FCM’s Green Municipal Fund supports the City of Barrie’s expansion of the Water Pollution Control Centre

April 07, 2010

Barrie, Ont. – Berry Vrbanovic, Second Vice-President of the Federation of Canadian Municipalities (FCM) and councillor for the City of Kitchener. Ont., and Patrick Brown, member of Parliament for Barrie, today announced Green Municipal FundTM (GMF) loan and grant contributions for the City of Barrie. The city put the $2,400,000 in funding toward the expansion of the Water Pollution Control Centre to accommodate municipal growth and improve the quality of the water flowing out of the plant and into the environment.

“FCM’s Green Municipal Fund offers a range of resources and services that specifically address the sustainable community development needs of municipal governments,” said Berry Vrbanovic. “The financing and knowledge provided by the Fund supports the development of communities that are more environmentally, socially and economically sustainable.”

“The Government of Canada is assisting municipalities across the country in achieving their goal of a cleaner and healthier environment for Canadians through the Green Municipal Fund,” said Brown. ”Today’s announcement is another example of how our government — in partnership with FCM — is helping Barrie build a greener future for our citizens.”

Improving the city’s water processing capacity will contribute to the restoration of Kempenfelt Bay and Lake Simcoe, and support future growth and development in the area. Specifically, the project will expand the plant’s capacity for water pumping, biological treatment, solids separation, disinfection, sludge digestion and use of biogas. 

With these upgrades, the city will improve the quality of the water flowing out of the plant; reducing the amount of phosphorus in the wastewater by 17 per cent, maintaining acceptable levels of ammonia in the wastewater and reducing suspended solids by 11 per cent. An added benefit is the use of biogas for onsite generation of electricity, which will reduce energy requirements by up to 40 per cent.

This project is the first phase of Barrie’s long-term wastewater treatment strategy, a multi-pronged approach that includes reducing water consumption in the front end and expanding treatment capacity at the back end. 

“We are pleased with the continued support from the Federal Government and FCM.   Today’s announcement for a $2 million dollar loan and the $400,000 grant further helps Barrie to position our city at the forefront of Environmental Issues,” says Barrie Mayor Dave Aspden

The Green Municipal Fund is an endowment financed by the Government of Canada and managed by FCM. The Fund supports partnerships and leveraging of both public and private-sector funding to reach higher standards of air, water and soil quality, and climate protection.

FCM has been the national voice of municipal governments since 1901. It fosters the development of sustainable communities to improve quality of life by promoting strong, effective, and accountable municipal government.