Canada Investing in Retrofits for Community Buildings

April 16, 2021

The federal governemnt has announced the launch the Community Buildings Retrofit initiative to help communities of all sizes overcome the barriers of limited budgets and expertise when undertaking greenhouse gas (GHG) reduction projects.

Funded by a $167-million federal investment in FCM’s Green Municipal Fund, the new initiative supports Canadian municipalities, big and small, and not-for-profit organizations in undertaking retrofits and other upgrades to lower emissions by improving energy performance, lowering operating costs and extending the life of community assets. These investments will help communities decrease emissions generated by existing community buildings such as arenas, pools, libraries and recreation and cultural centres.

The Community Buildings Retrofit initiative will provide grants and loans to fund a portion of each project and expects to disburse the full funding envelope over the next six years. FCM will fund the most innovative projects identified through their peer and staff review of proposals received through this open call, expecting to see the first capital projects approved before the end of 2021–22.

This new initiative is part of a $950-million federal investment in the Green Municipal Fund designed to scale up energy efficiency and lower emissions across Canada. It is complemented by new measures in Canada’s strengthened climate plan to support green and inclusive community buildings through retrofits, repairs, upgrades and new builds. By supporting municipalities in pursuing these projects, this initiative will help create jobs in communities and create retrofit models that can be replicated across Canada to ramp up local employment while reducing GHG emissions at the local level.

Investing in innovative solutions to lower emissions and improve energy efficiency is key to creating cleaner, healthier communities and sustainable economic growth for all Canadians.

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