Ontario’s Ministry of the Environment and Climate Change announced a program August 14 to help municipalities across the province invest in local projects to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. The initiative is part of Ontario's Climate Change Action Plan and is funded by proceeds from the province's carbon market. Chris Ballard, Minister of the Environment and Climate Change, made the announcement at the annual Association of Municipalities of Ontario conference in Ottawa.
Ontario's new Municipal GHG Challenge Fund will support projects such as renewable energy and energy efficiency retrofits to municipal facilities like arenas, and making energy-efficiency upgrades to drinking water or wastewater treatment plants, to achieve long-term and cost-effective pollution reductions.
Ontario is investing up to $100 million of proceeds from its carbon market in the Municipal GHG Challenge Fund in 2017/18.
Municipalities are invited to submit applications for the fund by Nov. 14, 2017. Selected projects will be announced in 2018. Any Ontario municipality with a community-wide greenhouse gas emissions inventory, emissions reduction targets and a strategy to reduce emissions is eligible to apply. Municipalities may request up to $10 million per project. Municipalities with a population of less than 10,000 that do not have a community-wide greenhouse gas emissions inventory, reduction targets and a plan, may be eligible for the Very Small Municipalities Stream. These municipalities are invited to apply using the same application.