Studies to plan energy-efficient new municipal buildings

The project must be in a community with 10,000 people or fewer, or in the North: the three territories and Statistics Canada’s designated northern parts of Newfoundland and Labrador, Quebec, Ontario, Manitoba, Saskatchewan, Alberta and British Columbia. Every building must be wholly owned by a municipality or eligible Indigenous community. Canadian municipalities can apply; businesses, municipal corporations, organizations delivering municipal services, nonprofits, NGOs and research institutes can apply as municipal partners. An Indigenous community can lead through a municipal partnership or a shared-service agreement with a Canadian municipality concerning infrastructure, climate change or adaptation.

Eligible uses include municipal offices, police stations, libraries, indoor sports facilities, recreation and cultural centres. A new fire hall, ambulance/paramedic centre or public-works facility must be part of a multipurpose building containing at least one other eligible use; residential buildings do not qualify. Discuss conversions and additions with GMF to determine whether they are treated as new construction or retrofits.

Model the proposed design and a reference version of the same building that meets the standard construction requirements of the National Energy Code of Canada for Buildings 2020 (NECB 2020). Office-like buildings have climate-zone targets for annual energy use and heating demand per square metre. Non-office buildings must use at least 25% less energy than their code baseline, with heating demand no higher than the baseline. If one building type occupies at least 75% of floor area, use that type’s rules; otherwise use targets weighted by floor area. Do not deduct renewable generation from energy use. Include heat losses at structural connections and parkade energy use, but exclude parkade floor area from these calculations.

In climate zones 4, 5, 6 and 7A, buildings must have zero operational emissions from fossil-fuel use. In zones 7B and 8, fossil-fuel space heating is permitted only as backup heating when outdoor temperatures fall below −15°C. If backup is needed during power outages, first analyse a generator powering the building, including its electric heating. The generator may use fossil fuel, but only during power failures. A fossil-fuel heating backup scenario may be added only if that arrangement is insufficient; retain the electric-heating scenario and explain why it cannot meet emergency heating needs.

Assess embodied carbon—the emissions associated with building materials over their life cycle—and demonstrate at least a 10% reduction against a building with the same function. Follow the national whole-building life-cycle guide for the structure and enclosure, including foundations, structural frame, exterior walls, roofs and floors, covering production, construction, use-stage material impacts and end of life. If you calculate impacts of biogenic carbon—carbon naturally stored in biological materials—report them separately without counting them toward the reduction. Other building systems may be assessed separately. A registered architect or professional engineer with at least three years’ embodied-carbon assessment experience must do the analysis; an early-stage assessment is acceptable.

Plan for indoor drinking-water use more than 20% below a baseline. Assess who may benefit or face burdens, barriers and mitigation strategies, using locally relevant equity information. Include a climate-risk assessment and address identified risks if the planned new infrastructure exceeds CAD 2 million; it is optional at CAD 2 million or below. For the planned building construction, use the most recent floodplain map: the building must be outside the 100-year floodplain unless protection can be demonstrated. This is the area exposed to a flood level with a 1% chance of occurring or being exceeded in any year.

Status

Nabór ciągły

Ograniczenia naboru

• Only communities of 10,000 people or fewer, or Northern communities. Year-round subject to available funds; approval may be deferred to the next fiscal year.

Applications are accepted year-round until funds are allocated; approval may be deferred to the next fiscal year, beginning 1 April. Discuss the project with GMF at gmfinfo@fcm.ca or 1-877-417-0550, create an FCM funding-portal profile and submit a pre-application. If invited, submit the full application, workbook and supporting documents. An invitation does not guarantee funding, and consultants cannot sign the declaration or submit on the applicant’s behalf.

Provide evidence of municipal support, a team chart and résumés, and letters for confirmed funding. A nonmunicipal lead needs a municipal contact and partnership resolution attached to the pre-application, incorporation documents and CEO or CFO support. Municipal corporations must show their municipal relationship and mandate. Indigenous applicants provide a partnership resolution or the relevant shared-service agreement, according to their eligibility route. Funding need not all be confirmed at submission, but must be confirmed before the first payment.

Quebec municipalities and municipal corporations must have their pre-application approved by the ministère des Affaires municipales et de l’Habitation (MAMH). Submit through its municipal portal; MAMH checks compliance and forwards approved applications to GMF.

Study costs generally qualify only after GMF receives the full application. Up to CAD 5,000 for writing the application within 90 days before submitting it may qualify. Expenses must be reasonable, essential and invoiced to the applicant; follow the cost table’s expense-statement and external-audit rules and retain records for seven years after final payment. Payment documents include the completed study, final completion report, updated workbook with expense claim and confirmed funding sources, and payment request. Progress reports apply for multiple payments or when requested.