Kingston – Clean air, middle class jobs, and more money in Canadians’ pockets: helping people upgrade their homes to be more energy-efficient fights climate change and creates good jobs, all while making sure homeowners save on their monthly bills.

Member of Parliament for Kingston and the Islands Mark Gerretsen, on behalf of the Honourable Jonathan Wilkinson, Minister of Natural Resources, and Joanne Vanderheyden, President of the Federation of Canadian Municipalities (FCM), announced today a $15-million investment through the Community Efficiency Financing (CEF) initiative to implement a residential energy retrofit program that will reduce pollution and help homeowners save money in the City of Kingston.

Better Homes Kingston is a local improvement charge (LIC) financing program to encourage homeowners to undertake deep-energy retrofits. In addition to the primary LIC model, the City will encourage utilities providers to offer on-bill financing and third-party lending from financial institutions as the program grows over its first few years to enable a long-term scale-up. This program is expected to retrofit 25 to 50 percent of Kingston’s pre-1991 single-family homes by 2040, achieving an average carbon-reduction impact of 30 percent per home.

Better Homes Kingston is planned to open starting in March and will be available to eligible properties across the City starting late spring of this year.

The Community Efficiency Financing initiative is offered through the Green Municipal Fund (GMF) delivered by FCM and funded by the Government of Canada. CEF helps communities of all sizes implement innovative local financing programs that directly help homeowners cut their GHG emissions, make their homes more energy-efficient, comfortable and affordable, and create local jobs and keep the local economy moving.

This initiative is one of the ways GMF continues to build on its 20-year record of supporting transformative environmental initiatives at the community level. The Government of Canada has invested $1.65 billion in the GMF since its inception, enabling municipalities to support projects like this that leverage local resources to drive innovative solutions.

Quotes

“Upgrading our homes to be more energy-efficient will get us a long way to our climate targets, help Canadians save money on energy costs and create good jobs in our communities. Our government is pleased to help homeowners in Kingston and across Canada cut pollution from their households.”

– The Honourable Jonathan Wilkinson, Minister of Natural Resources

“It is through these investments, delivered through the Green Municipal Fund, we are exploring new ways for Canadians to make energy-efficient choices that support local economies and contribute to Canada’s climate goals.”

– Mark Gerretsen, Member of Parliament for Kingston and the Islands

“Canadians expect all levels of government to work together to tackle climate change and reach net zero by 2050. The Community Efficiency Financing initiative, an expansion of the Green Municipal Fund, will help the City of Kingston implement an innovative residential retrofit program that will help homeowners cut their greenhouse gas emissions. The initiative will also help make homes more energy-efficient, comfortable and affordable.”

– The Honourable Dominic LeBlanc, Minister of Intergovernmental Affairs, Infrastructure and Communities

“By investing in energy-efficient housing, we are building healthy and sustainable communities. Canada’s ongoing transition to a low-carbon economy requires innovative and affordable housing solutions that create jobs and climate resilience while making life more affordable through saved energy costs.”

– The Honourable Steven Guilbeault, Minister of Environment and Climate Change

“Municipalities are on the front lines of climate change and climate action, and communities of all sizes are showing climate leadership at a time when we need it most. The Green Municipal Fund empowers them to get results on the ground. We deliver results with our federal partners – supporting cities and communities like Kingston build a greener, more sustainable community, create jobs and helping Canadians make their homes more comfortable and affordable. Together, we are on the path to net-zero.”

– Joanne Vanderheyden, FCM President

“Demonstrating leadership on climate action is a priority for the City of Kingston, and our community. As Mayor, I am proud to see our City partnering with the Federation of Canadian Municipalities and the Government of Canada to help more Kingstonians realize renovations that will make their homes more cost and energy efficient. Home improvements achieved through this program will lower community greenhouse gas emissions, and bring us closer to our target of achieving carbon neutrality no later than 2040.”

– Bryan Paterson, Mayor of the City of Kingston

Associated links

Green Municipal Fund
Community Efficiency Financing initiative
Kingston’s Home Energy Retrofit Program

Contacts

FCM Media Relations
613-907-6395
media@fcm.ca

Joanna Sivasankaran
Press Secretary
Office of the Minister of Natural Resources
819-790-1907
Joanna.Sivasankaran@nrcan-rncan.gc.ca

Media Relations
Natural Resources Canada
Ottawa
343-292-6100
NRCan.media.RNCan@canada.ca
Follow us on Twitter: @NRCan

Green Municipal Fund
Community Efficiency Financing
Climate change
Environment
Housing
Sustainability
© 2024 Federation of Canadian Municipalities