Canada – Applications launched for $200 million fund to support pollution-cutting projects through the Low Carbon Economy Fund

3 years ago

On January 27, 2022, the Government of Canada opened the second round of applications for $200 million in funding for climate action initiatives through the Government of Canada’s Low Carbon Economy Fund Champions stream.

The Champions stream is open to a wide range of applicants, including:

provincial governments, bodies, and boards
territorial governments, bodies, and boards
regional, local, and municipal governments
First Nations, Métis, and Inuit governments, communities, and organizations
public sector bodies and boards
not-for-profit organizations
private sector for-profit small, medium, and large businesses

Applicants can request between $1 million and $25 million in funding for eligible project expenditures, with cost-share ranging from 25 percent to 75 percent of total project costs depending on the recipient type.

The maximum federal share for specific recipients is as follows:

25 percent for for-profit private sector businesses
40 percent for regional, local, and municipal governments
40 percent for not-for-profit organizations
50 percent for provincial governments, bodies, and boards
75 percent for territorial governments, bodies, and boards
75 percent for Indigenous communities and organizations

This intake has a two-stage application process:

Applicants must submit an Expression of Interest to see if their project is eligible by March 25, 2022
Applicants then submit a Formal Proposal to evaluate projects on their merit by May 2022

Since its launch in 2018, the Low Carbon Economy Challenge (including the Champions stream) has supported approximately ninety projects with an investment of nearly $275 million. Here are some examples of successful projects:

City of Saint John received up to $5.9 million for the District Energy System Project to install a renewable heating and cooling system in a commercial complex, as well as to perform energy retrofits in up to fifty municipal buildings across the city. Through this project, the City of Saint John is reducing greenhouse gas emissions through innovative renewable energy sources and deep energy retrofits.
City of Peterborough received up to $6.1 million for the Peterborough Organics Project to develop a centralized composting centre to divert food, leaf, and yard waste from landfills. This will prevent 32,000 tonnes of organic debris from entering the landfill each year.
Cowessess First Nation received over $630,000 for the Community Buildings Solar Project to install solar arrays on five community-owned buildings. This project is helping the community produce its own energy—displacing about 60 percent of its annual electricity consumption from the grid—while reducing greenhouse gas emissions.
Centre de Traitement de la Biomasse de la Montérégie received up to $3 million to install new equipment to convert organic and food waste into renewable energy and hygienic dried bio-fertilizer. Through this project, the Centre de Traitement de la Biomasse de la Montérégie is improving air and water quality in its community, reducing greenhouse gas emissions, and enriching local soil. (Link in French only.)