April 7, 2015, Qualicum Beach, B.C. - The Honourable John Duncan, Minister of State, on behalf of the Honourable Greg Rickford, Canada's Minister of Natural Resources, and Brad Woodside, president of the Federation of Canadian Municipalities (FCM) and mayor of the City of Fredericton, New Brunswick, today announced a Green Municipal FundTM (GMF) grant of $464,467 and a loan of $4,644,672, providing a total of $5,109,139 to the Town of Qualicum Beach. The Town put the funding towards construction of an innovative and energy-efficient fire station.
"Our Government is helping municipalities across the country to achieve their goal of a cleaner and healthier environment for their citizens through the Green Municipal Fund," said Minister Duncan. "Today's announcement is another example of how our government - in partnership with the FCM - is helping communities like the Town of Qualicum Beach build a greener future for our citizens."
"The Green Municipal Fund offers a range of resources and services that specifically addresses the sustainable community development needs of municipal governments," said Mr. Woodside. "The financing and knowledge provided by the Fund support the development of communities that are more environmentally, socially and economically sustainable."
The distinguishing energy efficiency feature is a heat exchange system that extracts heat from an adjacent municipal well field, an accessible but often overlooked heat source. Other aspects that also contribute to its efficiency include: a solar wall to preheat incoming air; photovoltaic panels on the municipal water reservoir that will provide 27kw of power for LED lighting; and a heat recovery ventilation system.
The new fire station will demonstrate to the community and the rest of Canada what innovative environmental - and especially energy-efficient - municipal building practices can achieve with thoughtful planning, careful budgeting, and a multi-disciplinary team.
"Building quality infrastructure, inviting community participation, and being a leader in protecting the environment are important goals for the Town," said Mayor Teunis Westbroek. "With this funding opportunity from FCM and the federal government, we have met these goals and thank them for their support. We are proud that this fire hall will serve our area residents for generations to come."
The Government of Canada endowed the Federation of Canadian Municipalities (FCM) with $550 million to establish the Green Municipal Fund . The Fund supports partnerships and leveraging of both public and private-sector funding to reach higher standards of air, water and soil quality, and climate protection.
