Almost a year after breaking ground on its new $10-million net zero carbon fire station, the City of Peterborough is getting a financial boost from the federal government and the Federation of Canadian Municipalities for its construction.
The city will be receiving a total of $9.3 million in loans and grants through the Green Municipal Fund for the new fire station under construction at 100 Marina Boulevard at the former location of Northcrest Arena. The new facility will replace the existing Fire Station 2 on Carnegie Avenue, which was built in 1967.
The announcement of the investment — which includes $8,173,910 in loans and $1,226,080 in grants — was made at the new fire station site on Wednesday (January 24) by Whitby MP Ryan Turnbull, parliamentary secretary to the minister of innovation, science and industry, on behalf of federal energy and natural resources minister Jonathan Wilkinson, and by Federation of Canadian Municipalities president Scott Pearce.
“Municipalities influence half of Canada’s greenhouse gas emissions with public buildings as large contributors,” Pearce said in a media release. “That’s why it is so important that they lead on and participate in local initiatives to lower greenhouse gas emissions.”
The Green Municipal Fund, which is administered by the Federation of Canadian Municipalities with funding from the Government of Canada, helps municipal governments switch to sustainable practices faster and reduce greenhouse gas emissions by providing grants, loans, funding, resources, and training.
Peterborough’s new fire station will be the city’s first building designed, built, and certified as a zero carbon building for both performance and design categories. The green design is expected to save the city an estimated $24,270 per year in operational costs.
Designed by Unity Design Studio (formerly Lett Architects Inc.), the new facility is being built following the Canada Green Building Council’s zero carbon building standard.
The new fire station will include automated control systems, ground source heat pumps, solar panels on the rooftop, a heat-recovery system, and water-saving features. It is also being constructed using mass timber instead of concrete, steel or aluminum to achieve a lower carbon footprint.
“This key investment in the City of Peterborough fire services will enhance community safety by reducing emergency response times, while also protecting our environment by producing zero emissions,” said Peterborough mayor Jeff Leal. “Thank you to the federal government for investing in sustainable community infrastructure in Peterborough.”
