Recognition highlights a partnership bringing scientific research, Mi’kmaw knowledge and marine expertise together to guide responsible tidal energy development.
The Ocean Sensor Innovation Platforms (OSIP) project, led by FORCE with Acadia University, the Confederacy of Mi’kmaw Nations and other partners, has been named Canada's Clean50 Top Project of the Year for 2027 by Delta Management Group, the Canada's Clean50 organization, and past and present Clean50 award winners from across the country.
Supported by Natural Resources Canada, OSIP addresses a central challenge for tidal energy: understanding fish movements and potential interactions with tidal devices in the powerful currents of Minas Passage in the Bay of Fundy. The project brings scientific research, Mi’kmaw knowledge and practical marine experience together to inform responsible development.
“Projects are chosen based on being impactful, innovative, inspiring, informative and readily imitated,” says Gavin Pitchford, CEO of Delta Management Group and executive director of Canada’s Clean50 Awards. “OSIP definitely meets those criteria and stood out ahead of over 70 other excellent nominees' submissions we considered.”
OSIP brings multiple instruments together on subsea and floating platforms to test which monitoring tools can provide dependable evidence in one of the world’s most demanding tidal environments. By comparing their performance, the team can assess what each detects, understand its limitations and determine how different tools can work together. The subsea platform is now collecting data at FORCE, with deployment of the floating surface platform set for this fall to expand the field-testing program.
Understanding that environment also draws on Mi’kmaw knowledge. Through OSIP, the Confederacy of Mi’kmaw Nations led and completed a Mi’kmaq Ecological Knowledge Study to help guide monitoring priorities and bring Rights Holder perspectives into how findings are understood.
“We have a responsibility to build confidence in how tidal energy moves ahead,” says Lindsay Bennett, FORCE’s executive director. “OSIP brings rigorous testing and different knowledge together so decisions can be grounded in a fuller understanding of the Bay of Fundy.”
Knowledge to guide responsible development
OSIP was developed in response to research and monitoring needs identified through the federal Task Force on Sustainable Tidal Energy Development in the Bay of Fundy, which released its final report in 2024.
A key outcome of the task force was Fisheries and Oceans Canada’s revised staged approach to tidal energy authorizations. It enables projects to begin with an initial device and monitoring, with subsequent deployments informed by environmental evidence and subject to regulatory conditions.
OSIP is testing cameras, sonar, acoustic receivers and other instruments to understand what they can reliably reveal about fish and their surroundings. Bringing these observations together with Mi’kmaw knowledge builds a stronger basis for decisions about tidal development and protection of the Bay of Fundy.
“Etuaptmumk – Two-Eyed Seeing – brings Mi'kmaw knowledge and western science together as equals, so that each strengthens the other,” says Chief Sidney Peters, co-chair of the Assembly of Nova Scotia Mi'kmaw Chiefs and a director of the Confederacy of Mi’kmaw Nations. “Through OSIP, our collaboration will help shape monitoring approaches as tidal energy devices go in the water. That’s not only about respecting the inherent, treaty, and legal rights of the Mi’kmaq, it’s about making stronger decisions that will protect our shared future in the Bay of Fundy.”
A partnership built for shared learning
OSIP brings together FORCE, Acadia University, the Confederacy of Mi’kmaw Nations, Ocean Tracking Network, Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, the University of the Highlands and Islands, Innovasea, Orbital Marine Power, Eauclaire Tidal, A.F. Theriault & Son, Huntley’s Diving and Marine, and other Canadian and international partners. More than 40 organizations across Mi’kma’ki / Nova Scotia have contributed the research, engineering, fabrication, marine operations and sensor expertise needed to build, deploy and learn from the monitoring platforms.
“This recognition reflects the expertise and commitment of our team and partners,” says Bennett. “Scientific research, Mi’kmaw knowledge and practical marine experience help us ask better questions and make better decisions. We want the lessons from Minas Passage to help others choose effective monitoring methods, understand their limitations and build on what we’ve learned.”
OSIP representatives joined sustainability leaders from across Canada at the annual Clean50 Summit in Toronto on October 15, sharing lessons from the project and working with peers on sustainability challenges.