Ottawa unveils $1.5-billion green-building plan

Infrastructure Minister Catherine McKenna is announcing a $1.5-billion program designed to spur green building through retrofits, upgrades and new construction.

The five-year plan aims to save energy and cut pollution while creating jobs, with potential projects ranging from environmentally friendly community centres to energy-efficient library windows.

McKenna says the program, which she hopes will dovetail with $2.75 billion in short-term transit spending announced last month, will invest in projects that meet a minimum threshold for energy efficiency and boost inclusion, particularly in high-needs communities.

Join us at 1:15 EDT for a national infrastructure announcement with @cathmckenna, @HarjitSajjan, @Rob_Fleming , @kennedystewart and CaGBC’s own Akua Schatz. Watch the live announcement on @INFC_eng 's Facebook page https://t.co/NmLNkiy78W https://t.co/jMWkiU5aOe

— CaGBC (@CaGBC) April 14, 2021

Thomas Mueller, head of the Canada Green Building Council, says green builds have the power to improve occupants' health and quality of life.

The federal cash will complement $2 billion for large-scale energy-efficient building retrofits set aside by Canada's infrastructure-financing agency, which the Conservatives criticized in March for not having completed a single project.

McKenna says energy workers have a right to be worried about their livelihoods amid a struggling fossil-fuel industry, but that the Liberal government is gunning for a robust green-economy transition that includes cleaning up abandoned oil and gas wells