The Government of Canada is making it easier for Canadians to drive electric - transforming the way Canadians get to where they need to go.
Today, as part of #EVWeekinCanada, the Honourable Filomena Tassi, Minister of Labour and Member of Parliament for Hamilton West-Ancaster-Dundas, on behalf of the Honourable Seamus O'Regan Jr., Minister of Natural Resources, announced an investment of $200,000 to the City of Hamilton to install 40 electric vehicle (EV) chargers in Hamilton to give people more options to charge and drive their vehicles where they live, work and play.
Hamilton is also contributing $251,400 toward this project bringing the total contributions cost to $451,400. The new chargers will join the city's growing system, as another eight have recently been installed in Ward 5.
Funded through Natural Resources Canada's Zero-Emission Vehicle Infrastructure Program, all chargers will be available for public use by December 2021.
Since 2015, Canada has made a historic investment of over $1 billion so far to make EVs more affordable and charging infrastructure more locally accessible. These investments are building a coast-to-coast network of fast chargers and installing chargers in local areas where Canadians live, work and play. The government also provides incentives of up to $5,000 to help Canadians buy EVs and full tax write-offs for businesses purchasing them.
These investments support Canada's new mandatory target of 100-percent zero-emission light-duty vehicle sales by 2035. Driving down transportation emissions is critical to achieving Canada's ambitious climate change targets and requires a combination of investments and regulations to support Canadians and industry in this transition.
The government supports green infrastructure projects that create good, middle-class jobs and get us to net-zero emissions by 2050.
Quotes
"We're giving Canadians the greener options they want to get to where they need to go. We're building a coast-to-coast network of electric vehicle charging stations from St. John's to Victoria, and now we're building more right here in Hamilton. This is how we get to net zero by 2050."
The Honourable Seamus O'Regan Jr.
Minister of Natural Resources
"Our government knows that electric vehicles will play a key role in reducing Canada's greenhouse gas emissions, and that's why we are making it easier for Canadians to drive electric. Our investment of $200,000 to install 40 electric vehicle chargers will make it easier for Hamiltonians to charge their cars and expands our growing web of charging stations across our ambitious city and our country. Since 2015, our government has worked to provide Canadians with more transportation options, because we know that supporting green infrastructure can help get us to our net-zero emissions targets by 2050."
The Honourable Filomena Tassi
Minister of Labour and Member of Parliament for Hamilton West-Ancaster-Dundas
"In 2019, city council declared a climate emergency. The addition of electric vehicle charging stations in municipal carparks is an important step toward achieving our goal of net-zero carbon emissions by 2050. This program, and the increase of electric vehicles in our community, will help us become a national leader in sustainable transportation."
Fred Eisenberger
Mayor, City of Hamilton
"Electric vehicles play a key role in building a clean energy future and ensuring that people live in healthy and productive communities. The addition of 40 new electric vehicle charging spaces across our community is an exciting step in that direction."
Jason Thorne
General Manager, Planning and Economic Development Department
Quick facts
-
Transportation accounts for 25 percent of total greenhouse gas emissions in Canada.
-
There are over 6,000 publically accessible charging stations across Canada, compared with approximately 12,000 gas stations.
-
Investments in charging infrastructure made so far will result in more than 17,000 new charging stations available to Canadians.
-
There are more than 50 models of zero-emission vehicles Canadians can choose from to make greener transportation choices.
