Funding from federal Gas Tax Fund harnesses renewable energy for local pool
Burnaby, British Columbia, November 29, 2013 – The City of Burnaby received $271,067 from the Government of Canada through the federal Gas Tax Fund transfer to retrofit Bonsor Recreation Complex with a solar hot water system. The project will reduce the city's energy consumption and greenhouse gas emissions.
"Our Government is proud to support this innovative renewable energy project that will help Burnaby save on heating costs and reduce greenhouse gas emissions,"
said Nina Grewal, Member of Parliament for Fleetwood—Port Kells. "We understand the importance of supporting environmentally friendly initiatives that create jobs, strengthen the local economy and improve our environment."
The funding was used to install a new solar hot water heating system at the Bonsor Recreation Complex. The project will generate renewable solar energy to heat both the pool and the building's domestic hot water system. The federal Gas Tax Fund transfer covered the full cost of this project.
"The City of Burnaby is committed to sustainability,"
said Burnaby Mayor Derek Corrigan. "We have a proud history of environmental protection enabled by innovation and have preserved 25 per cent of our land as parks and green space. Currently, we are developing an Environmental Sustainability Strategy that will see hundreds of citizens further sharpen the City's environmental focus. This solar project will significantly reduce energy costs and consumption, making a valuable and innovative contribution to meeting Burnaby's sustainability goals."
"It is essential that we find more ways to protect our environment; using renewable sources of energy for our city's infrastructure is another step in the right direction,"
said Burnaby North MLA Richard T. Lee. "Retrofitting Bonsor Recreation Centre with a solar hot water system not only reduces energy consumption and greenhouse gas emissions, it contributes toward Burnaby's sustainability goals and helps create a healthier environment for British Columbians, both now and in the future."
"Solar hot water systems provide long-term benefits by driving down the operational cost of facilities,"
said Union of British Columbia Municipalities President Rhona Martin. "The federal Gas Tax Fund is enabling local governments to make these kinds of environmentally responsible upgrades."
Canada's Gas Tax Fund transfer provides long-term funding to municipalities across the country to build and revitalize their local infrastructure. The Government of Canada has now made the Gas Tax Fund a permanent transfer that will grow from its current $2 billion per year while providing increased flexibility on how the money can be used to fund local infrastructure priorities. The Union of British Columbia Municipalities (UBCM) administers the Gas Tax Fund in BC, in collaboration with Canada and British Columbia. The Government of Canada provides $250,697,000 in annual funding for municipal infrastructure in British Columbia. The Municipality of Burnaby is part of the Greater Vancouver Regional District, which has received close to $800 million from the federal Gas Tax Fund to date.
For additional information about federal investments in infrastructure visit Infrastructure Canada or follow us on Twitter @INFC_eng.
To find out what the Government of Canada is doing to promote jobs, growth and prosperity, visit Canada's Economic Action Plan.
Marie-Josée Paquette
Press Secretary
Office of the Minister of Infrastructure, Communities and Intergovernmental Affairs and
Minister of the Economic Development Agency of Canada for the Regions of Quebec
613-943-1838
Office of the Mayor
City of Burnaby
604-294-7340
Ministry of Community, Sport and Cultural Development
Communications
250-387-4089
Paul Taylor
Communications Director
UBCM
250-356-2938
Infrastructure Canada
613-960-9251
Toll free: 1-877-250-7154
