Simon Fraser University (SFU) has been selected to establish an urban climate centre in Metro Vancouver, British Columbia, through a $22-million federal investment.
Simon Fraser University’s Renewable Cities program will launch the Low Carbon Cities Canada (LC3) Innovation Centre in Vancouver — one of seven centres across Canada that will help unlock the full emissions reduction potential of low-carbon innovations while improving public health and creating local jobs.
“There has never been a more important time to accelerate urban climate action. Through the LC3 Centre, our local communities will have a venue for developing, testing and implementing innovative solutions that can be broadly rolled out and scaled across our region. Metro Vancouver looks forward to working with the LC3 and SFU toward helping us meet our ambitious climate goals and creating a carbon neutral region by 2050,” said Sav Dhaliwal, chair of the Metro Vancouver Board of Directors.
The Federation of Canadian Municipalities’ Green Municipal Fund is serving as the national office for the LC3 centres. Announced in Budget 2019, LC3 is part of Canada’s $1.01-billion plan to make communities more energy-efficient. This initiative is using federal investments in partnership with private investors, public agencies, utilities, non-profit organizations and other levels of government to build long-term, low-carbon solutions. It is creating a network across Canada that supports local community action to improve energy efficiency and reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
“In November, Vancouver City Council approved the Climate Emergency Action Plan, which provides a roadmap to scale-up local climate action and reduce our carbon pollution by 50 per cent by 2030. The Federal funding to create an LC3 centre will boost our ability to develop and invest in new local solutions and support innovation as we continue to reduce carbon emissions from buildings and transportation, which are key priorities of our accelerated climate work,” said Mayor Kennedy Stewart, City of Vancouver.
