Canada, FCM combat climate change by investing in retrofits for community buildings
Posted in: News Item
Date Posted: 2021-04-13
Organization Name: Federation of Canadian Municipalities
At a time when the impacts of climate change are increasingly damaging communities across the country, Ottawa and local governments are coming together around an initiative that will lower emissions and enhance the resiliency of communities.
On April 13, Minister of Infrastructure and Communities Catherine McKenna and Federation of Canadian Municipalities (FCM) President Garth Frizzell joined together for a virtual announcement of the launch of the Community Buildings Retrofit initiative. This program will help communities of all sizes overcome the barriers of limited budgets and expertise when undertaking greenhouse gas (GHG) reduction projects.
“Municipalities have told us they want to improve the energy efficiency of their buildings. They understand that climate change is real, that we need to reduce our emissions, and we can do it in a way that is smart, that creates good jobs, and saves folks money,” McKenna said. “When we talk about build back better, this is what we are talking about.”
The retrofit initiative is funded by a $167 million federal investment in FCM’s Green Municipal Fund. The new initiative supports Canadian municipalities and not-for-profit organizations in undertaking retrofits and other upgrades.
The goal of the initiative is to lower emissions by improving energy performance, lowering operating costs, and extending the life of community assets. These investments will help communities decrease emissions generated by existing community buildings such as arenas, pools, libraries and recreation and cultural centres.
“Community centres from pools, libraries to cultural and recreation centres are critical to the lives of Canadians,” McKenna said. “Working with the Federation of Canadian Municipalities, we’re funding retrofits across the country to make these buildings more energy efficient, reducing costs and tackling emissions. This initiative will create jobs, help us tackle climate change, and build cleaner, more inclusive communities.”
The Community Buildings Retrofit initiative will provide grants and loans to fund a portion of each project and expects to disburse the full funding envelope over the next six years. FCM will fund the most innovative projects identified through their peer and staff review of proposals received through this open call, expecting to see the first capital projects approved before the end of 2021-22.
“We welcome the federal government’s commitment to fighting climate change. Municipalities expect federal leadership because this is a global threat,” Frizzell said. “We want to see tangible actions, one that support our local efforts to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. This is a good example.”
By supporting municipalities in pursuing these projects, this initiative will help create jobs in communities and create retrofit models that can be replicated across Canada to ramp up local employment while reducing GHG emissions at the local level.
“Whether big or small, urban or rural, local governments are at the heart of climate action,” Frizzell said. “With arenas, pools, and rec centres emitting some of the highest levels of municipal greenhouse gases, successful retrofit projects can have a significant impact on climate change efforts.”