Minister Fortier announces new strategic investments to enhance greening government operations

OTTAWA, ON, June 27, 2023 /CNW/ - The Government of Canada is leading by example by reducing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and aiming towards a low-carbon, climate-resilient and clean growth economy.

Today, the Honourable Mona Fortier, President of the Treasury Board of Canada, announced eight new projects in the National Capital Region funded through the Greening Government Fund.

Administered by the Treasury Board of Canada Secretariat, the Greening Government Fund helps government organizations make strategic investments to reduce carbon emissions from their operations.

The following projects received a total of approximately $6.7 million through the fund:

• the Naval Electric Ship Technologies (NEST) project assesses hybrid and/or all-electric solutions for naval ships (Department of National Defence)
• the Ship Platform Exploitation of Energy Datasets (SPEED) 2.0 project optimizes energy efficiency and reduces GHG emissions for naval ships (Department of National Defence)
• a project where high-temperature-resilient renewable heating systems are analyzed, and the data collected for future improvements (Natural Resources Canada)
• an assessment of electric vehicle charging solutions for federal sites (Natural Resources Canada)
• a pilot project to study employee access to federal EV supply equipment including a pilot project in multiple Canada Border Services Agency locations (Natural Resources Canada, Canada Border Services Agency)
• a search tool to green public procurement (Public Services and Procurement Canada)
• a project to reduce GHG emissions for scientific equipment procurement of (Public Services and Procurement Canada, Environment and Climate Change Canada)
• a Life Cycle Assessment to determine the baseline carbon footprint of conventionally constructed federal buildings (Public Services and Procurement Canada)

Through the Greening Government Strategy, the Government of Canada is leading the transition to net-zero carbon and climate-resilient operations. These projects will advance greening operations by accelerating and improving green procurement practices through a focus on life-cycle assessment principles, the adoption of clean technology and green products and services, and by increasing buyer capacity to drive greener goods and services. Aligned with other Government of Canada greening priorities, these investments are important steps in advancing a Buy Clean approach in Canada.

In addition to these 8 projects, 11 projects in other regions across the country were approved this year for a total investment of over $14 million. These projects will support the Government of Canada's goal of net-zero carbon operations by 2050.

Quotes                  

"Our government is committed to reducing greenhouse gas emissions and delivering a low-carbon, resilient and clean economy for everyone. Through the Greening Government Fund, we are supporting Canadian innovation and leading the way to net-zero, climate-resilient and green operations."
– The Honourable Mona Fortier, President of the Treasury Board

"Today's announcement is another important step toward greening our operations across the Department. These projects will help reduce greenhouse gas emissions while ensuring our commitment to a cleaner, climate-resilient future."
– The Honourable Minister Helena Jaczek, Minister of Public Services and Procurement

"Climate security and national security go hand in hand. We are investing in robust green energy projects, which will see reduced emissions for our Navy ships — and help reduce our emissions, in line with our strong commitment to climate action"
– The Honourable Minister Anita Anand, Minister of National Defence

"The Greening Government Fund is an important tool in unlocking progress on decarbonizing federal buildings, fleets, and other assets. As Canada advances towards a sustainable and prosperous future, we are taking action to reduce emissions from government operations. This, alongside our investments to support industries and communities, is an important measure to deliver clean air and good jobs on the road to net-zero by 2050."
– The Honourable Jonathan Wilkinson, Minister of Natural Resources        

Quick Facts

• The Treasury Board of Canada Secretariat's Centre for Greening Government provides leadership toward net-zero, climate-resilient and green Government of Canada operations through the Greening Government Strategy.
• The Greening Government Strategy is a set of commitments that applies to all core government departments and agencies and supports the Government of Canada's commitment for net-zero emissions by 2050.
• The Greening Government Fund was established as part of the Greening Government Strategy and provides funding for projects that aim to reduce emissions in operations of federal organizations.
• Project funding comes from existing budgets of departments and agencies that generate more than 1 kilotonne of GHGs per year from air travel and from departments that are below this threshold and contribute voluntarily.
• Since its inception in 2019, the fund has provided more than $46.1 million in funding for 63 projects from 17 different federal departments/agencies to support projects that reduce GHG emissions in government operations.

Associated Links

• Greening Government Strategy
• Greening Government Fund and Projects

Backgrounder

Greening Government Fund

The Government of Canada has the largest fixed asset portfolio in the country with 32,000 buildings, 20,000 engineered assets such as bridges and dams, and more than 40,000 vehicles, all of which use a significant amount of energy. We also spend more than $20 billion each year on goods and services serving Canadians.

As directed by the Greening Government Strategy (GGS), the Government of Canada is committed to reducing greenhouse gas emissions from its operations. The Greening Government Fund (GGF), one component of the strategy, provides funding to support innovative projects in government departments across Canada.

Created in 2019, the GGF provides funds to other federal government departments to explore and share innovative approaches to reducing GHG emissions in their operations. Project funding comes from existing budgets of departments and agencies that generate more than 1 kilotonne of GHGs per year from air travel and from departments that are below this threshold and contribute voluntarily.

Greening Government Fund investments are an opportunity to support the transition to a low-carbon economy, stimulate the clean tech sector, contribute to Canada's international climate change commitments, and achieve cost savings. To date, the GGF has approved approximately $46 million in funding for 63 projects from different federal departments/agencies to support projects that reduce GHG emissions in government operations. 

New, Ottawa-based Greening Government Fund Projects 

The Government of Canada is announcing 8 different projects from 3 different departments. These 8 projects—out of 19 across Canada—are led from the National Capital Region in partnership with teams in the regions and represent important greening changes in federal operations. These projects are listed below.  

• The Naval Electric Ship Technologies (NEST) project assesses the feasibility of hybrid and/or all‐electric solutions for Royal Canadian Navy ships. The goal is to reduce GHG‐emissions from ship platforms and operations toward 2050 net‐zero targets while maintaining operational capability. The NEST project team includes DND's Materiel group, the Royal Canadian Navy, Natural Resources Canada and the NRC's Ocean, Coastal and River Engineering Research Centre. The Department of National Defence project received $1.295M from the Greening Government Fund.
• The Ship Platform Exploitation of Energy Data (SPEED) initiative will provide a better understanding of how energy is used by Royal Canadian Navy ships in their different operational tasks. The energy-use data is being used to develop ship energy models that simulate electrical, heating and cooling loads, as well as the overall vessel energy consumption during different uses. The project received $750K from the Greening Government Fund and has the same collaboration team as above.
• Natural Resources Canada's High-Temperature-Resilient Renewable Heating Systems project will analyze renewable energy and thermal storage systems. The project received $300K from the Greening Government Fund and will support the decarbonization of federal buildings with high-temperature heating distribution systems.
• The Novel and Provisional Electric Vehicle Charging Stations project will conduct a market and best practice scan of fleet charging solutions. The project received $39,946 from the Greening Government Fund and will address challenges to electric vehicle readiness at federal facilities. (Natural Resources Canada)
• The Employee Access to Federal Electric Vehicle Supply Equipment project received $50K from the Greening Government Fund to develop guidelines for managing employee access to federal electric vehicle supply equipment. The project includes an environmental scan, case studies, a pilot project in multiple CBSA locations, and the development of guidance and recommendations.  (Natural Resources Canada, Canada Border Services Agency)
• The Green Public Procurement Tool project will develop a tool that allows federal organizations to search for and procure environmentally friendly products. The project received $2.1M from the Greening Government Fund and will encourage green procurement in federal operations. (Public Services and Procurement Canada)
• The Reduce Scope 3 GHG Emissions project will assess the environmental impacts of the government's scientific equipment. The project received $1.35M from the Greening Government Fund and will develop tools to reduce GHG emissions associated with scientific equipment. (Public Services and Procurement Canada)
• The Life-Cycle Assessment project will conduct life-cycle assessments on federally owned buildings. The project received $835K from the Greening Government Fund and will determine the baseline carbon footprint of existing federal buildings. (Public Services and Procurement Canada)

Departments are implementing the Greening Government Strategy through projects like these to contribute Canada's transition to a net-zero and climate-resilient economy. In addition, procurement activities factor in greening considerations like buying hybrid or zero-emission vehicles and clean electricity. It means adopting clean technologies such as smart buildings technologies, and renewable electricity initiatives. 

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SOURCE Government of Canada

Contacts (media), Monica Granados, Director of Communications (acting), Office of the President, Treasury Board of Canada, [email protected], 343-551-6020; Media Relations, Treasury Board of Canada Secretariat, Telephone: [phone], Toll-free: 1-855-TBS-9-SCT (1-855-827-9728), Teletypewriter (TTY): 613-369-9371, Email: [email protected]