RDN receives three-year climate action funding
A three-year lump sum payment for climate action projects will provide stable funding to undertake plans, the Regional District of Nanaimo says.
The B.C. government announced April 18 that its local government climate action program (LGCAP) will be delivered to governments signed on to the B.C. Climate Action Charter as well as Modern Treaty Nations in a three-year lump sum starting this year.
“This funding change will allow B.C. communities to accelerate their climate-action goals, knowing that the resource backing is secured, benefiting both people and the environment that support secure communities,” George Heyman, Minister of Environment and Climate Change Strategy, said via news release.
The Regional District of Nanaimo will receive $436,821 from 2024 to 2026. The RDN’s climate change and resilience coordinator, Jessica Beaubier, said the lump sum payment “removes uncertainty about whether LGCAP funding would be forthcoming beyond 2024. Receiving the funding as a three-year lump sum provides more flexibility and certainty for proceeding with projects.”
Funding allocations for future projects will be determined once the regional district develops its 2025-29 climate action work plan, underway this year, Beaubier said.
In the RDN, LGCAP funding has been used for reducing emissions in the RDN fleet and facilities, funding home energy retrofit support programs and rebates for residents, natural asset management in the context of carbon sequestration and building resilience to climate change impacts and supporting resident climate action such as through the Acting for Climate Together (ACT) volunteer program.
In 2022, the RDN also received LGCAP funding for its electric vehicle charging network of 28 stations, one of which is located on Gabriola Island.
Rachelle Stein-Wotten, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, Gabriola Sounder
