our students in the completion of a green retrofit of the main building currently onsite and conduct energy audits to compile data that will be used to create resource materials to assist with future student learning,” said Patricia Shields, Vice President, Academic and Applied Research at Holland College. “Informational materials will be developed for homeowners in our broader community to assist them in learning about, and adopting, practices for transitioning residential homes and buildings to be more energy efficient.”

“We recognize the importance of helping our workforce keep pace with the rapid technological and operational changes driving the climate transition,” said Chris Ronald, Regional President, Atlantic Provinces, RBC. “That’s why we are thrilled the RBC Foundation is making such a significant investment in students at Holland College to help them develop the green retrofit skills needed to support our region’s clean energy targets.”

The four-year project, scheduled to begin in September 2024, will provide an opportunity to expand and enrich the college’s delivery of trades and technology programming in an experiential learning environment. Under the leadership of the Heritage Retrofit Carpentry program, students from the Industrial Technology and Trades and Applied Sciences departments will collaborate on the initiative, and future students will access the lab for training purposes.

The retrofit will include energy efficiency audits, water efficiency measures, renewable energy integration, HVAC system optimization, energy-efficient lighting, roof replacement, attic and basement retrofits, and door and window replacements.

“The creation of a Green Retrofit Residential Lab at Holland College will enhance our students’ experience and the skills and knowledge they take into the industries and communities they will work and live in,” said Dr. Alexander (Sandy) MacDonald, Holland College President. “This initiative will advance the talent pipeline and help to support our provincial, regional, and national energy efficiency and sustainability agendas as we collectively work toward a net-zero future. We are truly grateful to the RBC Foundation for their generous support.”

Backgrounder

The $200,000 gift to the Holland College Foundation is part of a $2 million commitment made by the RBC Foundation to five community colleges in Atlantic Canada, designated to green skills programs in wind/solar energy, EV, and green retrofitting.

The centre for excellence is located on a 12-acre property of environmental and historical significance that was donated to the college in 2021 by Dr. John Alan Andrew, a radiologist in Victoria, BC, and Dr. Melissa Andrew, a geriatrician in Halifax and a professor at Dalhousie University. The property, which is located in East Royalty, P.E.I., includes a house, barn, and garage, a pond, and a four-acre, old growth Acadian forest, and is designated for education, research, and activities that improve environmental and watershed sustainability.