MONTRÉAL, Aug. 19, 2022 /CNW/ - Today, Rachel Bendayan, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Tourism, Associate Minister of Finance and Member of Parliament for Outremont, on behalf of the Honourable Dominic LeBlanc, Minister of Intergovernmental Affairs, Infrastructure and Communities, announced federal funding of over $10 million for the construction of a net-zero community centre for Sun Youth. She was joined by Renzo Fraraccio, President of the Sun Youth Board of Directors.
"Sun Youth is a household name in Montreal - they are our guiding light and leading force in supporting the physical, social and intellectual development of young people in Montreal. Our federal government will continue to support their invaluable work and today, we are investing in the future of Sun Youth. The construction of a new, net-zero and dedicated facility to host the Sun Youth community centre near Jarry Park will help them increase their service offering to vulnerable communities while significantly reducing its greenhouse gas emissions, helping to build a stronger, more resilient Montreal," said Rachel Bendayan, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Tourism and Associate Minister of Finance and Member of Parliament for Outremont, on behalf of the Honourable Dominic LeBlanc, Minister of Intergovernmental Affairs, Infrastructure and Communities.
"For more than three years, our services have dispersed across the City. This situation has confirmed the importance of implementing this important project which will provide us with shelter for future generations, ensure Sun Youth's longevity and will hopefully serve as an environmental model for future community organizations. The Green and Inclusive Community Buildings program funding is essential to making this project a reality and we are extremely thankful to the Government of Canada for its involvement," said Johanne Saltarelli, general director for Sun Youth.
The funding will allow Sun Youth to build a multi-purpose community centre to offer services based on user needs, including food aid, help for children and students, help for victims of disasters and crime, material and financial assistance, and sports, educational and recreational programming. This project will also play an important role in reducing the organization's environmental footprint and in meeting Canada's climate targets for a more sustainable future.
The centre will also serve as a social, community and environmental model while showcasing and promoting values of mutual support, sharing and healthy community living, particularly by sharing its premises with other neighbourhood organizations. Sun Youth will also extend the reach of its social values and thus become a place of learning to benefit the entire community.
- The Government of Canada is investing $10,750,896 in this project through Infrastructure Canada's Green and Inclusive Community Buildings program.
- The Green and Inclusive Community Buildings program is an integral part of Canada's Strengthened Climate Plan. It provides $1.5 billion over five years to support green and accessible retrofits, repairs or upgrades of existing public community buildings, and the construction of new publicly accessible community buildings that serve underserved communities with the greatest needs across Canada.
- At least 10% of funds are allocated to projects for First Nations, Inuit and Métis communities, including Indigenous populations in urban centres.
- Provincial/territorial governments, municipal and regional administrations, public‑sector agencies, and non-profit and Indigenous organizations interested in the Green and Inclusive Community Buildings program are invited to apply on the Infrastructure Canada website.
- Applications for retrofit projects for large existing community buildings or new community building projects with a total eligible cost of $3 million to $25 million were accepted through a competitive process that ended on July 6, 2021. A second competitive process is planned later in 2022, but the date has not yet been determined. Information about the second process will be published on the Infrastructure Canada – Green and Inclusive Community Buildings website as soon as it is available.
- Funding applications for small and medium-sized retrofit projects for existing community buildings with a total eligible cost of $100,000 to $2,999,999 will be accepted on an ongoing basis and funded through an ongoing call for tenders.
- Announced in December 2020, Canada's Strengthened Climate Plan includes 64 new measures and $15 billion in investments to support a healthy economy and environment.
Green and Inclusive Community Buildings
https://www.infrastructure.gc.ca/gicb-bcvi/index-eng.html
Investing in Canada Plan Project Map
https://www.infrastructure.gc.ca/gmap-gcarte/index-eng.html
Strengthened Climate Plan
https://www.canada.ca/en/services/environment/weather/climatechange/climate-plan/climate-plan-overview.html
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Website: Infrastructure Canada
SOURCE Infrastructure Canada
Jean-Sébastien Comeau, Press Secretary and Communications Advisor, Office of the Honourable Dominic LeBlanc Minister of Intergovernmental Affairs, Infrastructure and Communities, 343-574-8116, [email protected]; Nicolas Carpentier, Communications Coordinator, Sun Youth, [email protected], 514-219-0738; Media Relations, Infrastructure Canada, 613-960-9251, Toll free: 1-877-250-7154, Email: [email protected]
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