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

The accolade is the latest for the 30-year resident of Fort St. John, who has been recognized as one of the Top 35 Most Influential Women in B.C. and awarded the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee Medal in 2012.

“Canadian communities that grow alongside energy development, manage unique development opportunities,” said Jacob Irving, Energy Council of Canada president. “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.”

The Canadian Energy Person of the Year Award was established by the Energy Council of Canada in 2001 to recognize and pay tribute to a Canadian energy leader who has made a significant impact at the national and international levels within the energy sector. Nominations are based upon the nominees’ outstanding accomplishments in the business or public sectors and the community at large.

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, said the council.

Ackerman and the Fort St. John city council 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.

Under Ackerman’s leadership, Fort St. John installed an in-line turbine on the City’s gravity-fed effluent outfall line generating 780 megawatts/hour of energy each year and received Clean Energy B.C.’s Community of the Year Award.

She also is 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.