Investing in greener infrastructure helps communities reduce their carbon footprint and increase their resilience to climate change. It also helps safeguard public health, protect the environment and create a clean-growth economy.
On January 10, 2019, a dozen communities in the Canadian province of Québec received significant help in renewing their infrastructure. François-Philippe Champagne, Canada’s Minister of Infrastructure and Communities, and Vicki‑May Hamm, President of the Federation of Canadian Municipalities (FCM) announced funding totalling $1.5 million from the Municipalities for Climate Innovation Program for two projects.
The City of Rivière‑du‑Loup will also receive $750,000 to improve its storm drainage system, which doesn’t currently have the capacity to handle overflows on one of the busiest roads in the city. This will help restore local streams and lakes.
The project involves constructing a storm sewer, storm water retention ponds, swales and new sumps to better manage storm water run-off. Once complete, this work will better protect residences and businesses from flooding, improve safety and traffic flow along this key downtown roadway, and reduce the amount of sewer water being released into the environment.
The remaining $750,000 will allow the municipalities of Varennes, Maniwaki, Saint‑Fulgence, Saint‑Siméon, Saint‑Charles‑sur‑Richelieu, Carleton‑sur‑Mer, Saint‑Constant, Mercier, Îles‑de‑la‑Madeleine, and the Pontiac RCM to add a shared electric vehicle each to their municipal vehicle fleets and to install electric service stations. Municipal employees will use the vehicles during office hours. When the vehicles are not being used, they will be made available to the community.
The goal of this project is to try out innovative solutions to reducing greenhouse gas emissions across the province, thus helping to restore the climate for all.
“Municipalities are on the front lines of climate change, and they’re leading the way on innovative responses. FCM is proud to support these new efforts to build more sustainable, resilient and livable communities. Thanks to our partnership with the Government of Canada, our programs support local solutions with national impact, contributing to infrastructure renewal and our transition to a low-carbon economy,” said Vicki-May Hamm.
“The Government of Canada is committed to investing in projects that support a more strategic approach to planning, building and maintaining public infrastructure. Through partnerships like the one we have with FCM, we are helping provide solid 21st-century infrastructure to communities across the country. The local investments we are announcing today will help reduce greenhouse gas emissions, build a clean‑growth economy and strengthen the middle class,” said François-Philippe Champagne.
The Municipalities for Climate Innovation Program (MCIP) helps municipalities and partner organizations by providing funding, training and information sharing. It is designed to encourage Canadian municipalities to better prepare for and adapt to the new realities of climate change as well as reduce greenhouse gas emissions. MCIP is a five-year $75-million program, delivered by the Federation of Canadian Municipalities and funded by the Government of Canada.
Through the Investing in Canada infrastructure plan, the Government of Canada is investing more than $180 billion over 12 years in public transit projects, green infrastructure, social infrastructure, trade and transportation routes, and Canada’s rural and northern communities. $26.9 billion of this funding is supporting green infrastructure projects, including $5 billion available for investment through the Canada Infrastructure Bank.
Photo of Rivière‑du‑Loup by Nicogag via Wikipedia.