Government of Canada invests carbon-pollution-pricing proceeds to improve energy efficiency in New Brunswick schools

Since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, students have shown great resilience while studying from home, virtually connecting with their friends and family, and following local public-health guidelines to keep their communities safe. Through the Climate Action Incentive Fund, the Government of Canada is providing cleaner, more energy-efficient classrooms for students as they safely return to school.

Today, the President of the Queen’s Privy Council for Canada and Minister of Intergovernmental Affairs, the Honourable Dominic LeBlanc, on behalf of the Minister of Environment and Climate Change, the Honourable Jonathan Wilkinson, and New Brunswick’s Minister of Transportation and Infrastructure, the Honourable Jill Green, announced that the federal government will provide approximately $2 million through the Climate Action Incentive Fund to help schools in New Brunswick cut pollution and save money on their energy bills.

Through this funding, students in five schools in New Brunswick will benefit from cleaner air, better insulation, newer heating and cooling systems, and other energy-efficiency projects. For example, Priestman Street School, in Fredericton, will receive $647,000 to install energy-recovery ventilators and improve its insulation; Woodstock High School, in Woodstock, will receive $520,000 to improve ventilation-control systems and its insulation; and École Sainte-Anne, in Fredericton, will receive $500,000 to upgrade its heating system and ventilation-control systems. Through these investments, students and teachers will enjoy a cleaner, more comfortable learning environment.

This funding comes from proceeds from the federal carbon-pollution-pricing system, which invests in projects that cut pollution, save money, and create jobs. All proceeds raised from the system go directly back to the jurisdictions from which they were collected. Approximately 90 percent of revenues go back to families through a Climate Action Incentive payment, and the other 10 percent is invested in pollution-reduction projects—such as these ones—proposed by municipalities, universities, schools, and hospitals. The majority of families received more money back than they paid.

To build on this announcement, the Government of Canada put forward a plan in the recently announced Fall Economic Statement to help families improve the energy efficiency of their homes by providing grants of up to $5,000 to help install new windows and LED light bulbs and improve insulation. This new measure will create good middle-class jobs and boost the economic resiliency of New Brunswick’s economy while lowering pollution and helping to fight climate change.