The Federation of Canadian Municipalities (FCM) today announced the winners of its 2014 Sustainable Communities Awards, as part of its Sustainable Communities Conference and Trade Show (SCC) in Charlottetown, PE. The awards recognize innovation and excellence in municipal sustainable development across Canada in six categories: brownfields, energy, neighbourhood development, transportation, waste and water.
“Tonight’s winners have displayed great energy and dedication in their efforts to protect the environment”, said Claude Dauphin, FCM President and Mayor of the Montréal Borough of Lachine, QC. “While there are many municipalities across Canada that deserve to be commended for their innovative work in this area, the winning communities and their projects are the gold standard.”
The diverse list of winners range from big cities, like Vancouver, to smaller, more remote northern communities like Iqaluit.
“The winning projects and communities, as well as the runners up, have several things in common, not the least of which is a bold vision,” added Raymond Louie, chair of the Green Municipal Fund (GMF) Council, and councillor for the City of Vancouver, BC. “Add to that effective partnerships and community engagement, as well as measurable targets.”
Three of the seven winning projects received support from FCM’s Green Municipal Fund. The Government of Canada endowed FCM with $550 million to establish the Fund, which provides funding and knowledge to municipal governments and their partners for municipal environmental projects, such as the ones being honored tonight.
The winners of the 2014 FCM Sustainable Communities Awards are:
Brownfields
• Town of Smithers, BC (Main Street Smithers: Brownfields to Public Square)
Energy
• City of Guelph, ON (City of Guelph Community Energy Initiative)
Neighbourhood Development
• Plan: City of Iqaluit, NU (Iqaluit Sustainable Community Plan)
• Project: City of Toronto, ON (Corktown Common)
Transportation
• City of Vancouver, BC (Electric Vehicle Charging Infrastructure Implementation Program)
Waste
• City of Surrey, BC (The Rethink Waste Collection Program)
Water
• City of Mississauga, ON (Elm Drive Right-of-Way Retrofit)
Videos and case studies for each award-winning project are available on the FCM website.
2014 Sustainable Awards — Honourable Mentions:
Energy
• Borough of Saint-Laurent, Montréal, QC (LED Street Lighting Project)
Neighbourhood Development
• City of Dieppe, NB (Sustainable Community Design for Le Village en Haut du Ruisseau)
For additional background information, please consult the links below on the FCM website: