The Government of Canada is investing in national parks across the country to support sustainable tourism, create jobs in our local communities and complement the Government of Canada's efforts to combat climate change.
Today, the Honourable Bernadette Jordan, Minister of Fisheries, Oceans and the Canadian Coast Guard and Member of Parliament for South Shore-St. Margarets, on behalf of the Honourable Jonathan Wilkinson, Minister of Environment and Climate Change and Minister responsible for Parks Canada, and the Honourable Yves-Duclos, President of the Treasury Board, announced the completion of $10 million in improvements in federal infrastructure projects and almost $600,000 to support greenhouse gas emissions reduction efforts and investment in clean technology at Kejimkujik National Park and National Historic Site.
Through the federal infrastructure investment program, Parks Canada is nearing completion of significant improvements to visitor facilities for the national park. Visitors to the park during the 2021 season will enjoy upgrades to Jeremy's Bay Campground including new universal-access, gender-neutral washroom and shower facilities, a new water treatment facility, upgraded power and sewer utilities, and five new roofed accommodations. As well, a brand new shared-use trail system has added 6 km of new trails to the existing park trail network.
Meanwhile, through Treasury Board Secretariat's Greening Government Fund, the Government of Canada is investing an additional $589,400 to support the installation of a 100-kilowatt array of solar panels - enough to reduce the park's greenhouse gas emissions by about 17 per cent. The electricity use of campers at the campground will entirely come from the photovoltaic solar array that will generate 100 kilowatts of renewable energy annually through Nova Scotia Power's Net Metering Program. Over the lifetime of this project, Parks Canada will see a cumulative reduction of about 3,300 tonnes of greenhouse gas emissions, which is roughly equal to taking 1,035 cars off the road for one year.
Canada's national parks are a refuge for both wildlife and people. Investing in these locations helps support the health of our natural heritage and creates jobs in our local communities, while providing visitors with high-quality and meaningful experiences across the country. The Government of Canada is working towards net-zero emissions by 2050 to create a cleaner, healthier future for Canadians.
