Federal government announces up to $187M for Que. cleantech projects

MONTRÉAL — On May 10, while speaking at the Montréal Climate Summit, Steven Guilbeault, Minister of Environment and Climate Change, announced up to $187 million from the Leadership stream part of the Low Carbon Economy Fund to support Quebec projects. These funds will be delivered by the Government of Quebec through new partnership agreements.

The funding will be divided into two parts:

• Up to $60 million to help low-income households in the province move away from home heating oil to more efficient and affordable options for their energy needs.
• Up to $127 million to support initiatives that result in greenhouse gas emissions reduction by 2030 and align with Canada’s and Quebec’s goals for net-zero emissions by 2050.

The Low Carbon Economy Fund has supported projects that range from replacing oil-fired boilers with electric models at a YMCA in St. John’s, Newfoundland and Labrador; to waste emissions reduction projects in Alberta; to SaskPower’s Northern First Nations Home Retrofit Program in Saskatchewan; and home heat-pump retrofits in Atlantic Canada. The Low Carbon Economy Fund is funding innovative technologies in sectors such as chemicals and fertilizers, cement and concrete, forestry and agriculture, and electricity and manufacturing.

“Local climate leaders need support to go faster and further in cutting emissions, becoming more energy efficient, and creating good jobs and strong local economies. The Low Carbon Economy Fund delivers—and will continue to do so through enhanced funding that is an important feature of Canada’s 2030 Emissions Reduction Plan. I applaud the leadership shown by the Government of Quebec in helping to keep our air clean and build resilient communities,” said Steven Guilbeault, Minister of Environment and Climate Change.