YELLOWKNIFE, NT, April 17 /CNW Telbec/ - Yellowknife city councillor Mark Heyck, representing the Federation of Canadian Municipalities' Green Municipal Fund and Honourable Chuck Strahl, Minister of Indian Affairs and Northern Development, Chuck Strahl, representing the Honourable Lisa Raitt, Minister of Natural Resources, announced today $622, 500 in Green Municipal Fund (GMF) funding for the City of Yellowknife. The City is using the funding for four projects: to develop the Yellowknife Smart Growth Development Plan, to conduct a feasibility study to determine how to improve the way the City currently collects recyclables, a sewage lagoon planning study and a feasibility study on using an abandoned mine to produce geothermal energy for space heating in a community energy system.
"FCM's Green Municipal Fund offers a range of resources and services that specifically address the sustainable community development needs of municipal governments," said Heyck, representing FCM's Green Municipal Fund. "The financing and knowledge provided by the Fund supports the development of communities that are more environmentally, socially and economically sustainable."
"Our 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 Minister Strahl. "Today's announcement is another example of how the Government of Canada - in partnership with the FCM - is helping Yellowknife build a greener future for its citizens."
A more detailed description of each project is available in the attached backgrounder.
"Our ongoing relationship with FCM's Green Municipal Fund has allowed Yellowknife to be selected as Canada's most sustainable small city for the second consecutive year," said Yellowknife Mayor Gordon Van Tighem. "The funding announced today will ensure we remain sustainable and responsible to our residents."
The Green Municipal Fund is an endowment financed by the Government of Canada and managed by the Federation of Canadian Municipalities 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 sustainable communities enjoying a high quality of life by promoting strong, effective, and accountable municipal government.
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Project Background Notes
Green Municipal Fund announcement of funding for four sustainability
projects in the City of Yellowknife.
Friday, April 17th, 2009
2:00 p.m.
Yellowknife City Hall - Council Chambers
4807 - 52 Street
P.O. Box 580
Yellowknife, NT
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The Government of Canada endowed the Federation of Canadian Municipalities (FCM) with $550 million to establish the Green Municipal FundÔ (GMF). The Fund is a long-term, sustainable source of grants and below-market loans for municipal governments and their partners.
GMF grants and below-market loans directly support municipal initiatives, while GMF education and training services help municipal governments share expertise and strengthen their ability to set and surpass their sustainability goals.
The Fund provides below-market loans and grants, as well as education and training services to support municipal initiatives that improve air, water and soil quality, and protect the climate. Grants are available for sustainable community plans, feasibility studies and field tests, while a combination of grants and loans are available for capital projects. Funding is allocated in five sectors of municipal activity: brownfields, energy, transportation, waste and water. To ensure the greatest possible impact, GMF invests in initiatives that will significantly benefit the environment and are also likely to improve local economies and quality of life. GMF shares the lessons and expertise gained through these initiatives and provides training to encourage other communities to replicate their success.
The following funding announcement will be made on Friday, April 17th, 2009:
GMF 9524 -City of Yellowknife Sewage Lagoon Planning Study
Grant: $100,000
The City of Yellowknife currently uses a natural lagoon and wetland system to treat municipal wastewater; however, the system cannot accommodate existing and future wastewater volumes. In this study, the City will evaluate options to improve performance to comply with existing effluent discharge criteria as well as future guidelines. Each option will be evaluated based on capital costs, operating costs during the lifecycle, treatment efficiency, power usage, ease of use by operators, and impact on the receiving environment. The study will determine the most feasible option for maintaining the required retention time for sewage treatment (therefore eliminating premature discharges of effluent into the natural watercourse) and for consistently meeting or exceeding the anticipated more stringent effluent guidelines prior to releasing waters into the watershed. Options will be based on a twenty-year planning horizon, which will incorporate considerations for future demand and population growth. A secondary objective of the study is to complete the detailed design of the preferred option and prepare the associated water board submission for compliance, which also includes a stakeholder and public consultation component. It is anticipated that the implementation of the preferred option for wastewater treatment in the City of Yellowknife will meet the wastewater treatment needs of the municipality and ensure the long-term protection of Great Slave Lake.
GMF 9539 - City of Yellowknife Waste Audit and Curbside Recycling Study
Grant: $50,000
As part of its Waste Management Strategic Plan, the City of Yellowknife will conduct a waste audit and a feasibility study for curbside collection of recyclables to determine how to improve the city's current system. The goal is to increase solid waste diversion from landfill by 40 per cent by the year 2011. The city's existing program is based on a user-pay system for waste, with recycling available at five drop-off locations and participation in this program is low. Depending on the results of the waste audit, the feasibility study will evaluate a number of capital waste diversion projects and programs and assess the impact of specific recycling options. Projects and programs could include a city-wide program for curbside collection of recyclables, a composting program, installing additional recycling bins at family dwellings or expanding the current recycling program to include more items. It is estimated that a curbside collection program could increase waste diversion by an estimated 19 per cent, helping the city achieve its 40 per cent target for waste diversion.
GMF 9556 - City of Yellowknife District Geothermal System Feasibility
Study
Grant: $142,500
The City of Yellowknife's 2005 Community Energy Plan identified an opportunity to explore the potential of an abandoned mine to produce geothermal energy for space heating in a community energy system. This study will determine the feasibility and scope of using the mine, located about 1.5 km from the City's downtown core. Due to its climate, Yellowknife's greenhouse gas emissions per person are almost double the Canadian average. Space heating with fuel oil is the largest contributor to these emissions. If the mine is shown to be a viable heating source, it may be possible to design and implement a community energy system to service many residential and commercial buildings. The City estimates that such a community heating system could reduce greenhouse gas emissions from 1,500 homes by up to 97 percent or by 12 percent for the community overall. It would also cut emissions from the transportation of heating oil to Yellowknife and help reduce air pollutants, such as nitrogen oxides, sulfur oxides, and particulate matter.
GMF 9560 - Community Development _ Yellowknife Smart Growth Development
Plan
Grant: $330,000
After 30 years of urban sprawl, the City of Yellowknife faces considerable development pressure. As a result, it will develop a smart growth re-development plan for three key City districts that offer the greatest potential for community revitalization and environmental benefits. The City expects that the plan will lead to a distinctive redefinition of community character within the redevelopment areas, creating an appropriate mix of land uses, viable revitalization anchors, walkable neighbourhoods, and quality urban spaces. Environmentally sensitive watershed areas, riparian corridors and greenspaces will be protected by adopting an integrated land use strategy. Policies, procedures, and incentives will increase energy efficiency in commercial and residential buildings and cut greenhouse gas emissions by 10 percent; an improved transportation network will reduce autombile traffic, increase pedestrian accessibility, and create efficient distribution routes based on new growth limits. Most importantly, a holistic and broadly supported community vision will help bring tourism, investment, and community revitalization to the City.
For further information: City of Yellowknife: Jeffrey Humble, MCIP, Director of Planning and Development, City of Yellowknife, (867) 920-5633, Fax (867) 920-5649, jhumble@yellowknife.ca; Green Municipal Fund: Dave Weatherall, Communications Officer, Green Municipal Fund, Federation of Canadian Municipalities, (613) 907-6292, Fax: (613) 244-1515, dweatherall@fcm.ca, www.fcm.ca/gmf; Natural Resources Canada: Jasmine MacDonnell, Press Secretary, Office of the Minister of Natural Resources Canada, (613) 996-2007, Fax: 613-943-0663, http://nrcan-rncan.gc.ca
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