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Green and Inclusive Community Buildings funding for Mackenzie Rec Centre retrofit

January 16, 2023 – The Mackenzie Recreation Centre, located in the District of Mackenzie in British Columbia, is undergoing several energy efficiency upgrades.

Helping it along this retrofit journey is an injection of $2.9 million from Infrastructure Canada.

“The District of Mackenzie is extremely excited and very grateful for the federal funding received under the Green and Inclusive Community Buildings program,” said Joan Atkinson, Mayor, District of Mackenzie.

“Mackenzie has been dealt devastating blows to our industrial tax base due to sawmill and pulp mill closures over the past three years. This funding is a lifeline […].”

The installation of a heat pump and solar panels will diminish the centre’s reliance on natural gas, leading to reductions in energy consumption and GHG emissions.

The arena slab and boards will also be replaced with a new slab that will have the ability to store heat for the winter and ensure that the facility is usable year-round.

These improvements, says Infrastructure Canada, will reduce the facility’s energy consumption by an estimated 26.8% and GHG emissions by 159 tonnes annually.

The Green and Inclusive Community Buildings program is part of Canada’s Strengthened Climate Plan, which is providing $1.5 billion over five years toward—among other things—green and accessible retrofits, repairs or upgrades of existing public community buildings.

At least 10% of funding is allocated to projects serving First Nations, Inuit, and Métis communities, including Indigenous populations in urban centres.

The Green and Inclusive Community Buildings program launched its second scheduled intake in December 2022. Applications are being accepted for large retrofit projects to existing community buildings or new community building projects with total eligible costs ranging from $3 million to $25 million until February 28, 2023.

Meantime, the program continues to accept applications for small and medium retrofit projects to existing community buildings, ranging in total eligible cost from $100,000 to $2,999,999 until February 28, 2023.

Provincial/territorial governments, municipal or regional governments, public sector bodies, not-for-profit, and Indigenous organizations interested in the Green and Inclusive Community Buildings program are invited to apply on the Infrastructure Canada website.