A $1.76-million investment through the Federation of Canadian Municipalities’ (FCM) Green Municipal Fund (GMF) has been announced to improve the quality of water in communities across British Columbia. The investment will also help reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, as well as improve the quality of land and transportation in communities across British Columbia.

“Our cities and communities influence half of the country’s greenhouse gas emissions,” said Joanne Vanderheyden, president of FCM. “That means local action is critical. With support from the Green Municipal Fund, this is what’s happening: municipalities of all sizes are implementing smart low-carbon solutions. Empowering this local expertise is vital to meeting Canada’s climate goals. When orders of government work together to reduce emissions, we’re building more resilient communities.”

The Town of Ladysmith will receive $246,000 for a field test to determine the effectiveness of ultraviolet disinfection at Ladysmith’s wastewater treatment plant and compare it to the effectiveness of the current practice of chlorine disinfection on viruses. The Town will also receive $168,400 to conduct a feasibility study on remediation of waterfront land that has been contaminated due to historic industrial uses on the site that include former fuel-pump islands, boat-maintenance areas, and waste-oil storage.

The City of Vancouver will receive $100,300 to explore a variety of grey and green rainwater management options for the Charleson Catchment, a 51-hectare area located in the City of Vancouver’s Fairview neighbourhood.

“Cities are key partners in pioneering practical climate solutions,” said Catherine McKenna, Canada’s minister of infrastructure and communities. “Through the Green Municipal Fund we’re supporting municipalities in their efforts to lower emissions through projects like energy efficient retrofits, electric and hybrid electric transit pilots and efficiencies in wastewater treatment. By working together, we can create good jobs and grow the economy, protect the environment, and build cleaner, more inclusive communities.”

The communities and projects indicated below will also be receiving funding through this announcement.

The Heiltsuk First Nation will receive $500,000 for a field test to replace diesel furnaces with central air-source heat pumps in 62 homes.

With $396,240 in GMF funding, the City of Vancouver will partner with the Township of Langley and the Regional District of East Kootenay to run a pilot project demonstrating the potential of a data-driven approach to facilitating the wide-spread adoption of residential deep-energy retrofits.

The City of Richmond will receive $175,000 to evaluate and manage environmental risks for the redevelopment and protection of an ecologically sensitive parcel of land called Garden City Lands.

The City of Kamloops will obtain $54,900 to study the feasibility of offering an organic waste curbside collection program to approximately 27,000 households and increase the waste diversion rate to 67 percent from the current 60 percent.

With $50,000 in GMF funding, the City of Surrey will carry out a feasibility study to optimize waste-heat recovery in Surrey’s district energy system.

The Village of Hazelton will receive $42,900 to complete a feasibility study to assess building a new net-zero-carbon facility to replace the current fire hall and public works building, which is near the end of its useful life.

The City of Port Moody will receive $28,840 to evaluate the feasibility of using electric vehicles as part of its operational fleet for core city services.

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