In a bid to reduce pollution from the transportation sector to achieve its climate targets, the Government of Canada is making it possible for Canadians to purchase, charge and drive electric vehicles (EVs) in British Columbia and across the country.
According to a press release, on Thursday, May 5, the Honourable Jonathan Wilkinson, Minister of Natural Resources, announced a CA$1-million investment to the Community Energy Association to help facilitate the installation of around 90 EV chargers throughout BC’s Kootenay region.
This investment is funded through Natural Resources Canada’s Zero-Emission Vehicle Infrastructure Program (ZEVIP).
The Community Energy Association will choose recipients through a transparent process in accordance with the demand. The EV chargers will then be installed in public places, multi-unit residential buildings, on streets, workplaces, or facilities for servicing light-duty vehicle fleets by October 2023.
Since 2015, Canada has invested a historic CA$1 billion to make EVs more affordable and chargers more accessible for Canadians. These investments will help develop a coast-to-coast charging network in local areas where Canadians work, live, and play, while federal rebates up to CA$5,000 are helping more Canadians make the switch to an EV.
Budget 2022 seeks to invest an additional CA$1.7 billion to extend the government’s purchase incentive program until March 2025 and expand the types of vehicle models eligible under the program, including more vans, trucks, and SUVs.
In support of the government’s objective of adding 50,000 zero-emission vehicle (ZEV) chargers to Canada’s network, Budget 2022 also provides an additional CA$400 million to Natural Resources Canada for deploying ZEV infrastructure by extending the ZEVIP program to March 2027, complemented by CA$500 million that Canada’s Infrastructure Bank will invest in large-scale ZEV charging and refueling infrastructure that is revenue-generating and in the public interest.
These investments mark another effort to reach Canada’s target of ensuring all new passenger vehicles sold in Canada are zero-emission by 2035. And just like investments in everything from clean technology to nature protection, the announcement is part of achieving Canada’s ambitious climate change goals to build a cleaner, healthier and affordable future for all Canadians.
We’re making electric vehicles more affordable and charging more accessible where Canadians live, work and play. Investing in more EV chargers, like the ones announced today in British Columbia, will put more Canadians in the driver’s seat on the road to a net-zero future and help achieve our climate goals,” said the Honourable Jonathan Wilkinson, Minister of Natural Resources