François-Philippe Champagne, Minister of Infrastructure and Communities, and Vicki‑May Hamm, President of the Federation of Canadian Municipalities (FCM) have announced funding totalling $1.5 million from the Municipalities for Climate Innovation Program (MCIP) for two projects.
“The Government of Canada is committed to investing in projects that support a more strategic approach to planning, building and maintaining public infrastructure,” Champagne said. “Through partnerships like the one we have with FCM, we are helping provide solid 21st-century infrastructure to communities across the country.”
Of this amount, $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.
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. 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 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.
