The Federation of Canadian Municipalities (FCM) and the Government of Canada announce funding through the Green Municipal Fund (GMF) to four Northern Ontario communities.
Delivered by the Federation of Canadian Municipalities, GMF is a $1.65 billion endowment from the Government of Canada.
GMF supports local innovation that can be replicated and scaled up across the country to tackle Canada’s climate challenges. Since 2000, GMF has helped bring over 1,360 projects to life which have cut 2.7 million tonnes of greenhouse gas emissions—the equivalent of taking 608,000 cars off the road and created over 11,650 jobs across the country.
| Municipality | Project title and type | GMF approved funding |
|---|---|---|
|
Town of Espanola |
Capital project: Biosolids management and digester optimization project for the Town of Espanola (description below) |
$1,276,500 |
|
City of Timmins |
Feasibility study: Source separated organics co-digestion and beneficial use of biogas |
$86,500 |
|
City of Kenora |
Feasibility study: Advancing climate action in Kenora with a sustainable neighbourhood action plan |
$40,000 |
|
Town of Bracebridge |
Feasibility study: Bracebridge multi-use community centre (MUCC) net zero feasibility |
$36,000 |
Source: FCM
For more information on a specific project, contact FCM Media.
Associated link: News release: Green Municipal Fund invests in building resilient communities in Northern Ontario
Biosolids management and digester optimization project for the Town of Espanola
Lead applicant: Town of Espanola
Sector: Energy
Project type: Capital project
Approved funding through the Green Municipal Fund: $ 1,276,500
Loan: $1,110,000
Grant: $166,500
In line with its Strategic Plan and its Conservation and Demand Management Plan, the Town of Espanola commissioned a feasibility study to re-evaluate its wastewater sludge treatment and disposal/beneficial-use options. It found that additional dewatering of the thickened sludge using Geotube technology could optimize the facility’s aerobic digestion and gravity-thickening processes and reduce the town’s waste to landfill, energy usage and greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. The enclosed dewatering system within the treatment plant would store biosolids for subsequent application to agricultural land.
Innovative aspect:
- The knowledge value of the initiative lies in its potential impacts on the water, energy, and waste sectors
Replicability:
- High potential for replication in small communities across Canada
Environmental benefits:
- Projected reduction of GHG emissions by 591 tCO2e over the next 20 years after commissioning, from reducing vehicle travel and vehicle fuel use by more than 6,500 km/year and 3,200 l/year, respectively
- Anticipated energy consumption reduction of 40% from switching to an intermittent aeration operation
Economic benefits:
- Municipal savings of approximately $100,000/year in bio-solid hauling charges
- A more defined treatment and biosolids management budget may allow the municipality to reduce contingency costs and free up funds for other uses
Social benefits:
- Supports source-water protection programs by producing treated effluent and helping reduce nitrogen leaching and phosphorus runoff from local farm fields
- Short-term benefits include additional job opportunities in planning, design, construction, and project management
- Additional dewatering and land-application processes managed by the Town of Espanola will lead to further job creation in a small Northern Ontario community
(Project description from original funding application)