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April 09, 2025

A new study from the University of Victoria’s Department of Geography is shedding light on how B.C.’s energy system continues to exclude First Nations from full participation in the province’s clean energy transition. The research, conducted by Geography professor Christina Hoicka, grad students Adam Regier and Sara Chitsaz, and UVic Geog alum Kayla Klym, critically examines the political and institutional frameworks shaping Indigenous involvement in renewable energy development and finds that current approaches fall short of delivering true energy justice. The research included 20 interviews with members of 17 First Nations, one organisation, and one consultant. 

The Power Behind Power:

“'Stretch and transform' for energy justice: Indigenous advocacy for institutional transformative change of electricity in British Columbia, Canada" explores how First Nations are advancing community-based renewables while simultaneously working to reshape the energy system itself. It finds that many Indigenous communities are employing  “stretch and transform” strategies—pushing beyond existing institutional limits to create new energy systems rooted in Indigenous governance, values, and priorities. This is in contrast to the ongoing “fit and conform” strategies, which involve working within the constraints of existing provincial structures—such as BC Hydro’s procurement programs—without challenging underlying authority or rules.

 

"Fit and Conform" vs "Stretch and Transform" strategies of advancement

One of the central findings of the research is that while First Nations have increasingly engaged in renewable energy development over the past two decades, many communities remain locked out of equitable energy markets. In particular, the continued centralization of authority within BC Hydro - which serves 95% of B.C.'s population - has made it difficult for Indigenous communities to move from participation in externally driven projects to ownership and control over their own energy futures. Of the over 100 First Nations communities in B.C. that are willing hosts of renewable energy project, only 30 of have operational projects, and even fewer are able to sell power back to the electricity grid. The 2019 suspension of BC Hydro’s Standing Offer Program, once a key mechanism for small-scale renewable producers to sell power to the provincial grid, has further limited opportunities for Indigenous energy providers. 

First Nations Power Authorities Offer a New Model

The development of First Nations Power Authorities—energy institutions governed and operated by First Nations themselves—are viewed as a key pathway toward greater energy sovereignty. Such models enable Indigenous communities to produce, manage, and distribute their own electricity, and are aligned with the goals and missions of UNDRIP and B.C.’s DRIPA (see below). Rather than slotting into colonial systems, they envision a parallel infrastructure, following “stretch and transform” philosophies, that operates from a different foundation entirely.

 

 

Hoicka and their team also situate these challenges within the broader legal and political context of Indigenous rights recognition in Canada. In B.C., the Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples Act (DRIPA), passed in 2019, commits the provincial government to aligning its laws with the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UNDRIP). This includes upholding Indigenous rights to self-determination, land, and free, prior, and informed consent on matters that affect them. Yet, the study finds that energy governance in the province has been slow to meaningfully integrate these principles into regulatory practice or institutional design.

Province of BC

Rewiring the System

Instead of treating Indigenous involvement as an afterthought or as an element of procedural consultation, the study argues that energy policy must be restructured to embed Indigenous authority at all levels of decision-making. This includes the ability of First Nations to initiate, lead, and govern energy projects without being dependent on provincial approval or tied to short-term funding cycles.

As B.C. accelerates investment in its electrical grid and explores pathways to electrify transportation, industry, and housing, First Nations communities are calling for a more ambitious rethinking of energy governance. A just energy transition, it concludes, must not only reduce emissions but also redistribute power—both literally and politically.

Read the full study here: