MONTREAL, July 29, 2022 /CNW Telbec/ - Today, the Honourable Marc Miller, Minister of Crown-Indigenous Relations and Member of Parliament for Ville-Marie—Le Sud-Ouest—Île-des-Soeurs, on behalf of the Honourable Dominic LeBlanc, Minister of Intergovernmental Affairs, Infrastructure and Communities, and the Honourable Marc Garneau, Member of Parliament for Notre-Dame-de-Grâce—Westmount, announced federal funding of over $3.8 million to renovate and upgrade the Resilience Montreal building to make it more energy-efficient.
"Resilience Montreal is a cornerstone of the city's downtown core and offers help and care to Indigenous people experiencing homelessness on a daily basis. The funds allocated to the renovation and expansion of their building will allow them to expand their services and welcome people in need in an environment that respects the specific realities of Indigenous peoples. All of Montreal will benefit from this investment," said the Honourable Marc Miller, Minister of Crown-Indigenous Relations and Member of Parliament for Ville-Marie-Le Sud-Ouest-Île-des-Soeurs, on behalf of the Honourable Dominic LeBlanc, Minister of Intergovernmental Affairs, Infrastructure and Communities.
"Homelessness remains a reality in our large urban centres. This initiative answers a call from our public health and public safety frontline workers to provide important, culturally-appropriate day services to those in need; services that were missing from the network of care and shelter services across downtown Montreal," said the Honourable Marc Garneau, Member of Parliament for Notre-Dame-de-Grâce-Westmount.
"We are excited to start the process of healing by developing an innovative, supportive, and empowering space for our community. Our clientele consists of those with trauma, many of whom are first or second generation survivors of residential schools. We are grateful that Infrastructure Canada recognizes Resilience Montreal's crucial role in supporting a population that faces systemic discrimination and is often unable to access services in other organizations", said David Chapman, Executive Director for Resilience Montreal.
This funding will be used for important renovations and upgrades to make the organization's facilities more energy-efficient. The project includes upgrades to the roof, insulation, some windows, stairways and fire exits, as well as the sprinkler system. This will also help reduce the building's greenhouse gas emissions by 93%.
The work will also allow the organization to optimize the scope of its services while also respecting Indigenous values and traditions. Thanks to this project, Resilience Montreal will be able to accommodate up to 150 people experiencing homelessness daily. The organization will thus be able to continue to offer its users essential services by providing volunteering opportunities to Indigenous people experiencing homelessness, in addition to giving them the social, financial and psychological support they need.
- The Government of Canada is investing over $3.8 million through the Green and Inclusive Community Buildings (GICB) program.
- The GICB program is an integral part of Canada's Strengthened Climate Plan, providing $1.5 billion over five years towards green and accessible retrofits, repairs or upgrades of existing public community buildings and the construction of new publicly-accessible community buildings that serve high-needs, underserved communities across Canada.
- At least 10 percent of funding is allocated to projects serving First Nations, Inuit, and Métis communities, including Indigenous populations in urban centres.
- Provincial/territorial governments, municipal or regional governments, public sector bodies, not-for-profit, and Indigenous organizations interested in the GICB program are invited to apply on the Infrastructure Canada website.
- Applicants with large retrofit projects to existing community buildings or new community building projects with total eligible costs ranging from $3 million to $25 million were accepted through a competitive intake process which closed on July 6, 2021. A second intake is anticipated later in 2022, however, the date has not yet been determined. Details about the second intake will be published to the Infrastructure Canada – Green and Inclusive Community Buildings' website as soon as they become available.
- Announced in December 2020, Canada's Strengthened Climate Plan includes 64 new measures and $15 billion in investments towards a healthy environment and economy.
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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Web: Infrastructure Canada
SOURCE Infrastructure Canada
Contacts: 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]; David Chapman, Executive Director, Resilience Montreal, 438-828-5767, [email protected]; Media Relations, Infrastructure Canada, 613-960-9251, Toll free: 1-877-250-7154, [email protected]
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