St-Jérôme, Quebec—Canadians live in cleaner, healthier communities when municipalities develop innovative solutions to reduce pollution, improve energy efficiency, and find new uses for public infrastructure.
Through the COVID-19 pandemic, the Government of Canada and the Federation of Canadian Municipalities (FCM) continue to make strategic investments through the Green Municipal Fund (GMF) to support more sustainable communities. GMF is funded by the Government of Canada and delivered to municipalities by FCM.
Today, Stéphane Lauzon, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Seniors and Member of Parliament for Argenteuil-La Petite-Nation, on behalf of the Honourable Catherine McKenna, Minister of Infrastructure and Communities, Scott Pearce, FCM Third Vice-President, and Bruno Laroche, Prefect of the Regional Municipal County (RMC) of La Rivière-du-Nord and Mayor of Saint-Hippolyte, announced more than $9.1 million in GMF funding for the project to reuse residual materials in the eco centres of the RMC of La Rivière-du-Nord.
Thanks to this funding, the RMC de La Rivière-du-Nord will be able to develop better management of residual materials, mainly by significantly reducing landfill sites and recycling residual materials on its territory. Currently, the RMC manages four eco centres that recover 900 tons of residual materials per year, and only materials that are in a condition to be resold are accepted. The funding will enable the RMC to build new infrastructure, including a reuse shop and a new energy-efficient eco centre in Saint-Jérôme, to optimize the Saint-Hippolyte and Prévost eco centres, and to treat construction, renovation and demolition residues as well as non-reusable materials.
Quotes
“In collaboration with the Federation of Canadian Municipalities, the Government of Canada is helping communities reduce their carbon footprints and operate more efficiently. These pilot projects will help municipalities become more eco-efficient, improve the quality of the environment, and offer citizens access to greener services, equipment and tools. Canada’s infrastructure plan invests in thousands of projects, creates jobs across the country, and builds cleaner, more inclusive communities.”
– Stéphane Lauzon, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Seniors and Member of Parliament for Argenteuil-La Petite-Nation, on behalf of the Honourable Catherine McKenna, Minister of Infrastructure and Communities
“We’re investing in projects to create good, middle-class jobs and build cleaner communities. This will help do exactly that and contribute to our climate goals.”
– The Honourable Seamus O’Regan, Canada’s Minister of Natural Resources
“Municipalities are important partners in climate action. Their local and innovative solutions to help reduce greenhouse gas emissions will build upon the national work already underway to protect our environment, strengthen local economies, and create well-paying jobs in communities across the country.”
– The Honourable Jonathan Wilkinson, Minister of Environment and Climate Change
“GMF is focused on local sustainable development projects that improve the quality of life of our citizens, and this project directly meets this goal. The new eco centres are an important step in adopting sustainable measures in the region. Reducing the amount of residual material going to landfill is not only good for the environment, but also helps people live healthier and build more sustainable communities. Today’s announcement shows that orders of government are working together to improve the quality of life for citizens.”
– Scott Pearce, FCM Third Vice-President and Mayor of the Township of Gore
“The success of reuse in the eco centres managed by the RMC of La Rivière-du-Nord is already known throughout the province. Optimization of the network will not only make it possible to maintain this momentum, but also to recycle construction materials, which account for nearly half of the generation of residual materials on the territory. This funding represents both a recognition of the efforts made and a boost to continue improving performance and achieving the objectives of the RMC's residual materials management plan.”
– Bruno Laroche, Prefect of the RMC of La Rivière-du-Nord and Mayor of Saint-Hippolyte
Quick facts
- The Green Municipal Fund (GMF) is a $1-billion program funded by the Government of Canada and delivered by FCM.
- Since 2000, GMF has helped bring over 1,360 projects to life.
- GMF projects have cut 2.7 million tonnes of greenhouse gas emissions—the equivalent of taking 608,000 cars off the road.
- GMF supports local innovation that can be replicated and scaled up across the country to tackle Canada’s climate challenges.
- GMF has created over 11,650 jobs across the country.
- Through the Investing in Canada Plan, the federal government is investing more than $180 billion over 12 years in public transit projects, green infrastructure, social infrastructure, trade and transportation routes and Canada’s rural and northern communities.
- In Quebec, the Government of Canada has invested more than $6.5 billion since 2015 in more than 1,000 infrastructure projects under the Invest in Canada plan.
Related products
Backgrounder: Support the reuse by the RCM of La Rivière-du-Nord in new-generation eco centres
Associated links
Green Municipal Fund
FCM Funding
Investing in Canada Plan Project Map
Federal investment in infrastructure in Quebec
Contacts
Chantalle Aubertin
Press Secretary
Office of the Minister of Infrastructure and Communities
613-941-0660
Chantalle.Aubertin@canada.ca
Media Relations
Federation of Canadian Municipalities
613-907-6395
media@fcm.ca
Media Relations
Infrastructure Canada
613-960-9251
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