PETIT-ROCHER (GNB) – The provincial government, through the Environmental Trust Fund, has invested $80,000 in environmental projects in the Restigouche-Chaleur region.
“We are proud of the many innovative initiatives supported through the Environmental Trust Fund,” said Environment and Local Government Minister Serge Rousselle. “The fund is designed to benefit the province’s air, land, and water resources and to support sustainable development and the green economy.”
The announcement was hosted by the Association francophone des municipalités du Nouveau-Brunswick, which received $30,000 for its electric car-sharing pilot project in rural municipalities, Système d’autopartage avec véhicule électrique pour les municipalités en région (SAUVéR). With this two-year project, the association wants to test the viability of integrating electric cars and charging stations in municipalities. The goal is to determine how to establish an electric highway in New Brunswick, integrate electric vehicles in the province’s municipalities, and maximize the use of such vehicles by making it easier for users to share them.
“We are delighted to have the support of the provincial government for this major initiative, which will step up the efforts municipalities are making to reduce greenhouse gas emissions,” said the association’s new president, Luc Desjardins. “It is the infrastructure we put in place today and the decisions we make now that will enable us to help municipalities, and the entire province, adjust to the reality of climate change. Also, this project will create an opportunity to work on a new issue related to tourism development through the production of a map identifying charging station locations. This map will enable travellers from other provinces hoping to visit New Brunswick to charge their electric cars more efficiently through increased accessibility.”
In addition, the Chaleur Bay Watershed Group received $50,000 through the fund to clean and restore priority buffer zones, increase surveillance of at-risk zones, and conduct an environmental assessment.
The Environmental Trust Fund provides assistance to community groups, organizations, municipalities and institutions for projects that produce tangible, measurable benefits to the environment.
A total of 207 projects valued at $8 million have been approved under the fund in 2016-17.
More information, including the list of approved projects and initiatives, is available online.
20-10-16