Funding Supports Net-Zero Community Buildings, Active Transportation in Antigonish

The Province is providing $7.4 million as part of a nearly $20-million investment in energy efficiency upgrades and a new active transportation corridor in Antigonish County.

“Nova Scotia is a national leader in fighting climate change. Transitioning to more renewable energy sources like solar power and encouraging active transportation are just some of the many actions propelling us toward our ambitious goal of reaching carbon neutrality by 2050,” said Michelle Thompson, Minister of Health and Wellness and MLA for Antigonish, on behalf of Tory Rushton, Minister of Natural Resources and Renewables.

The announcement today, July 19, includes almost $500,000 for energy efficiency upgrades to nine community buildings in the Municipality of the County of Antigonish, including six community centres. The federal government is investing more than $598,000 and the municipality is contributing more than $399,000 to the project.

The upgrades include replacing heating systems and lighting and installing solar panels on each building to improve energy efficiency and reach net-zero energy. The project will also offset the municipality’s carbon footprint through the production of a total of 297 kilowatts of renewable solar energy. Construction is expected to start this summer and will be complete by 2027.

The Province will also contribute $6.9 million to create an active transportation corridor in Antigonish County. It will run along a five-kilometre stretch of the Trunk 4 highway, from Beech Hill Road to Addington Forks Road. The new corridor will give pedestrians and cyclists a safe active transportation option that links with the new active transportation spine through the Town of Antigonish and to St. FX University. The federal government is contributing $9 million to the project, and the Municipality of the County of Antigonish is contributing more than $2 million. Construction is expected to begin in late summer and be completed by 2026.

Quotes:

“These projects will create jobs, make Antigonish a more vibrant and dynamic place to live, and help make the county more environmentally sustainable. It is extraordinary to see yet another investment of this magnitude from the federal government reaching Antigonish.”

– Sean Fraser, Minister of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship and Member of Parliament for Central Nova, on behalf of Dominic LeBlanc, Minister of Intergovernmental Affairs, Infrastructure and Communities

“Partnership is key, these projects are an example of three levels of government working together with community for long-term sustainability. These buildings will see a real reduction in operational costs, a fantastic way to support them and the volunteers that keep them going. This, along with the development of an active transportation corridor, will connect people and places, encourage active living and build community. This corridor will connect with the Town’s active transportation pathways, another example of local partnership. Both projects are reducing greenhouse gases and building local resilience to climate change. We are excited about actively offsetting our communities’ carbon footprint and showing how rural communities can lead by example.”

– Owen McCarron, Warden, Municipality of the County of Antigonish

Quick Facts:

• the Province has set a target of cutting greenhouse gas emissions to 53 per cent below 2005 levels by 2030
• buildings contribute 12 per cent of total greenhouse gas emissions in the province
• the total cost of the net-zero community buildings project is $1,497,912
• the total cost of the active transportation corridor project is $18 million

Additional Resources:

Nova Scotia’s renewable energy plan: https://energy.novascotia.ca/renewables

Investing in Canada Infrastructure Plan: http://www.infrastructure.gc.ca/plan/icp-publication-pic-eng.html

Federal infrastructure investments in Nova Scotia: https://www.infrastructure.gc.ca/plan/prog-proj-ns-eng.html

Investing in Canada plan project map: https://www.infrastructure.gc.ca/gmap-gcarte/index-eng.html

Natural Resources and Renewables on Twitter: https://twitter.com/NS_DNRR