Community Buildings Retrofit initiative

Canadian communities own and operate a large and diverse portfolio of aging community buildings in need of upgrades—including facilities that contribute to strong, vibrant community culture, like arenas, pools and recreation centres.

The Green Municipal Fund’s (GMF) Community Buildings Retrofit (CBR) initiative supports local governments and not-for-profit organizations in retrofitting community buildings to improve energy performance, lower operating and maintenance costs, and transition to cleaner energy solutions over time.

The CBR funding offer supports all stages of project development, helping communities of all sizes to significantly reduce GHG emissions, while extending their asset’s life cycle. CBR can help your municipality achieve the following:

improve energy performance and significantly reduce greenhouse gas emissions
create local jobs in your municipality and reduce operating costs
better building quality and greater community use

FCM’s Community Buildings Retrofit initiative is delivered through our Green Municipal Fund and funded by the Government of Canada.

Available funding

We provide support throughout the life cycle of a community building retrofit project. Further details on eligible costs are provided on individual funding pages.

Study: Green Buildings Pathway

Assess the feasibility to support near-term and long-term projects that reduce energy and GHGs, extend asset life and reduce cost of ownership for local recreational and cultural facilities.

Capital project: GHG impact retrofit

Retrofit a local recreational or cultural facility to reduce GHG emissions. Finance your upgrade with capital project funding.

Capital project: Green Buildings Pathway retrofit

Retrofit a local recreational or cultural facility, or group of facilities, using an outcomes-oriented approach to achieving near-net zero carbon buildings over time. Finance your upgrade with capital project funding.

What is a municipal building?

A municipal building is a workplace that is:

- Owned by a municipal government.
- Primarily used by administrative or service staff to carry out their duties to the public.
- Not necessarily accessible to the public, but may have a public interface.

What is a community building?

A community building is an enclosed public place or an enclosed workplace that is:

- Primarily used to deliver athletic, recreational, cultural and community programs or services to the local community.
- Widely accessible to everyone, offering services that enhance the health and well-being, skills development and economic development of individuals and communities.

Are you seeking guidance to you get the most of your CBR initiative?

GMF now offers a new CBR Advisory Service and is intended to help municipalities maximize the potential of their CBR project by matching them to industry leaders who understand best practices in energy retrofits of community buildings and who can help municipalities achieve their energy goals.

Learn more here.