Govt. Of Canada Plans Bioenergy Funding

The Government of Canada and its Natural Resources wing announced nearly $13 million in funding for six projects in Northern Ontario:

• $1,670,000 to Askii Environmental Inc. to install biomass heating systems in Kitchenuhmay­koosib Inninuwug and Pikangikum First Nation, which will offset the fossil fuel used to heat schools in these communities.
• $2,452,750 to Wikwemikong Development Commission to demonstrate the effectiveness of forest-based biomass and efficient residential heating sources in Wikwemikong Unceded Territory through the installation of pellet stoves, biomass boilers, wood pellet furnaces and wood pellet storage silos.
• $2,532,000 to the Nishnawbe Aski Nation to replace existing wood stove heating appliances in six of the nation’s communities with upgraded high-efficiency wood stoves, which will reduce fossil fuel heating use by lowering demand on the community’s diesel-generated electricity supply.
• $1,051,000 to Bingwi Neyaashi Anishinaabek to replace the community’s sawmill diesel heat source with a biomass system and to install biomass-compatible heating systems in three new housing units in preparation for future biomass heating expansion, which will demonstrate the economic development benefits and cost-effectiveness of biomass heating.
• $4,168,000 to Sagatay Cogeneration Lt. Partnership to develop engineering plans for a biomass cogeneration system, which, once constructed, would reduce the community’s dependence on diesel fuel for heat and electricity.
• $983,000 to Wahgoshig First Nation to install a forest-based biomass heating system for four community buildings, which will reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

These projects will help Indigenous communities reduce their reliance on fossil fuels, decrease emissions and demonstrate the efficiency and cost-effectiveness of biomass heating, according to the government. Funding these initiatives will also increase local Indigenous economic development by providing an opportunity to participate in the bioeconomy by using renewable sources of heat, all while creating local employment.

Funding for these projects comes from the Clean Energy for Rural and Remote Communities Program: BioHeat Stream. The six-year, $220 million program aims to reduce reliance on diesel in rural and remote communities by deploying and demonstrating renewable energy, encouraging energy efficiency and building local skills and capacity. It is part of the Government of Canada’s Investing in Canada infrastructure plan, which is investing more than $180 billion over 12 years in public transit projects, green infrastructure, social infrastructure, trade and transportation routes and Canada’s rural and northern communities.