Canada and Richmond Hill Unveil New Wind Turbine and Solar Panels

Richmond Hill, Ontario, July 26, 2010 – Paul Calandra, Member of Parliament for Oak-Ridges-Markham, and Dave Barrow, Mayor of Richmond Hill, today celebrated a new, environmentally friendly wind turbine and three solar panels that will help power the Town’s Richmond Green Sports Centre & Park. The wind turbine and solar panels were funded entirely by the Government of Canada’s Gas Tax Fund.

“Investing in green energy is an investment into the well-being and sustainability of communities across the country,” said MP Calandra. “The newly constructed wind turbine and solar panels represent Richmond Hill’s commitment to help meet its greenhouse gas emissions reduction target, and is an excellent example of what federal programs such as the Gas Tax Fund are designed to achieve.”

The total construction cost of the wind turbine and the solar panel was $148,500, all of which was funded by the federal Gas Tax Fund.

”Richmond Hill continues to be a leader in promoting and implementing energy-efficient practices, technologies and alternative sources of power thanks to grants like this from the Government of Canada,” said Mayor Dave Barrow. “This wind turbine has not only been an effective green initiative in helping offset our grid energy use, but it is also a great visual reminder to all who use the park that Richmond Hill cares about its environment.”

Overall, Richmond Hill has allocated almost $6.1 million of federal Gas Tax funding since 2005 to projects that improve the energy efficiency of buildings, such as the LEED upgrade of the Town’s new Oak Ridges Community Centre currently under construction and to renewable energy such as geothermal heating and cooling at the Richmond Hill Centre for the Performing Arts and solar heating of local swimming pools.

The Government of Canada extended the federal Gas Tax Fund to 2014 resulting in $746 million in funding annually for municipal infrastructure in Ontario. As a complement to the ongoing Economic Action Plan, Minister John Baird announced on April 23, 2010 that for the second year in a row, Ontario municipalities would receive an accelerated Gas Tax Fund payment of $373 million, to help them make the most of the spring and summer construction seasons.

Under the Economic Action Plan, the Government of Canada is allocating $12 billion to infrastructure projects across the country. This is further complemented by a previous commitment of making the federal Gas Tax Fund permanent at $2 billion nationally as of 2014. From 2010 to 2014, the City of Richmond Hill will receive over $19.9 million in federal Gas Tax funding.

For additional information:

Constituency Office of MP Calandra
(905) 833-3030

Dan Olding
Manager, Grants & Strategic Initiatives
(905) 771-5505

Infrastructure Canada
613-948-1148