Our Mayor, Dave Barrow and Paul Calandra, MP for Oak-Ridges-Markham, on Tuesday, July 27th, officially celebrated a new, environmentally friendly wind turbine and three solar panels that will help power the Town’s Richmond Green Sports Centre & Park.
The wind turbine and solar panels were funded entirely by the Government of Canada’s Gas Tax Fund.
“Investing in green energy is an investment into the well-being and sustainability of communities across the country,” said MP Calandra. “The newly constructed wind turbine and solar panels represent Richmond Hill’s commitment to help meet its greenhouse gas emissions reduction target, and is an excellent example of what federal programs such as the Gas Tax Fund are designed to achieve.”
The total construction cost of the wind turbine and the solar panel was $148,500, all of which was funded by the federal Gas Tax Fund.
“Richmond Hill continues to be a leader in promoting and implementing energy-efficient practices, technologies and alternative sources of power thanks to grants like this from the Government of Canada,” said Mayor Dave Barrow. “This wind turbine has not only been an effective green initiative in helping offset our grid energy use, but it is also a great visual reminder to all who use the park that Richmond Hill cares about its environment.”
Overall, Richmond Hill has allocated almost $6.1 million of federal Gas Tax funding since 2005 to projects that improve the energy efficiency of buildings, such as:
- the LEED upgrade of the Town’s new Oak Ridges Community Centre currently under construction
- geothermal heating and cooling at the Richmond Hill Centre for the Performing Arts
- solar heating of local swimming pools.
