National recognition highlights leadership in advancing responsible tidal energy development.
FORCE is proud to announce that executive director Lindsay Bennett has been named to Canada’s Clean16 for 2027. The recognition honours her leadership in advancing a collaborative, inclusive and evidence-led approach to responsible tidal energy development in the Bay of Fundy.
Presented by Delta Management Group and the Clean50 organization, Canada’s Clean50 Awards recognize 50 individuals or small teams across 16 categories for their contributions to sustainability and the clean economy over the preceding two years. The Clean16 distinction recognizes the leading honouree in each category.
Gavin Pitchford, executive director of the Clean50 Awards and CEO of Delta Management Group, called Bennett’s selection “a testament to the contribution Lindsay has made to helping make Canada more sustainable for all Canadians.”
Realizing tidal energy’s potential requires credible environmental evidence, trusted relationships and a clear pathway for projects to proceed. Bennett has led FORCE’s contribution to addressing these needs, bringing researchers, regulators, Rights Holders, developers and communities together to connect knowledge with practical decisions.
“The opportunity in tidal energy is significant, and realizing it carries responsibilities to the marine environment and the people who depend on it,” says Bennett. “Leadership means taking different perspectives seriously and accepting responsibility for finding a way forward together.”
As co-chair of the federal tidal energy task force’s Risk and Monitoring Working Group, Bennett helped bring scientific and practical expertise together to advance environmental risk assessment and monitoring. She also leads FORCE’s delivery of the $8.2-million Ocean Sensor Innovation Platforms project, supported by Natural Resources Canada. FORCE’s team and project partners are testing monitoring methods in the powerful currents of Minas Passage to improve understanding of fish and the marine environment.
Bennett has also worked to deepen FORCE’s relationships with Mi’kmaw organizations and bring different knowledge and perspectives into tidal energy research and planning. Opportunities for shared learning have ranged from a delegation of Mi’kmaw Chiefs and technicians to an operating tidal energy project in Orkney, Scotland, to a Mi’kmaw-led workshop on Netukulimk and Etuaptmumk (Two-Eyed Seeing) that opened a national ocean energy conference. FORCE also supported the Confederacy of Mi’kmaw Nations in undertaking a Mi’kmaq Ecological Knowledge Study to inform development in the Bay of Fundy.
“It’s an honour to be recognized, and I’m proud of our team at FORCE and the partners whose commitment has given tidal energy a stronger foundation,” says Bennett. “Their scientific expertise, Indigenous knowledge and practical experience help us ask better questions and make better decisions. Tidal energy can contribute to meeting the challenge of climate change, and we’re building that opportunity together.”
Bennett’s contribution connects these efforts around a long-term goal: building the scientific capacity, trusted relationships and clear responsibilities needed for responsible tidal development. Her leadership helps turn separate contributions into coordinated action while maintaining environmental protection and public accountability.
About FORCE
The Fundy Ocean Research Centre for Energy (FORCE) is Canada’s lead facility for tidal stream energy research, operating a grid-connected test site in the Bay of Fundy, home to the highest tides in the world. In partnership with industry, government, Mi’kmaw organizations and academia, FORCE supports technology deployment, research and science to advance responsible tidal energy development.