The next edition of the Ottawa Report is scheduled to be sent Monday, June 3.
Latest News
Government Announces Wildfire Preparations and Supports
On May 16, the Minister of Emergency Preparedness, the Hon. Harjit Sajjan announced an investment of $38.4 million over four years under the Government of Canada’s Fighting and Managing Wildfires in a Changing Climate Program—Equipment Fund (FMWCC) to support Manitoba’s efforts to purchase wildland firefighting equipment to enhance provincial readiness and capacity to prepare for and respond to wildland fires. The funding will help Manitoba purchase and upgrade firefighting equipment to increase wildland fire preparedness and response efforts, improve safety for communities and firefighters alike, and strengthen capacities and capabilities for resource exchange across Canada. In addition, the funding will support the purchase of additional training equipment and materials to improve training and increase the number of skilled wildland firefighters and other staff.
Earlier in May, the Prime Minister, the Rt. Hon. Justin Trudeau highlighted elements in Budget 2024 to support volunteer firefighters, bolster Canada’s wildfire preparedness, and help Indigenous communities respond to emergencies.
Parliamentary Business
Minister Sean Fraser Appears at House Committee
On May 21, the Infrastructure Minister, the Hon. Sean Fraser, appeared at the House Standing Committee on Transport, Infrastructure and Communities meeting on the main estimates of 2024–25. In his testimony, he reviewed some of the new measures that the government will take through the 2024 federal budget, including the $6 billion Canada Housing and Infrastructure Fund, which will focus on municipal infrastructure like water and wastewater treatment, public transit, and building climate resilient infrastructure across communities in Canada. When asked about the $1 billion available directly to municipalities to support urgent infrastructure needs that directly enable housing supply, Minister Fraser underscored that infrastructure such as water and wastewater are a key part of building more homes.
Federal Funding Awarded
$2 Million for Water Treatment Facility Improvement
The federal government is investing $2 million for critical improvements to drinking water treatment facilities in Nunavut. This funding will benefit the residents of Clyde River, Coral Harbour, and Igloolik as they develop proposals for upgrading the facilities.
The federal government is investing $2 million through the Green Infrastructure Stream of the Investing in Canada Infrastructure Program.
2.3 Million Investment to the Joe Mavrinac Community Centre in Ontario
The federal government announced an investment of over $2.3 million from the Green and Inclusive Community Buildings program. This funding will help upgrade the building complex with energy-cost-saving retrofits. The federal government is investing $2,394,392 in this project through the Green and Inclusive Community Buildings program, and the Town of Kirkland Lake is contributing $598,598.
Over $2.3 Million Investment in Renovation Projects
The government is investing $2,399,912 in the renovation of the Couvent-Mont-Saint-Patrice to save energy, reduce carbon emissions, use renewable energy sources, and improve accessibility. Funding for this project comes from the Green and Infrastructure Community Building program and will be used to reduce the building’s operating costs and ecological impact, while increasing its energy efficiency. This will be achieved by installing a heat pump system to heat the building, as well as replacing exterior doors and windows to reduce heat loss. In addition, the project will include the installation of a geothermal system and improvements to make the building more accessible.
Over $5.4 Million Investment to Improve Public Transit in Quebec
Fisheries Minister Diane Lebouthillier announced a total of $5,450,000 for investment in three projects through the Rural Transit Solutions Fund to improve public transit in the Gaspésie-Îles-de-la-Madeleine region and the communities of Métis-sur-Mer of Quebec. These funds will be used to purchase buses, vehicles, install charging stations, and conduct a transit assessment. The Régie Intermunicipale de Transport Gaspésie-Îles-de-la-Madeleine will also receive funding to purchase 21 buses, including 10 for accessible paratransit, 11 regular buses, 12 charging facilities, and 38 charging stations, which include 18 fast charging stations. Funding is also being provided in support of a regional transit feasibility study.
Sustainable Upgrades Funding in First Nation
The federal government announced an investment totalling $2,800,125 through the Green and Inclusive Community Buildings program to help make the Six Nations Polytechnic’s (SNP) campus more energy efficient and accessible. This project will replace the current geothermal heating system, reclad the exterior façade, install high-efficiency boilers, and replace more than 400 light and electrical fixtures with LED and energy efficient unit—all of which will bring down the campus’ expenses. It will also add three concrete ramps to entries and exits, install accessible levers to all interior doors, and modernize the current accessible elevator. Finally, the campus will also purchase a 150-kilowatt backup generator in case of a power outage.
Net-Zero Carbon Facility on the West Coast
Natural Resources Minister Jonathan Wilkinson and the Clayoquot Biosphere Trust announced a combined investment of over $7.1 million to build a new net-zero carbon facility in Clayoquot Sound. Some of the features are indoor and outdoor teaching spaces to serve residents and offer interpretive programs for visitors to learn about the significance of the Clayoquot Sound Biosphere Region. There will also be a teaching kitchen, where traditional harvest methods and other culinary training programs will attempt to address food security within the area.
The federal government is investing $7,172,318 in this project through the Green and Inclusive Community Buildings (GICB) program. The Government of British Columbia announced a $300,00 contribution from the Mass Timber Demonstration Program on July 12, 2023.
CIB Invests in Port Expansion Project
The Canada Infrastructure Bank announced a total of $150 million loan to the Prince Rupert Authority for the first phase of a project to build CANXPORT. The new export logistics hub will expand capacity and capabilities for rail-to-container transloading of multiple export products at the Port of Prince Rupert, improve Canadian supply chains, and drive trade and economic growth.
