Ottawa: The federal government announced a $22-million investment August 16 for the Ottawa Community Foundation to establish an urban climate centre in Ottawa.
The Ottawa Community Foundation will operate the new Low Carbon Cities Canada (LC3) local urban climate centre, one of seven new centres across Canada that are intended to help reduce the business risks of new technologies and to help cleantech and climate solutions get to market sooner. This investment will also help establish a network across Canada that supports community leadership to improve energy efficiency and put practical climate solutions into action.
The Federation of Canadian Municipalities' Green Municipal FundTM will serve as the national centre for the LC3 program. Announced in the Canadian 2019 federal budget, LC3 is part of Canada's $1.01-billion plan to reduce carbon pollution by making communities more energy-efficient. It will leverage federal investments to collaborate with private investors, public agencies, utilities, non-profit organizations and other levels of government to build long-term clean energy solutions.
The Federation of Canadian Municipalities estimates Canada's energy efficiency sector supported 436,000 jobs in 2018, a number expected to grow by 8.3 percent this year alone. An official announcement says, “Investments like these are helping the energy efficiency sector grow faster, supporting good, middle-class jobs and making the future healthier and more affordable for Canadians.”