Region of Waterloo acts on greenhouse gas through ClimateActionWR initiative, with GMF support

Region of Waterloo, ON –Peter Braid, Member of Parliament for Kitchener-Waterloo, and Karen Leibovici, president of the Federation of Canadian Municipalities (FCM) and councillor for the City of Edmonton, Alberta, today announced Green Municipal FundTM (GMF) grant contributions for the Region of Waterloo. The region is putting the $143,495 in funding toward developing a community-scale greenhouse gas (GHG) action plan and reduction target through the ClimateActionWR initiative.

“The Harper Government is assisting municipalities across the country in achieving their goal of a cleaner and healthier environment for Canadians through the Green Municipal Fund,” said MP Braid. “Today’s announcement is another example of how our government — in partnership with FCM — is helping the Region of Waterloo build a greener future for our citizens.”

“The Green Municipal Fund offers a range of resources and services that specifically address the sustainable community development needs of municipal governments,” said President Leibovici. “The financing and knowledge provided by the Fund supports the development of communities that are more environmentally, socially and economically sustainable.”

The Region of Waterloo (ROW) is made up of three urban municipalities, Cambridge, Kitchener and Waterloo, and four rural townships, North Dumfries, Wellesley, Wilmot and Woolwich. Through ClimateActionWR, ROW is in the process of developing a community-scale GHG inventory and emissions reduction target, and an action plan that will reduce per capita emissions and air pollution while supporting sustainable development in the face of continued population growth.

ClimateActionWR is led collaboratively by ROW and two non-profit organizations, Sustainable Waterloo Region and REEP Green Solutions, along with valuable partnerships with area municipalities, local utilities and other community stakeholders. Key tools developed through the planning process, such as an inventory data management manual and action plan database, will support this work and help to share lessons learned with other municipalities.

The next step in the process is a community forum series, one of the forms of community engagement included in the action planning process. There are three opportunities over the next week for ROW residents to share their thoughts on the Climate Action Plan and learn what local actions can be taken against climate change:

Tuesday, March 19, 2-4 p.m., Knox Church
(50 Erb Street West, Waterloo)

Thursday, March 21, 5-7 p.m., THE MUSEUM, Kitchener
(10 King Street West, Kitchener)

Monday, March 25, 5-7 p.m., Cambridge City Hall
(50 Dickson Street, Cambridge)

To learn more or to register, visit ClimateActionWR.

“The Region of Waterloo appreciates the support from the Green Municipal Fund”, said Regional Chair Ken Seiling. “It has helped us move forward with our collaborative, community-wide action plan for reducing harmful greenhouse gas emissions and air pollution.”

The Government of Canada endowed the Federation of Canadian Municipalities (FCM) with $550 million to establish the Green Municipal Fund. The Fund supports partnerships and leveraging of both public and private-sector funding to reach higher standards of air, water and soil quality, and climate protection.

FCM has been the national voice of municipal governments since 1901. It fosters the development of sustainable communities to improve quality of life by promoting strong, effective, and accountable municipal government.

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For information:

Region of Waterloo

David Roewade, Sustainability Planner, Region of Waterloo,
Tel.: 519-575-4757 ext. 3308
Email: droewade@regionofwaterloo.ca
www.regionofwaterloo.ca

Federation of Canadian Municipalities

Maurice Gingues, Media Relations Officer, Green Municipal Fund Federation of Canadian Municipalities
Tel.: 613-907-6399, Fax: 613-244-1515
E-mail: mgingues@fcm.ca
www.fcm.ca/gmf

Natural Resources Canada

David Provencher, Press Secretary, Office of Canada's Minister of Natural Resources, Tel: 613-996-2007
Media Relations, Natural Resources Canada, Tel.: 613-992-4447