Government of Canada and FCM support Markham's Bayview Glen Sustainable Neighbourhood Retrofit Action Plan

MARKHAM, ON, June 17, 2015 /CNW/ - The Honourable Peter Kent, P.C., M.P. for Thornhill, on behalf of the Honourable Greg Rickford, Canada's Minister of Natural Resources and Minister for the Federal Economic Development Initiative for Northern Ontario and Raymond Louie, President of the Federation of Canadian Municipalities and Acting Mayor of the City of Vancouver, B.C. today announced a grant of $70,100 from the Green Municipal Fund^TM (GMF). The grant will help the City of Markham and the Toronto and Region Conservation Authority (TRCA) create a Sustainable Neighbourhood Retrofit Action Plan (SNAP) for Markham's Ward 1 community of Bayview Glen.

"Our Government is helping municipalities across the country to achieve their goal of a cleaner and healthier environment for their citizens through the Green Municipal Fund," said MP Kent. "Today's announcement is another example of how our government — in partnership with the FCM — is helping communities like Markham build a greener future for our citizens."

"The Green Municipal Fund offers a range of resources and services that specifically addresses the need for sustainable community development of municipal governments," said Mr. Louie. "The financing and knowledge provided by the Fund support the development of communities that are more environmentally, socially and economically sustainable."

The Bayview Glen SNAP will encourage sustainable retrofits to reduce water and energy consumption and help manage storm water. The plan will build on recommendations contained in earlier studies of the neighbourhood, and from four other SNAPs that the TRCA has supported in the GTA. The SNAP will guide municipal policy development, public realm concepts, and residential program design.

"The Bayview Glen SNAP will not only accelerate the implementation of strategic sustainable retrofits on private land, but will also inspire action by exhibiting how traditional public infrastructure renewal projects can be re-imagined to add long term beauty and ecological function," said Markham Mayor Frank Scarpitti.

"Toronto and Region Conservation Authority, with the support of the Green Municipal Fund, is thrilled to develop a Sustainable Neighbourhood Retrofit Action Plan for the Bayview Glen community in Markham," said TRCA Chair Maria Augimeri. "Working with the local community, this project will test innovative approaches to sustainable retrofits in local neighbourhoods and generate transferable lessons for other similar communities."

The Government of Canada endowed the Federation of Canadian Municipalities (FCM) with $550 million to establish the Green Municipal Fund^TM. The Fund supports partnerships and leveraging of both public and private-sector funding to reach higher standards of air, water and soil quality, and climate protection.

FCM has been the national voice of municipal governments since 1901. It fosters the development of sustainable communities to improve quality of life by promoting strong, effective, and accountable municipal government.

SOURCE Toronto and Region Conservation Authority

Toronto Region Conservation Authority: Adriana Gomez, Project Manager, Toronto Region Conservation Authority, Tel.: [phone], E-mail: [email protected], http://www.trca.on.ca/; City of Markham: Dennis Flaherty, Director, Corporate Communications & Community Engagement, City of Markham, Tel.: [phone], E-mail: [email protected], www.markham.ca; Federation of Canadian Municipalities: Maurice Gingues, Media Relations Officer, Green Municipal Fund, Federation of Canadian Municipalities, Tel.: [phone], Fax: [phone], E-mail: [email protected], www.fcm.ca/gmf; Natural Resources Canada: Alexandra Lemieux, Office of Canada's Minister of Natural Resources, Tel.: [phone]