The federal government has opened its wallet for a series of major projects in Saint John, all of which have green technology on the table.
The Saint John City Market and its new fieldhouse will share the $2.8 million coming from Canada’s Municipalities for Climate Innovation Program, or MCIP.
Roughly $1 million is going into an energy retrofit for the market that will incorporate a combination of renewable and energy efficient technologies.
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The fieldhouse in east Saint John will have $1.6 million invested in a storm water management project.
Federation of Canadian Municipalities First Vice-President Bill Karsten says combining new technology with historic buildings is a wise investment.
“When we build we have to build properly, but a lot of these assets we have in our communities across the country do need to be sustainable and do need this type of funding to accomplish the goals they have,” says Karsten.
The investment in the two projects is projected to save the city close to $50,000 in energy savings, and an additional $50,000 in maintenance costs yearly.
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An extensive overhaul of the market began in 2016 and is scheduled to wrap up in early 2020 at a total cost of $6 million.
The field house is a $26 million project, construction began this spring and it’s expected to be completed in early in 2019.