On July 17, Sean Fraser, the federal Minister of Housing, Infrastructure and Communities, announced the dates for a new intake for applications through the Green and Inclusive Community Buildings Program.
This will be the third intake under the program, which sees the federal government invest in retrofits, repairs, and upgrades to existing community buildings — making them greener and more accessible — as well as the construction of new publicly accessible ones in underserved communities.
“Community buildings are invaluable parts of our societies,” said Fraser. “They bring people together, they help us learn, they help us stay healthy – they make communities whole. Through this intake we will be able to support more of them, while helping build new ones as well.”
Examples of these buildings from earlier rounds of funding include cultural and recreation centres, libraries, and Indigenous lodges for elders in their communities. From places like Science World in Vancouver, the Sports Complex in Whitby, to spaces like the deCoste Centre in Pictou — investments through this fund ensure that Canadians can keep enjoying their communities at energy-efficient and modern facilities.
A “small and medium retrofit” is defined as those projects with eligible costs ranging from $100,000 to $2,999,999, while “large retrofit projects and new builds” have eligible costs which range from $3 million to $25 million.
Eligible applicants include provincial, territorial, and local governments, not-for-profit and Indigenous organizations, as well as applicants who were unsuccessful under previous intakes.
The online application portal will be open on August 1, 2024, for small and medium retrofit projects, and on September 4, 2024, for large retrofit projects and new builds. Both intake streams will close on October 16, 2024, at 3:00 p.m., ET.
For further information, visit: Green and Inclusive Community Buildings
Featured image: Science World in Vancouver, B.C. Credit: Getty Images.