SMART

Electric Mobility Canada (EMC) applauds the federal government on the ecoENERGY Innovation Initiative recently announced by the Honourable Joe Oliver, Minister of Natural Resources. The $97-million program will invest in the electrification of transportation through electric vehicle (EV) charging stations, covering 50% of costs.

The program’s objective is to support energy technology innovation to produce and use energy in a cleaner and more efficient way. This initiative is a key component of the Government of Canada’s actions to achieve real emissions reductions, while maintaining Canada’s economic advantage and its ability to create jobs for Canadians. It will also help in the search for long-term solutions to reduce and eliminate air pollutants from energy production and use.

Al Cormier, President and CEO of EMC indicated that various EMC members that deal with this infrastructure aspect should be greatly encouraged to take advantage of this new federal announcement. “It will help Canadians take advantage of alternative methods of transportation. Promoting the electric mobility community, be it business, universities or individuals, is paramount to giving Canadian a choice in the energy used for their transportation needs, ” said Cormier.

EMC members represent a large value chain of electric drive, vehicle and equipment manufacturers, energy providers, component suppliers, research institutions, government agencies and end users that will take part in the development of this initiative.

Read the full article at http://www.emc-mec.ca/eng/pdf/EMC_PressRelease_Aug8_EN.pdf

Author: Philip Langdon

With the Canadian federal election scheduled for May 2, the Council for Canadian Urbanism presents a 10-point program to officials and candidates across the country.

An open letter to to the leadership of Canada’s federal political parties was sent Thursday to all of Canada’s provincial premiers and big-city mayors. It was issued by the Council for Canadian Urbanism (CanU), an urbanist group that was founded in 2009 by what is in many respects the Canadian equivalent of the Congress for the New Urbanism.

“Over 80 percent of Canadians live and work in urban settings, and expect the major political parties to address the pressing needs of Canadian cities in their platforms,” said CanU’s Board of Directors, which consists of planners, urban designers, architects, and academics from across Canada.

Issues that affect cities include “economic resiliency, climate change mitigation and adaptation, energy security and self-sufficiency, traffic congestion with few alternatives to driving, changing national demographics, and the growing costs of health care and preventable health issues,” the Board said.

Read the full article at http://newurbannetwork.com/article/canadian-urbanists-inject-their-issues-national-election-14417