Canada Invests in Making Calgary Greener

CALGARY, July 19, 2019 /CNW/ - Canada is building a clean energy future that creates jobs, reduces costs for families and ensures that we remain a destination of choice for international investment.

The Honourable Kent Hehr, Member of Parliament for Calgary Centre, on behalf of the Honourable Amarjeet Sohi, Canada's Minister of Natural Resources, today announced a $22-million investment for the Alberta Ecotrust Foundation to establish an urban climate centre in Calgary.  

Alberta Ecotrust Foundation (AEF) will operate the new Low Carbon Cities Canada (LC3) urban climate centre in Calgary ? one of seven new centres across Canada helping to bridge the commercialization gap and reduce the business risk of developing tomorrow's low-carbon technologies and innovations. AEF will also operate the recently announced centre in Edmonton.

The Federation of Canadian Municipalities' Green Municipal Fund^TM will serve as the national centre for the LC3. Announced in Budget 2019, LC3 is part of Canada's $1.01-billion plan to make communities more energy-efficient. It will use federal investments to work with municipalities, private investors, public agencies, utilities, non-profit organizations and other levels of government to build long-term, low-carbon solutions.

This investment will create a network across Canada that supports local community actions to improve energy efficiency and reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

Canada's energy efficiency sector supported 436,000 jobs in 2018, and this number is expected to grow by 8.3 percent this year alone. Investments like these are helping this sector grow faster, creating a better future for Canadians.

Through Generation Energy, Canada's national energy dialogue, Canadians expressed that they want Canada to continue to be a leader in the transition to a clean growth economy. The Government of Canada will also continue to support smarter energy initiatives that create a clean, sustainable, competitive energy sector that cuts pollution and acts on climate change.

Quotes

"With the new climate centre coming to Calgary, our federal government is creating jobs, investing in Canadian clean energy innovation and making our city greener. We know that greener cities mean better public health, more mobility options, jobs and economic growth. Combined with our other investments ? ranging from clean energy to public transit ? we are taking serious climate action while making life more affordable for Calgarians."

The Honourable Kent Hehr
Member of Parliament for Calgary Centre

"This strategic investment from the Canadian government means Alberta Ecotrust can nimbly lead, accelerate and complement local carbon reduction strategies to meet critical emission targets in our municipalities. We are excited and uniquely positioned to partner with the City of Calgary to design, deploy and scale urban climate solutions in the city."

Pat Letizia
Executive Director, Alberta Ecotrust Foundation

"We already see our cities leading the way on low-carbon innovation, and this investment will unlock so much potential to go further ? to build cost-saving energy solutions that build better lives for Canadians."

Bill Karsten
President, Federation of Canadian Municipalities

Associated Links

Canada's Energy Future
Low Carbon Cities Canada (LC3)
Federation of Canadian Municipalities (FCM)
Alberta Ecotrust Foundation 

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SOURCE Natural Resources Canada