Princeton, BC – The Honourable Joe Oliver, Canada’s Minister of Natural Resources, and Karen Leibovici, President of the Federation of Canadian Municipalities (FCM) and councillor for the City of Edmonton, Alberta, announced a Green Municipal FundTM (GMF) grant for the Town of Princeton. The town put the $59,840 in funding toward a soil vapour assessment and detailed site investigation of a property next to the town hall.
“Our Government is assisting municipalities across the country in achieving their goal of a cleaner and healthier environment for Canadians through the Green Municipal Fund,” said Minister Oliver. “This announcement is another example of how our government — in partnership with the Federation of Canadian Municipalities — is helping communities like Princeton build a greener future for its citizens.”
“The Green Municipal Fund offers a range of resources and services that specifically address the sustainable community development needs of municipal governments,” said Leibovici. “The financing and knowledge provided by the Fund supports the development of communities that are more environmentally, socially and economically sustainable.”
Princeton will assess the health risks and level of contamination, and develop a remediation strategy for a brownfield property next to its town hall.
The remediated property will form the cornerstone of Princeton’s civic precinct with a building constructed on LEED principles such as energy efficiency, water conservation and local procurement. The site redevelopment will centralize municipal and provincial government services in a pedestrian-oriented civic centre. The new public square will help revitalize downtown Princeton and reduce urban sprawl.
The study results and all remediation activities will be documented on the town’s website; allowing other communities to follow Princeton’s progress and encouraging them to revitalize their own brownfield sites.
“Council is pleased to have the funding support from the Green Municipal Fund,” said Mayor Frank Armitage. “It has enabled us to carry out the soil vapour assessment and the detailed site investigation.”
The Government of Canada endowed the Federation of Canadian Municipalities (FCM) with $550 million to establish 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.
FCM has been the national voice of municipal governments since 1901. It fosters the development of sustainable communities to improve quality of life by promoting strong, effective, and accountable municipal government.