NEW – Federal: CPA sees important role for industry to work with Canadian municipalities
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As municipalities across Canada look to develop projects that will result in reducing GHGs, the CPA believes there can be an important role for Canada’s propane industry to play in partnering in those efforts.
Recently, the Federation of Canadian Municipalities (FCM) issued a report called: Building back better together. The document outlines proposals for post COVID-19 that will provide important investment opportunities while at the same time reduce Canada’s carbon footprint.
In a letter to FCM President Garth Frizzell, CPA Chair Nancy Borden indicated that upon reviewing the FCM report, the CPA “believes there are exciting opportunities for our industry members to work with local governments to help make the air, land and water in our communities cleaner. Whether that’s reducing toxins and emissions in school bus, police or municipal fleets or helping folks switch from carbon intense fuels such as heating oil and diesel, low-emission propane checks all the boxes.”
Borden highlighted that throughout Canada, including in many rural, Indigenous and remote communities, heating oil, diesel and other carbon intense fuels are often used for heating. The use of low-emission propane provides for a safe, clean and affordable solution to their heating needs.
In addition, low-emission propane is an excellent energy solution for such applications as back-up generation for wind and solar projects or to replace carbon intense fuels for agriculture irrigation and new building construction.
Retrofitting existing facilities as proposed under the new federal government’s $1 billion Rapid Housing Initiative (RHI) would provide an important opportunity for Canadian municipalities to work with Canada’s propane industry to reduce GHGs. As Borden noted in her letter to Frizzell, “from furnaces, on-demand hot water, fireplaces, in-floor heating, generators, fridges and stoves, any home anywhere can run on its own and operate efficiently with propane.”
The FCM report also recommended launching a social housing construction program. Included in that recommendation is 20,000 community housing units for Indigenous people. Low-emission propane would be an excellent replacement fuel for heating oil and diesel in many Indigenous communities.
The CPA received very positive response and will be following up to discuss opportunities based on the many advantages of propane and how it can play an important role as municipalities look to find affordable and effective ways to reduce the carbon footprint in their communities.
