The City of Barrie was recently awarded grants, valued at $325,000, from Natural Resources Canada (NRCAN) and the Federation of Canadian Municipalities (FCM). Both of these grants will assist the City in its efforts in corporate and community energy conservation and reducing greenhouse gas emissions.
“This funding will help get us one step closer to achieving our plan of net-zero emission by 2050,” said Adam McMullin, Manager of Energy Management. “Thank you to Natural Resources Canada and FCM for making these grants available. The funding will make a huge difference as we work towards creating a more sustainable community.”
Barrie will receive $200,000 from FCM’s Green Municipal Fund’s Community Buildings Retrofit. The City is currently conducting greenhouse gas emission audits at ten City facilities, and this funding will cover 80 percent the cost. These audits will focus on existing and future building operations to reduce energy consumption and greenhouse gas emissions at the facilities.
The City also recently received a grant of $125,000 from Natural Resources Canada’s Zero Emission Vehicle Awareness Initiative (ZEVAI). ZEVAI helps fund outreach, education, and capacity-building activities, ultimately enabling greater adoption of zero emission vehicles by Canadians in all regions of the country.
This funding will support the launch of a program called Electrify Barrie that includes a series of activities, including:
- Raising awareness of electric vehicle (EV) and EV charging stations within Barrie
- Conducting research to understand potential barriers to EV ownership and utilization
- Assessing the current state of Barrie’s EV charging stations
- Hosting in-person education/awareness events
The City is undertaking several initiatives to take leadership on climate action and meet broad sustainability goals. Initiatives apply to City operations and to supporting the needs of residents and businesses as we all work to transition to a low carbon, net-zero realized community by 2050. To learn more, visit www.barrie.ca/ClimateChange.