The City of Guelph continues to support the switch to electric vehicles.
On Thursday, Guelph MP Lloyd Longfield was joined by Mayor Cam Guthrie to announce $100,000 from the government of Canada’s Zero Emission Vehicle Infrastructure Program.
The funding will be used to install 20 level two electric vehicle (EV) connectors throughout Guelph, about double the current number of charging stations.
The city is also providing $220,000 to the project, bringing the total cost to $320,000. That municipal contribution comes from money that had already been earmarked for a parking infrastructure fund.
In a release, the city said stations will be added to city-owned lots at popular, high-traffic destinations across Guelph. Some of the locations under consideration include:
- East and West parkades and downtown parking lots
- The West End Community Centre, the Victoria Road Recreation Centre, Exhibition Park Arena, Centennial Arena and the Evergreen Seniors Centre
- Guelph Public Library – Main Branch
- Riverside Park
- Parking lot at the Lawn Bowling Club
- Guelph Civic Museum
Guthrie said the project would further enable the community’s transition to clean energy transportation and help accomplish the city’s goal to achieve carbon neutrality by 2050.
“The people who live and work in Guelph are committed to innovation and sustainability; we are working together each and every day to use energy more responsibly and reduce our carbon footprint, even as our city continues to grow,” he said in a statement.
Installation of the new EV connectors is slated to begin this year and expected to be completed by the end of 2021.