A major constant at the root of many government programs over the last half decade or so has been driven by implementation of clean energy. This year’s federal budget, officially to be passed sometime in June, mimics previous advancements. In fact, over $9 billion under the 2030 Emissions Reduction Plan are delivered within the 2022-23 budget. These programs range as far as who they’re relevant for, but the goal remains the same; making it easier and more affordable for Canadians to embrace clean technologies.
Many of the programs mentioned throughout the budget ring familiar. There’s the Zero-Emission Vehicle Infrastructure Program. The objective of this program is to address the lack of charging and refueling stations in Canada by increasing the availability of localized charging and hydrogen refueling opportunities. Overall, the budget provides $400 million over five years for the program.
There’s the Smart Renewables and Electrification Pathways Program, which sees $922 million over four years, and has a specific focus on smart renewable energy and electric grid modernization projects. This program, in particular, has a keen interest in reducing greenhouse gas emissions in a major way by replacing fossil-fuel generated electricity with renewables that could provide essential grid services while supporting Canada’s equitable transition to an electrified economy. Then, there’s the Low Carbon Economy, which is a $2 billion investment that promotes clean growth. There are two streams found under the Low Carbon Economy Program: (1) the Low Carbon Economy Leadership Fund, and (2) the Low Carbon Economy Challenge.
The government has made it clear about where it has placed priorities. Key sectors are able to take advantage of the many programs currently available as well as the ones soon to be made available. One such sector, agriculture, features many programs with the hope of widespread technology adoption in order for sustainable and healthy growth.
Agricultural Clean Technology Program aims to create an enabling environment for the development and adoption of clean technology that will help drive the changes required to achieve a low-carbon economy and promote sustainable growth in Canada’s agriculture and agri-food sector. This program launched with the 2021 budget, but funds still exist, however, the Adoption Stream has recently closed due to high demand. The Research and Innovation Stream, which supports pre-market innovation that includes research, development, demonstration and commercialization activities as well as developing transformative clean technology and enabling the expansion of current technologies in three specific priorities areas that include green energy and energy efficiency: precision agriculture and bioeconomy.
As the budget alludes to, farmers continue to experience the various impacts of climate change through floods and draughts. There has been innovation happening with climate-friendly practices such as precision agriculture technology and low-till techniques, but there’s still room for improvement, which is why even more funding has been made available, all with the hopes of reducing greenhouse gas emissions on farms.
Funds include:
- $150 million for a resilient agricultural landscape program that supports carbon sequestration, adaptation while addressing other environmental cobenefits that will be further discussed with provinces and territories
- $100 million over six years to federal granting councils to support postsecondary research in developing technologies and crop varieties that will allow for net-zero emission agriculture
Overall, there’s a lot to uncover about the many initiatives the government continues to press. The commitment to these problems won’t slow down anytime soon. There are plenty of opportunities for businesses and corporations to make it easier to adopt clean technologies.
