Our homes and buildings are where we live, work, study and gather. They are important to our well-being, to our economy and as a space for social interaction - but they are also Canada's third-largest source of emissions. That is why the Government of Canada and the Federation of Canadian Municipalities (FCM) are investing in decarbonizing the buildings sector to meet Canada's 2030 climate target and achieve a net-zero economy by 2050.
Today, Darren Fisher, Member of Parliament for Dartmouth-Cole Harbour, on behalf of the Honourable Jonathan Wilkinson, Minister of Natural Resources, and Geoff Stewart, Second Vice-President of FCM, on behalf Taneen Rudyk, President of FCM, announce a series of investments from the Green Municipal Fund's (GMF) Sustainable Affordable Housing (SAH) initiative to support the planning and construction or retrofit of at least 100 housing units in communities in New Brunswick and Nova Scotia.
Funding was announced for these plans, studies and pilot projects:
Affordable Housing Association of Nova Scotia, Halifax Regional Municipality, Nova Scotia: $144,950 for evaluating energy-efficient measures for a new construction of 44 affordable housing units in Dartmouth.
Bath Non-Profit Housing Inc., Village of Bath, New Brunswick: $20,000 to assess the feasibility of converting an existing abandoned hospital into 20 to 25 sustainable affordable apartments with community space for a rural community.
Belleterre Community Partners Inc. and the City of Miramichi, New Brunswick: $22,400 to assess the energy efficiency of a 12-unit residential development focusing on newly arrived immigrants, seniors, homeless and those at risk of becoming homeless, young adults and women escaping domestic violence. The capital phase of the project has received support from CMHC's Rapid Housing Initiative (RHI), and the outcomes from this planning grant will guide the organization in accessing additional FCM funding to support climate goals as well.
Project Village Housing Inc., Village of Blacks Harbour, New Brunswick: $25,000 for a planning grant to develop energy-efficient affordable housing units on rural land. The first phase of this housing development will consist of a mix of 12 market and 12 affordable rental units.
Collaboration will support the uptake of ambitious energy efficiency measures, addressing climate change risks, sharing expertise and knowledge and providing training to develop skills. The Government of Canada endowed the $300-million Sustainable Affordable Housing initiative as part of a $950-million expansion of FCM's Green Municipal Fund (GMF) in Budget 2019 to help housing providers retrofit existing units for higher energy performance or build new affordable housing to net-zero standards. In its two years of funding, the SAH initiative approved funding for 122 projects, representing more than 24,500 units.These projects will help mobilize national action with a variety of partners to transform markets and reduce costs to meet the goal of net zero by 2050.
