Espanola will receive the brunt of a federal funding announcement for the Federation of Canadian Municipalities’ Green Municipal Fund.
Federal Minister of Health Patty Hajdu and Joanne Vanderheyden, President of the Federation of Canadian Municipalities announced the $1.4-million investment which will help reduce greenhouse gas emissions in communities in Northern Ontario.
Mayor Jill Beer was pleased to be part of the Zoom meeting announcing the town is receiving nearly $1.3-million dollars for its biosolids management and digester optimization project.
The benefits of this project include reduced GHGs equivalent to 591 tonnes of carbon dioxide over the next 20 years, lowered energy consumption of 40 percent and $100,000 annual savings in biosolid hauling and treatment costs, as well as less transports on the highways increasing safety for travellers.
Beer says the work is already started on a new building which will be part of the waste-water treatment plant allowing for winter processing of waste.
She adds $1.1-million is in the form of a loan plus a $166,500 grant from the feds.
The rest of the funding will be shared between Timmins, Kenora and Bracebridge for local green projects.
The City of Timmins will receive $86,500 to investigate opportunities to transform its wastewater pollution control plant into a net-zero resource recovery facility by exploring source-separated organic availability and the most beneficial uses of increased biogas production.
The City of Kenora will receive $40,000 to advance climate action with a Sustainable Neighbourhood Action Plan (SNAP) to reduce emissions, cut energy waste and move toward more sustainable sources of energy as part of its efforts to manage the effects of a changing climate.
The Town of Bracebridge will receive $36,000 to study the feasibility of building a net-zero recreational and cultural centre that will include an ice rink.