Media Release - Nov. 15, 2006
Green Municipal Fund Grant Helps City of Richmond Build Canada's First LEED Gold Certified Fire Hall
November 15, 2006, Richmond, BC – Union of British Columbia Municipalities (UBCM) Past President Marvin Hunt, Councillor of the City of Surrey, representing the Federation of Canadian Municipalities (FCM), and John Cummins, MP (Delta-Richmond East), representing the Honourable Gary Lunn, Minister of Natural Resources, announced today a $501,490 Green Municipal Fund grant to the City of Richmond. The funding will help the City achieve LEED® Gold Certification for its new Hamilton Fire Hall No. 5 - making it the first fire hall in Canada to achieve this advanced level of design and construction.
The Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED®) Green Building Rating System™ is the nationally accepted benchmark for the design, construction, and operation of high performance green buildings. LEED® promotes a whole-building approach to sustainability that recognizes performance in five key areas of human and environmental health: sustainable site development, water savings, energy efficiency, materials selection, and indoor environmental quality. In Canada, the rating system is administered nationally by the Canada Green Building Council.
“FCM commends the City of Richmond for its decision to pursue a LEED® Gold Certification,” said UBCM Past President Hunt. “The Green Municipal Fund supports projects that maximize environmental, social and economic benefits at the local level. By attaining such a high level of excellence in municipal building design and construction, the City’s Hamilton Fire Hall No. 5 will be an example of sustainable municipal infrastructure for other communities to replicate.”
The Government of Canada has endowed the Federation of Canadian Municipalities with $550 million to establish and manage 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.
“Through the Green Municipal Fund, the Government of Canada is supporting the efforts of municipalities across the country to improve air quality and reduce GHG emissions,” said John Cummins, on behalf of Minister Lunn. “This new fire hall, the first one in Canada to be certified LEED® Gold, is an example of our commitment to invest taxpayers’ dollars in real projects that achieve real results for a clean environment.
“Our mission is to protect and enhance the City’s liveability and economic well-being for current and future generations,” said City of Richmond Mayor Malcolm Brodie. “This fire hall incorporates the environmental sustainability features to meet that objective. Our goal is for all future civic buildings in Richmond to follow the same footsteps and meet LEED® standards, thus helping achieve our City’s environmental goals.”
Passive environmental features such as building shape, shading and day lighting features, a green roof and green spaces, and a thermal wall, combine with highly efficient renewable energy and integrated mechanical systems to reduce heating and cooling loads. These measures will achieve up to a 60 percent savings in energy demand; lead to dramatic reductions in pollutants emitted, energy consumption, and wastewater generation; and provide better indoor environmental air quality to workers.
FCM has been the national voice of municipal governments since 1901. It is dedicated to improving the quality of life in communities by promoting strong, effective and accountable municipal government.
