The Government of Canada has the largest fixed asset portfolio in the country with 32,000 buildings, 20,000 engineered assets such as bridges and dams, and more than 40,000 vehicles, all of which use a significant amount of energy. We also spend more than $20 billion each year on goods and services serving Canadians.
As directed by the Greening Government Strategy (GGS), the Government of Canada is committed to reducing greenhouse gas emissions from its operations. The Greening Government Fund (GGF), one component of the strategy, provides funding to support innovative projects in government departments across Canada.
Created in 2019, the GGF provides funds to other federal government departments to explore and share innovative approaches to reducing GHG emissions in their operations. Project funding comes from existing budgets of departments and agencies that generate more than 1 kilotonne of GHGs per year from air travel and from departments that are below this threshold and contribute voluntarily.
Greening Government Fund investments are an opportunity to support the transition to a low-carbon economy, stimulate the clean tech sector, contribute to Canada's international climate change commitments, and achieve cost savings. To date, the GGF has approved approximately $46 million in funding for 63 projects from different federal departments/agencies to support projects that reduce GHG emissions in government operations.
New, Greening Government Fund Project in British Columbia
The Government of Canada is announcing a Greening Government project in British Columbia - one out of 19 across Canada. This project, like others funded by the GGF, represents innovative green advancements that will assist federal operations in reaching our goals.
The Future Energy Solutions pilot project evaluates emergent renewable and hybrid power, energy and control systems at the Canadian Coast Guard's remote marine communications and traffic services sites. The goal is to transition away from diesel generators currently used to power over 40 remote radio communications sites across the west coast. Renewable and hybrid power systems will dramatically reduce the overall GHG emissions associated with operating and transporting fuel to these critical facilities.
This Department of Fisheries and Oceans Canada project received $2.87M from the Greening Government Fund.
Departments are implementing the Greening Government Strategy through projects like this, contributing to Canada's goal of transitioning to a net-zero and climate-resilient economy. The government is greening its operations through low-carbon procurement, zero-emission vehicles, clean electricity, and adopting smart building technologies.
