June 24, 2024 Kitchener, Ontario Natural Resources Canada
Across the country, Canadians are looking to live in sustainable communities: places with clean air, affordable homes and good employment opportunities. Building sustainable communities means that as a federal government, we are continually investing in our environmental and economic health.
Today, the Honourable Jonathan Wilkinson, Minister of Energy and Natural Resources, announced four projects in the Kitchener-Waterloo region that will support community sustainability through investments in more efficient and affordable energy systems and greener transportation options.
Through its Codes Acceleration Fund program, Natural Resources Canada (NRCan) is investing $538,730 toward High-Performance Development Standards for Waterloo Region. This multi-partner initiative will help advance higher performance new constructions in the region, reducing costs and improving energy efficiency in the buildings where people live, work and play.
In addition, NRCan is investing $380,235 through its Energy Efficiency program to help the Waterloo Region District School Board implement an energy management system in accordance with the latest ISO 50001 standard to reduce costs, improve energy performance and, in turn, improve energy efficiency for school buildings across the region.
And finally, through the Zero Emission Vehicle Infrastructure Program, NRCan is supporting the deployment of a coast-to-coast-to-coast network of charging stations, including new charging stations in the Kitchener-Waterloo region, specifically:
- Chargers for tenants and visitors at residential buildings owned by Drewlo Holdings Inc. through a $103,622 investment that will help install four chargers in buildings across Kitchener and 30 more in other Ontario cities.
- Chargers for commercial fleets, which will be installed by Grand River Energy Solutions through a $910,000 investment, which will result in nine new chargers in Kitchener-Waterloo and five more in other Ontario cities.
These investments are injecting more money and green jobs into the Region of Waterloo. They demonstrate the federal government's commitment to building green community infrastructure through EV chargers, greener buildings and the energy systems that support them.
Making the switch from fossil fuels to clean electricity is key in lowering climate changing greenhouse gas emissions, cleaning the air we breathe and putting the country on track for a new, sustainable jobs economy.
