Question Period Note: Green and Inclusive Community Buildings program

Update on the Green and Inclusive Community Buildings Program

• The Government of Canada is committed to making public community buildings – both existing and new - more energy efficient, lower carbon and more resilient.

• We are committed to supporting publicly-accessible buildings that serve high-needs and underserved communities across Canada.

• That is why the Green and Inclusive Community Buildings Program is providing $1.5 billion over five years to support green and accessible retrofits, repairs or upgrades of existing buildings, as well as the construction of new buildings.

• To date, 40 projects with federal funding of $270 million have been announced under the Green and Inclusive Community Buildings Program with many more to come in the coming months.

• Announced in December 2020 as part of Canada’s Strengthened Climate Plan, the Green and Inclusive Community Buildings Program (GICB) advances the Government’s climate priorities to reduce GHG emissions and enhance the climate resilience of community buildings.

• The GICB Program will invest $1.5 billion by providing funding directly to communities over five years (2021-26).

• The GICB Program supports green and inclusive retrofits, repairs or upgrades of existing public community buildings and the construction of new publicly-accessible community, cultural and recreational buildings that serve high-needs, underserved communities across Canada, including Indigenous communities.

• The GICB was launched on April 14, 2021 and includes two intake streams:

  1. Continuous Intake:
     o Small and medium retrofit projects (under $3 million) to existing buildings will be accepted on a continuous basis and funded on a rolling intake basis.

  2. Scheduled Intake:
     o Large retrofit projects to existing buildings or new community building projects ranging from $3 million to $25 million. The scheduled intake stream closed on July 6, 2021.
     o A second intake is planned to launch this Fall.

• The program is community-based, providing direct-to-recipient funding. Eligible recipients include: provincial and territorial governments, municipal governments, indigenous communities and organizations, and not-for-profit organizations. GICB is a national funding envelope with no provincial or territorial allocations.

• A minimum of $150 million (10%) will be allocated on a distinctions-basis to Indigenous projects being led by and for Indigenous populations and communities. The program also provides for an expanded set of eligible facilities available only to Indigenous applicants as well as direct Indigenous applicant support.

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