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 (FCM) and Acting Mayor of the City of Vancouver, B.C., today announced a Green Municipal FundTM (GMF) grant to the Township of Esquimalt. The Township put the $68,200 in funding toward assessment of soil, groundwater and vapour contamination so that the 7,500 m2 site can be remediated and restored to productive use.
“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 Minister Rickford. “Today’s announcement is another example of how our government — in partnership with the FCM — is helping communities like the Township of Esquimalt build a greener future for our citizens.”
“The Green Municipal Fund offers a range of resources and services that specifically addresses the sustainable community development needs 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 site once hosted a variety of township administration and operations buildings. Some contaminated soil has been removed, but a 2014 investigation identified additional contaminants including hydrocarbons, metals and salt.
The Township is in the process of drilling as many as 20 boreholes to determine the extent and strength of the contamination. Staff will review existing studies and new data on the site’s contaminant distribution and concentrations, and its development potential. The findings will determine how much of the site will require remediation and to what extent.
“This land, site of our planned Esquimalt Village Project, is envisioned as a mixed use high density urban development project to help strengthen our Town Centre and catalyze further development,” said mayor Barbara Desjardins. “We are thankful for these funds to help remediate the site, a critical step in moving forward the process.”
The Government of Canada endowed the Federation of Canadian Municipalities (FCM) with $550 million to establish the Green Municipal FundTM. 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.
Resources:
Revitalize your brownfields
Brownfields Resources
For information:
Township of Esquimalt
Ritchie Morrison
Communications
Tel.: 250-414-7122
www.esquimalt.ca
Federation of Canadian Municipalities
Maurice Gingues
Media Relations Advisor
Green Municipal Fund
Tel.: 613-907-6399
Fax: 613-244-1515
mgingues@fcm.ca
www.fcm.ca/gmf
Natural Resources Canada
Alexandra Lemieux
Communications Advisor
Office of Canada's Minister of Natural Resources
Tel.: 613-996-2007
