FCM announces 2016 Sustainable Communities Award recipients

The Federation of Canadian Municipalities (FCM) is announcing

the recipients of the 2016 Sustainable Communities Awards, showcasing

the very best in local environmental practices. Canada’s municipalities are

recognized as consistent drivers of innovation, delivering local actions that

lead to national results. Primary among them is reduction in greenhouse

gas emissions.

Municipalities were recognized for delivering innovative solutions in the

following six categories: brownfields, energy, neighbourhood development,

transportation, waste and water. The outcomes of municipal sustainability

initiatives include more integrated community planning, and economic,

social and environmental benefits.

This year, award-winning projects include a ground-breaking financing

approach for energy-efficient retrofits for private and residential buildings; a

seamless active transportation corridor; a plan to boost local clean

technology and sustainable energy sectors; a facility to turn organic waste

into gas and generate revenue; and an odour-free facility to turn

wastewater into high-quality reclaimed water and class-A compost.

“The 2016 recipients illustrate how municipalities can provide leadership

on environmental protection and climate change in their respective

communities,” said Raymond Louie, President of FCM. “The benefits of

such innovative approaches accrue to neighboring communities and

contribute to making Canada more sustainable.”

On February 10, the award recipients will be formally recognized at a

special ceremony. On this occasion, videos as well as case studies of the

winning projects will be made available to ensure all communities can learn

and be inspired to adopt similar practices. The ceremony will take place

at FCM’s Sustainable Communities Conference, in Ottawa, February 9–11,

2016.

“We are proud to recognize this year’s exemplary projects and encourage

all municipalities to learn from these shining examples,” said FCM’s Green

Municipal Fund Chair and Edmonton Councillor, Ben Henderson. “The

range of projects being acknowledged from both large and small

municipalities reflects the breadth of experience and commitment of

municipal leaders to work together to drive change.”

The 2016 FCM Sustainable Communities Awards winners are:

Brownfields (Plan) City of Edmonton, AB, Brownfields Redevelopment Grant program*

Brownfields (Project) Region of Waterloo, ON, Breithaupt Block Redevelopment Project

Energy (Plan) Region of Waterloo, ON; Climate Action Plan: Living Smarter in 2020*

Energy (Program)City of Toronto, ON; Home Energy Loan Program and High-rise Retrofit

Improvement Support Program

Neighbourhood Development (Plan) Municipality of Austin, QC;Sustainable Management

Action Plan 2015–2017*

Neighbourhood Development (Project) Village of Marwayne, AB; Centre Street

Revitalization: From the Bottom Up!project

Transportation (Project) City of Vancouver, BC; Seaside Greenway Completion, South End

Burrard Bridge and York Bikeway project

Waste (Project) City of Saint-Hyacinthe, QC; Biomethanation project

Water (Project) District of Sechelt, BC; Sechelt Water Resource Centre project*