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EDMONTON GATHERS INFORMATION ON LARGE BUILDING ENERGY USE The City of Edmonton has become the first municipality in Canada to track the energy efficiency of its large buildings. The city has launched a three-year pilot called Large Building Energy Reporting and Disclosure . The program asks own- ers to share information about their large buildings — those with more than 20,000 square feet of floor space — and offers incentives for improving energy efficiency. The city estimates that large buildings produce 38 per cent of the city’s green- house gas emissions and represent 42 of its energy consumption. A 10 per cent reduction in energy use by just one of the estimated 4,500 large buildings could have the same effect as taking 22 cars off the road.
GO LARGE A voluntary pilot program in Edmonton gathers information on large buildings.
GROUND-BREAKING IS SEVERAL YEARS AWAY FOR EDMONTON’S NEXT HOSPITAL Edmonton continues to be among the fastest growing cities in Canada, and much of the growth is happening in its southwest quadrant. Growth equals demand, of course — and there’s lots of it for more health care facilities. During the summer, the province announced a new hospital for the burgeoning community of Heritage Valley. Ground won’t break until 2020, however, for the $400-million health campus, as it’s being called. The project is slated for a 320- acre site along Ellerslie Road, not far from Anthony Henday Drive and the Queen Elizabeth II Highway. Eventually, it will be served by the LRT, too. The comprehensive facility, with between 350 and 500 beds, will provide services geared towards emergencies, rehabilitation, addiction, mental health, and seniors' care. The province aims to complete the project within nine years.
SMALLER COMMUNITIES RECEIVE TRANSPORTATION FUNDING Not all the bridges, roads, and other transportation infrastructure on the Alberta horizon will be in the province’s major centres. Smaller locales, in fact, are receiving cash injections from the Government of Alberta for new construction projects that fall under the transportation infrastructure umbrella. The 2017 provincial budget allocates $100 million to the Strategic Transportation Infrastructure Program (STIP) . The funding will help rural communities build or upgrade roads, bridges, airports, and other transportation infrastructure. This year alone, STIP grants worth more than $37 million are supporting 87 municipal infrastruc- ture projects in 50 communities. The total eligible cost is $61.4 million, the contribution from municipalities $24.2 million. Among the projects are new paving at the Slave Lake Airport, improvements to the Cattle Ranch Road in the East Prairie Métis Settlement, and repairs or replacements of dozens of bridges and culverts around the province.
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