RDKB wins a 2020 Sustainable Communities Award
By Boundary Sentinel
The Regional District of Kootenay Boundary (RDKB) is pleased to announce it has been selected as a winner of a 2020 Sustainable Communities Award for exceptional work in the Visionary Award category for Accelerate Kootenays.
The awards honour and celebrate the most innovative environmental initiatives in cities and communities across Canada.
The announcement was made earlier Monday by FCM (Federation of Canadian Municipalities).
Accelerate Kootenays is Canada’s first community-driven, collaborative strategy to build a clean transportation network.
It is a two-year, $1.5 million initiative of the Regional Districts of East Kootenay, Central Kootenay and Kootenay Boundary with support from Columbia Basin Trust, the Federation of Canadian Municipalities, Teck, the Province of BC, FortisBC, BC Hydro, and Powertech Labs.
The project, facilitated by the Community Energy Association, is creating an electric vehicle (EV) charging station network so EV travel to and within south eastern BC is convenient and reliable.
“On behalf of our board of directors and our staff I want to thank the Federation for recognizing the RDKB for Accelerate Kootenays,” said Diane Langman, Chair, Regional District of Kootenay Boundary Board of Directors.
“It is a real honour and shows that a small regional government can take the most meaningful action to reduce our carbon footprint when we work in tandem with our provincial and federal partners as well as industry, utilities and regional organizations. Way to go team.”
Electric vehicle chargers installed as part of the project are now available in the RDKB in Rock Creek, Midway, Greenwood, Grand Forks, Christina Lake, Rossland, Montrose and Fruitvale, with many more chargers available across neighbouring regional districts.
The RDKB is one of the 11 municipalities from across the country chosen by the Federation of Canadian Municipalities (FCM) for their outstanding efforts in one of nine categories: asset management, brownfields, climate change, energy, neighbourhoods, transportation, waste, water and a new category in honour of the Green Municipal Fund’s 20th anniversary.
Winners will each deliver a live, TED-talk-style presentation on their projects at FCM’s virtual Sustainable Communities Conference – held on October 20-22, 2020. Recipients in each category are also eligible for the Inspire Award, given to the most creative and innovative project following the conference.
“Local solutions—scaled up—deliver major national impact, like economic growth and the emission reductions Canada needs to meet its climate change goals,” said Bill Karsten, President of the Federation of Canadian Municipalities.
“Whether it is through improved energy efficiency, fewer greenhouse gas emissions or stronger local infrastructure, local governments get the job done efficiently and cost-effectively because they connect solutions to local needs and local realities.
This year’s FCM Sustainable Communities Award winners embody those principles of sustainability and collaboration. Moreover, they exemplify how municipal innovation can have concrete impacts and deliver for Canadians.”
The Sustainable Communities Awards is an initiative of FCM’s Green Municipal Fund, a $1 billion program, delivered through the Federation of Canadian Municipalities and funded by the Government of Canada.
