Writer: Lena Thompson
Sudbury is going to get a little greener with the announcement of 20 electric vehicle chargers for Cambrian College by the federal government. $100,000 in funding will be provided to the college through Natural Resources Canada’s Zero-Emission Vehicle Infrastructure Program (ZEVIP) and the college itself has put forward over $247,000 towards the project.
As more people plug into the idea of electric cars, Cambrian College’s interim president Shawn Poland said there will be an increase on campus.
“These new EV stations are part of our overall commitment to be a more sustainable campus with a smaller carbon footprint,” said Poland. “Initiatives like these help us be better stewards of the planet and our resources.”
These investments are part of Canada’s target of ensuring that all new passenger vehicles sold in Canada are zero-emission by 2035, the release states, and the funding aims to help achieve the country’s ambitious climate change goals.
“We’re making electric vehicles more affordable and charging more accessible where Canadians live, work and play. Investing in more EV chargers … will put more Canadians in the driver’s seat on the road to a net-zero future and help achieve our climate goals,” said Minister of Natural Resources Jonathon Wilkinson.
Since 2016 the federal government says it has invested $1 billion to make electric vehicles more affordable and chargers more accessible and the release states these investments support the establishment of a “coast-to-coast” network of chargers in local areas.
Natural Resources Canada also noted that the federal budget for 2022 provided ZEVIP with an additional $400 million, and Canada’s Infrastructure Bank will invest $500 million to deploy an additional 50,000 electric vehicle chargers by 2027.
Budget 2022 also allocated almost $4 billion over eight years to implement the Canadian Critical Minerals Strategy, promoting the development of critical minerals resources and value chains for clean technology and advanced manufacturing, supporting the transition to a low-carbon economy.
“Through their use in electric vehicles and electric vehicle charging infrastructure, critical minerals play an important role in achieving Canada’s climate targets and reducing emissions in the transportation sector,” said Viviane Lapointe, MP for Sudbury.
“Today’s announcement is another example of how we are supporting Sudbury’s ongoing leadership in the global transformation to net zero.”
