Communities throughout British Columbia will share over $6.4 million in grants from the B.C. government’s Climate Action Revenue Incentive Program (CARIP), Community, Sport and Cultural Development Minister Peter Fassbender announced today.

CARIP is a conditional grant program that provides funding to B.C. local governments which signed the Climate Action Charter and commit to report publicly on their progress toward meeting their climate action goals. Local governments receive a CARIP grant equivalent to the full amount of direct carbon tax they pay in a year.

Since 2008, CARIP has granted over $39 million to B.C. local governments to help support communities in their efforts to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and work toward Climate Action Charter goals.

To see this year’s CARIP grants for specific local governments in B.C., visit: https://news.gov.bc.ca/files/BG_ClimateActionRevenueIncentiveProgram_Aug16.pdf

Quotes:

Community, Sport and Cultural Development Minister Peter Fassbender –

“The Climate Action Revenue Incentive Program continues to reward local governments for supporting British Columbia’s Climate Action Charter and helping to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Thank you to all the participants in this successful program, as well as all the local governments that made submissions to the Climate Leadership Plan.”

Environment Minister Mary Polak –

“Local governments can help achieve B.C.’s GHG emission reduction targets through their important role in land use planning, transportation, waste management and infrastructure development. Local governments have been key partners in the Province’s success in lowering greenhouse gas emissions while continuing to grow our economy. We will continue to work closely with communities throughout the province to build strong partnerships for climate collaboration.”

Quick Facts:

• Over 40% of all greenhouse gas emissions in British Columbia are under the influence of local governments.
• The Province and UBCM established the voluntary B.C. Climate Action Charter in 2007.
• 96% of local governments signed the charter, which commits them to be carbon neutral in their corporate operations, to measure their community-wide greenhouse gas emissions and to create complete, compact and energy efficient communities.
• The B.C. government returns 100% of carbon tax dollars to reporting local governments that have signed the charter.

Learn More:

For more information about Climate Action Revenue Incentive Program: http://www.cscd.gov.bc.ca/lgd/greencommunities/carip.htm

Check out the provincial government’s role in supporting communities, sport, arts and culture through the Ministry of Community, Sport and Cultural Development at: http://www.gov.bc.ca/cscd