HomeMy WebLinkAboutEnd of Ontario green school repair fund costs Ottawa board $5M - - 07/11/2018 - - 07/11/20187/12/2018 End of Ontario green school repair fund costs Ottawa board $51M I CBC News
44®00 CBC
End of Ontario green school repair fund costs Ottawa board
$5M
$100M had been allocated for Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund province -wide
CIBC News • IPosted: dull 11, 201 10:08 AM ET 1I ILast Updated� Dully 11
The Ottawa -Caideton IDiistiriict Schod IBoalyd was using the Greenhouse Gas IReductiloin IFUnd to
irelpllace Iliiglhts, Irelpaiir Iheafing systems and Install sollair 1painells at schools, (Daininy Gllobelrirnaln/CIBC)
The cancellation of an Ontario school repair fund will leave Ottawa's English public
school board short $5 million for planned energy efficient renovations.
The new Ontario PC government has cancelled the $100 -million Greenhouse Gas
Reduction Fund program, which was funded by the province's cap -and -trade carbon
pricing system.
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7/12/2018 End of Ontario green school repair fund costs Ottawa board $51VI I CBC News
Michael Carson, chief financial officer of the Ottawa -Carleton District School Board,
said the fund freed up money for other repairs by covering energy efficient projects.
"Our board has a backlog of this kind of work of about $700 million, so it's
discouraging to see the $5 million removed out of our funding stream, but we think
we can manage it over the next 18 months," Carson told CBC News.
• Ontariogovernment cancels $100M schoorepair fund
• ANALYSIS What the carbon pricing
The maintenance budget for this year is now roughly $60 million, to chip away at the
backlog of repairs including plumbing, paving and electrical work.
Without the $5 million in funding, time board is now trying to decide wNclh of its outdoor lighting
and sonar panel) projects are feasible, said Miichaell Carson, chiieffiiinanciiall officer of the Ottawa. -
Carleton IDiistlrict School) IBoalyd. 0:44
Malaka Hendela, co-chair of the Ottawa -Carleton Assembly of School Councils, said
she's concerned parents will have to raise money to make up the difference since it
isn't clear whether the funding will be replaced.
"Our schools are hot. Our schools are old in some parts of the city," she said. "This
money probably would've helped improve the soundness of these buildings and to
remove it will have an impact."
Lighting, solar panels
Carson said projects were prioritized to meet the deadline for the school repair fund,
which was spring 2019.
"Much of the work was upgrading lighting systems outside, because we could get
that work done quickly. A lot of it was the solar panels on the roof," he said.
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7/12/2018 End of Ontario green school repair fund costs Ottawa board $5M I CBC News
"While those certainly improve our efficiency as a board and they reduce our
operating cost, they don't have as big an impact on the classroom."
Projects on the OCDSB's list to get done in June also included HVAC upgrades and
electric vehicle charging stations for the administration building and Stittsville depot.
Carson said the board will be working with the province to recover costs for
engineering assessments and will be shuffling the remaining work to see what can
be paid for with other funding.
'Orderly wind -down'
The Ottawa Catholic School Board, meanwhile, said it found out July 5 that it wouldn't
receive $1.517 million in repair funding for the upcoming school year.
Premier Doug Ford's spokesperson, Simon Jefferies, wrote in an emailed statement
that Ford received "a strong mandate to end the cap -and -trade system and the slush
fund that went along with it."
"To ensure an orderly wind -down of programs funded through the cap -and -trade
carbon tax, the government will honour arrangements where contracts have already
been signed and orders have already been made," the statement said.
"Decisions to continue any specific initiatives will be made on a case-by-case basis."
With files from the Canadian Press
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7/12/2018 End of Ontario green school repair fund costs Ottawa board $5M I CBC News
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