Green and Inclusive Community Buildings Program – Canada

Deadline: 6-Jul-21

Infrastructure Canada is currently accepting applications for its Green and Inclusive Community Buildings Program to build more community buildings and improve existing ones – in particular in areas with populations experiencing higher needs – while also making the buildings more energy-efficient, lower carbon, more resilient, and higher performing.

The GICB program supports the first pillar of the Strengthened Climate Plan by making it easier for Canadians to improve the places in which they live and gather, including by cutting pollution (e.g. reducing GHG emissions, increasing energy efficiency, building resiliency to climate change and encouraging new builds to net zero standards), making life more affordable and supporting thousands of good jobs.

The Green and Inclusive Community Buildings (GICB) program is a national merit-based program with the objective of improving the availability and condition of community buildings in Canadian communities experiencing higher needs and who are currently underserved.

At the same time, the program will stimulate the economy, create good job opportunities, and align to the goals of Canada’s strengthened climate plan. The program will advance the Government’s climate priorities by improving energy efficiency, reducing GHG emissions, and enhancing the climate resilience of community buildings.

Funding Information

• Up to $860 million is available for retrofit projects across Canada.
  • Small retrofit projects are those that range in size from $100,000 to $249,999 in total eligible costs.
  • Medium retrofit projects are those that range in size from $250,000 to $2,999,999 in total eligible costs.
  • Large retrofit projects are those that range in size from $3,000,000 to $25,000,000 in total eligible costs.
• More than $430 million is available for the construction of new buildings across Canada.
  • New build projects are those that range in size from $3,000,000 to $25,000,000 in total eligible costs.
• $150 million (just over 10% of the total funding available) has been set aside and will be made available only to Indigenous applicants undertaking projects that will serve Indigenous populations and communities. Indigenous applicants are invited to apply for projects of all types and sizes.

What kinds of projects are eligible for funding?

The GICB program will fund two types of projects:

• Retrofits, repairs and upgrades to existing community buildings: Retrofits are changes to an existing building/asset that seek to renovate, upgrade, or repair aspects of the building/asset in a manner that improves environmental outcomes. Retrofits must be to a facility that is accessible to the public and that will provide non-commercial services to the community.
• The construction of new community buildings: New builds must be of a building/asset that is open and accessible to the public and that will provide non-commercial services to the community.

Eligibility Criteria

• Funding under the GICB program will be provided directly by Infrastructure Canada to recipients at the local community level. Eligible applicants include:
  • A municipal or regional government established by or under provincial or territorial statute;
  • A provincial or territorial government;
  • A public sector body that is established by or under provincial or territorial statute or by regulation or is wholly-owned by a province, territory, municipal or regional government, including, but not limited to:
    • Municipally-owned corporations (e.g. autonomous organizations owned by municipalities, used to produce or deliver local public services outside the local bureaucracy, such as water management, economic development or tourism agencies);
    • A provincial or territorial organization that delivers municipal services (e.g. public utilities, community health services, economic development bodies); and
    • Any other form of local governance that exists outside of the municipality description (e.g. local service districts);
• Federally or provincially incorporated not-for-profit organizations and registered charities;
• Indigenous recipients:
  • Indigenous Governing Body, including the following:
    • A band council within the meaning of section 2 of the Indian Act;
    • A First Nation, Inuit or Métis government or authority established pursuant to a Self-Government Agreement or a Comprehensive Land Claim Agreement between Her Majesty the Queen in right of Canada and an Indigenous people of Canada, that has been approved, given effect and declared valid by federal legislation;
    • A First Nation, Inuit or Métis government that are established by or under legislation whether federal or provincial that incorporates a governance structure;
  • A federally or provincially incorporated not-for-profit organization whose primary mandate is to serve Indigenous peoples (e.g. Friendship centres, aboriginal women’s associations); and
  • Not-for-profit Indigenous development corporations.
• Ineligible applicants include but are not limited to:
  • Commercial and for-profit organizations, including cooperatives
  • Individuals and private citizens
  • Federal entities, including federal Crown corporations
• To be considered eligible for funding, applicants must demonstrate that they have the required authority to undertake the project on the building/asset or land.

For more information, visit https://www.infrastructure.gc.ca/gicb-bcvi/index-eng.html#2