Waterloo community centre tapped for $3M retrofit
A community centre in Waterloo is the latest recipient of federal infrastructure funding.
Waterloo MP Bardish Chagger and Waterloo Mayor Dave Jaworsky announced nearly $3 million in combined funding to support retrofits to the city’s Albert McCormick Community Centre on June 28.
The centre is a 70,000-square foot facility that provides a multitude of open and accessible spaces and services. It houses a branch of the Waterloo Public Library, an arena, and gathering areas used to support a variety of recreational, athletic and educational programming.
The funding will be used to retrofit the facility to improve energy efficiency and reduce emissions through lighting and building envelope upgrades. These improvements will reduce the facility’s energy consumption by an estimated 31 percent and greenhouse gas emissions by 101 tonnes annually.
Work will include improvements to the space housing the ice rink, making it functional year-round. Funding will also support improved accessibility and inclusivity of the facility through the addition of accessible stalls in each existing washroom and the addition of a universal washroom.
"This grant is another tangible way the City of Waterloo is advancing projects that enhance the quality of life in our city,” said Jaworsky. “Albert McCormick Community Centre is an important community hub, and these enhancements make it an even more welcoming facility while operating in a more environmentally-friendly manner. This project reflects two of the strategic priorities established by this council at the beginning of its term; equity, inclusion and a sense of belonging, and sustainability and the environment.”
The Government of Canada is investing over $2.3 million for this project through the Green and Inclusive Community Buildings (GICB) program, while the City of Waterloo is providing nearly $600,000.
The project is being funded through GICB’s rolling intake for small and medium retrofit projects, ranging in total eligible cost from $100,000 to $2,999,999. The $1.5-billion program supports green and accessible retrofits, repairs or upgrades of existing public community buildings and the construction of new publicly accessible community buildings that serve high-needs, underserved communities across Canada.
The program is designed in part to help the Government of Canada reach its emissions reduction targets by 2030 and its net-zero objectives by 2050.
Applicants with large retrofit projects to existing community buildings or new community building projects with total eligible costs ranging from $3 million to $25 million were accepted through a competitive intake process which closed on July 6, 2021.
A second intake is anticipated later this year.