Communities across Canada are taking the initiative to advance energy efficiency in homes and buildings. Taking steps to retrofit our buildings stock is a great way to help families to save money on their energy bills while ensuring communities are more resilient to the impacts of climate change.
That is why today, the Honourable Jonathan Wilkinson, Minister of Energy and Natural Resources, and Scott Pearce, President of the Federation of Canadian Municipalities, announced more than $15.2 million for four projects that will reduce emissions and increase the sustainability of buildings in Ontario.
The City of Guelph receives $15 million ($5 million in grants and $10 million in loans) for Guelph's Greener Homes initiative - a residential home energy-efficiency retrofit program that will help residents reduce emissions and make their homes more affordable. Administered by the city, the program will provide loans up to $50,000 to upgrade the energy efficiency in homes and install solar panels to generate renewable energy.
In addition, three feasibility studies will also receive support:
The City of Brantford ($195,000) to study ways to reduce GHG emissions at the Wayne Gretzky Sports Centre, the Lion's Park Arena, and the Brantford and District Civic Centre. The city hopes to reduce energy consumption by 50 percent within 10 years and by 80 percent within 20 years, ultimately reaching net-zero emissions by 2050.
The Regional Municipality of Waterloo ($67,200) to study two scenarios to reduce GHG emissions in four of its community buildings.
The Regional Municipality of Halton ($28,970) to assess the feasibility of constructing a net-zero energy district facility for the Halton Regional Police Service to help the police force deliver services to Halton Hills and Milton.
The Federation of Canadian Municipalities administers the Green Municipal Fund through an endowment by the Government of Canada. Since 2000, it has disbursed over $1.11 billion in sustainability initiatives including support of green buildings, energy efficiency, and building retrofits. Its unique mix of funding, resources and training gives municipalities the tools to build resilience and reduce greenhouse gas emissions. The Government of Canada invested a further $950 million in the GMF in 2019 to support greater energy efficiency and building emissions reductions.
