Ontario has plans to invest up to $900 million over four years for energy retrofits in the form of grants to social housing apartments and rebates for residential multi-tenant buildings.
As part of the Climate Change Action Plan, which was released June 8, the province has plans to invest up to $500 million to retrofit social housing apartments with energy efficient and renewable energy technologies. Indigenous social housing will also be eligible for retrofits under this program.
Ontario is also planning to help improve efficiency in private residential apartment buildings by investing up to $400 million in an incentive program that will offer rebates or grants toward the purchase and installation of energy efficient technologies, such as boiler replacement and lighting retrofits.
“These initiatives expand on our recent efforts through the Green Investment Fund to bring upgrades to older, energy inefficient social housing buildings to reduce energy costs and better serve tenants, while helping Ontario meet the climate challenges of today and tomorrow. This investment will help our province reduce greenhouse gas emissions while enhancing the quality of life of low-income Ontarians,” said Ted McMeekin, former minister of municipal affairs and housing. Editor’s note: McKeekin resigned from cabinet but will remain MPP for the Hamilton-area riding of Ancaster-Dundas-Flamborough-Westdale.
To ensure that carbon pricing does not negatively impact tenants, and that private building owners take advantage of the retrofit programs, the province will also consult on and develop options to make it illegal to pass these costs onto tenants.
