Today, Patrick Weiler, Member of Parliament for West Vancouver-Sunshine Coast-Sea-to-Sky Country, on behalf of the Honourable Catherine McKenna, Minister of Infrastructure and Communities, and the Honourable Josie Osborne, British Columbia's Minister of Municipal Affairs, announced funding to upgrade two local health care centres in the communities of Lil'wat Nation and N'Quatqua Nation.
The Lil'wat Nation will upgrade its Health and Healing Centre to accommodate growing demand, make the building more energy efficient, and provide food service to community members. The project consists of reconfiguring the kitchen, which includes installing a new HVAC and commercial kitchen equipment, a net meter and solar power system, upgrading the WiFi throughout the building, and replacing the roof gutters, furnaces, water tank, windows and more. Through these upgrades, the community will reduce greenhouse gas emissions, save money, and improve the overall safety and comfort of building users.
The N'Quatqua First Nation will retrofit the community's Health Centre to include a rooftop solar power system and components to provide reliable energy to the facility, especially during the winter months. Any disruption of service creates a reliance on backup diesel generators to meet power and heating needs in the community. Once completed, the community will benefit from cost savings, energy storage for emergency situations and power outages, and a reduced reliance on backup diesel.
The Government of Canada is investing more than $1.3 million in this project through the Investing in Canada Infrastructure Program's new COVID-19 Community Resilience Infrastructure Stream. Under this stream, the federal cost share is up to 100% for projects intended for Indigenous communities.
Quotes
"Reliable and sustainable sources of energy are vital to supporting healthy, strong and resilient communities, especially in remote areas where energy security is top of mind. The funding announced today will support the vision of the Lil'wat Nation and N'Quatqua First Nation to provide better health services to their community, help reduce greenhouse gas emissions and lower energy costs. Working in collaboration with our provincial and Indigenous partners, we are investing in projects like these to build cleaner, more resilient, and inclusive communities across British Columbia."
Patrick Weiler, Member of Parliament for West Vancouver-Sunshine Coast-Sea-to-Sky Country, on behalf of the Honourable Catherine McKenna, Minister of Infrastructure and Communities
"Improvements to the Lil'wat Health and Healing Centre and the N'Quatqua Health Centre will help both communities respond better to the health and well-being of their members. This funding helps the Lil'wat Nation to more fully accommodate the growing demand for health needs and concerns in the community, while the retrofit to the N'Quatqua Health Centre is boosting the local economy through new construction jobs, and providing more reliable services for the people in the region. Together with our federal government partners, we're investing in infrastructure projects that are strengthening communities across B.C. at a time when we need it most."
The Honourable Josie Osborne, Minister of Municipal Affairs
"As a remote community, energy security is always at the forefront of our minds. N'Quatqua Chief and Council are excited to be taking another step forward in energy independence, and are looking forward to lowering our carbon footprint in the process."
Chantel Thevarge, N'Quatqua Councillor
Quick facts
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Through the Investing in Canada infrastructure plan, the federal government is investing more than $180 billion over 12 years in public transit projects, green infrastructure, social infrastructure, trade and transportation routes, and Canada's rural and northern communities.
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Across B.C., the Government of Canada has invested more than $4.4 billion in over 580 infrastructure projects under the Investing in Canada infrastructure plan.
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The Province is investing $3.6 billion over a 10-year period under the Investing in Canada Infrastructure Program for British Columbia's infrastructure initiatives.
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To support Canadians and communities during the COVID-19 pandemic, a COVID-19 Resilience Infrastructure Stream has been added to the over $33-billion Investing in Canada Infrastructure Program to help fund pandemic-resilient infrastructure. Existing program streams have also been adapted to include more eligible project categories.
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Under the COVID-19 Resilience Infrastructure Stream, the federal cost share for public infrastructure projects is up to 80%, with the Province adding 20% to achieve 100% funding. The federal government is providing up to 100% funding in the territories and for projects intended for Indigenous communities.
