Council Highlights - June 21, 2021

On October 7, 2019 Council received report# 2019-0099-Corporate Services and approved the grant submission of the ICIP: Community, Culture and Recreation Stream. One of projects that was listed on this grant application included the construction of public restrooms and event facilities at Town Hall and renovations to the Pelham Library in Fonthill. On October 28, 2019 a verbal update was provided to Council that this grant application would include a $8 Million request for building an addition to the Meridian Community Centre (MCC) for the Pelham Library instead of a renovation to the existing library. The Town has not been official notified as to the status of these requests. The Ministry grant portal shows these projects are still opened under review.

In April 2021, Infrastructure Canada issued the Green and Inclusive Community Buildings (GICB) fund. This is a federal government initiative. It is a five-year $1.5 billion fund which aims to build more community buildings and improve existing ones, particularly in areas with populations experiencing higher needs while also making buildings more efficient, lower carbon, more resilient and higher performing.

The grant program supports green and accessible retrofits, repairs and upgrades of existing public community buildings and the construction of new publicly accessible community buildings that serve high-needs, underserved communities across Canada.

1.Retrofits of community buildings:

-$860 million available
-To be completed between April 1, 2021 and March 31, 2026
-Federal funding is 80/20 for retrofits <$10 million
-Federal funding is 60/40 for retrofits $10 million or more
-Green retrofit measures are those that renovate, upgrade, and/or repair aspects of a

physical building in a way that improves environmental outcomes.
-All retrofit project applicants will be required to submit their building’s structural

information, energy profile, and GHG emissions using the RETScreen® Expert software. The software is free to download.

2. New construction of community buildings:
-$430 million available
-To be completed between April 1, 2021 and March 31, 2026
-Federal funding is 60/40 for new builds <$10 million
-Federal funding is 50/50 for new builds between $10 million and $25 million
-New builds must be of a building/asset that is open and accessible to the public and that will provide non-commercial services to the community.

$150 million has been allocated to projects for Indigenous communities.

Municipalities, regions, provinces public sector, Indigenous groups, non-profits all eligible to apply. Multiple applications allowed.

Buildings NOT eligible: Administrative buildings, Hospitals, fire stations, police station, EMT stations, day care centres, shelters, Multi-unit housing and hospices.

The Town would like to resubmit the two projects relating to the new library addition at the MCC and build a carbon zero additiona; and also retrofit Town Hall to make it more efficient while adding on the public restrooms and event facility.

The Town has had discussions with Petroff, the Architect firm that designed the MCC to receive a quote to help the Town complete the technical section of the grant application. They have already prepared a schematic drawing of the library addition in order to see how the addition will fit at the MCC for the grant application in November 2019.

The cost to the Town for the retrofit to Town Hall is 20% of the cost. For the new library addition, the cost will be 40% to the Town. The sale of the existing library will offset the Town’s cost, so the net impact to the Town will be zero.