Green Municipal Fund Commits $25,000 To The City of Coquitlam for Corporate Energy Management and greenhouse Gas Emissions Reduction

Coquitlam, BC – Mayor Derek Corrigan of the City of Burnaby, representing the Federation of Canadian Municipalities (FCM), and James Moore, MP (Port Moody—Westwood—Port Coquitlam), representing the Honourable Gary Lunn, Minister of Natural Resources, announced today a $25,000 Green Municipal Fund (GMF) grant to help the City of Coquitlam complete the first three milestones of the Partners for Climate Protection (PCP) program. This includes updating their corporate (municipal) and community greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions inventory and forecast, setting a corporate emissions reductions target, and developing a corporate local action plan.

The City of Coquitlam has been a member of PCP since 1997. PCP is an FCM program that provides services and tools to municipal governments to deal with the challenges of climate change. By joining PCP, 144 Canadian municipal governments, representing 70 percent of the population, have committed to reduce greenhouse gases and act on climate change. FCM receives technical support for PCP from ICLEI-Local Governments for Sustainability, the coordinator of a 600-member worldwide network of communities addressing climate change. PCP receives financial support from the Green Municipal Fund as part of its Capacity Building Program.

“FCM’s Green Municipal Fund offers a range of resources and services that specifically address the sustainable community development needs of municipal governments and their partners,” said Mayor Derek Corrigan. “The financing and knowledge provided by the Fund supports the development of communities that are more environmentally, socially and economically sustainable.”

“Canadians want to see real results. Through the Green Municipal Fund, Canada’s new government is helping municipalities across the country deliver results,” said James Moore, MP. “With projects like this and the recently announced ecoENERGY Initiatives, we are demonstrating our commitment to the health and environment of Canadians.”

“The City of Coquitlam is interested in best practices and innovative strategies to reduce energy consumption and GHG emissions.” said Mayor Maxine Wilson. “An emissions reduction plan will cover all energy sources, as well as all City services.”

The Government of Canada has endowed the Federation of Canadian Municipalities with $550 million to establish and manage the Green Municipal Fund. 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.

For information:

City of Coquitlam, BC

Therese Mickelson
Manager, Corporate Communication
3000 Guildford Way
Coquitlam, BC Canada V3B 7N2
Tel: (604) 927-3019
Fax: (604) 927-3015
Email: tmickelson@coquitlam.ca

Green Municipal Fund

Lucille Hodgins
Manager, Community Liaison
Green Municipal Fund
Centre for Sustainable Community Development
Federation of Canadian Municipalities
Tel: (613) 907-6299
Cell: (613) 447-0051
Fax: (613) 244-1515
Email: lhodgins@fcm.ca

Natural Resources Canada

Kathleen Olson
Acting Director of Communications
Minister’s Office
Natural Resources Canada
Tel: (613) 996-2007
Fax: (613) 943-0663

For information on the City of Coquitlam, BC, visit http://www.coquitlam.ca

For information on the Green Municipal Fund, including details of other approved projects and studies, visit http://www.sustainablecommunities.fcm.ca

For information on Partners for Climate Protection, visit http://www.sustainablecommunities.ca/Capacity_Building/Energy/PCP/default.asp

For information on Natural Resources Canada, visit http://nrcan-rncan.gc.ca

For information on Environment Canada, visit http://www.ec.gc.ca