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Environmental impact

Environmental targets are still the main pillar in GMF’s triple-bottom-line approach to all our funding initiatives. In the past two decades, we’ve made significant impacts in all our target sectors:

GHG reductions

2.82

megatonnes of GHG emissions avoided.

Energy savings

882,531

GJ of energy savings per year.

Wastewater and drinking water treated

279,451,798

cubic metres of water treated per year.

Water saved

653,136

cubic metres of water saved per year.

Waste diverted from landfill

224,217

tonnes of waste diverted per year.

Media managed

191,768

cubic metres of media (soil, groundwater and sediment) managed.

Land reclaimed

94

hectares of land reclaimed.

Solid waste treated

34,675

cubic metres of waste treated.

Equivalent to taking 865,031 cars off the road for a year or planting 3.3 million acres of boreal forest.

Equivalent to the average annual energy consumption for 163 arenas.

Equivalent to 121,501 Olympic-size swimming pools.

Equivalent to the annual amount of potable water consumed by 7,121 average people.

Equivalent to 20,269 full-sized school buses.

Equivalent to 4,900 shipping containers.

Equivalent to 158 football fields.

Equivalent to 15 Olympic-sized swimming pools.

Social impact

GMF’s offerings benefit entire communities, including vulnerable populations. Social benefits like increased access to affordable housing, strengthened community programs and improved public health help communities to thrive.

Here are some of the ways GMF-funded projects have helped build stronger communities:

Community centres, cultural centres and libraries
  • 19 capital projects
  • $55,482,578 disbursed
  • Social benefits reported:
    • Better quality of life
    • Stronger community ties
    • Heightened cultural vitality
    • Preservation of heritage
    • Support for educational activities
    • More local employment and volunteer positions
Recreation centres, pools and ice rinks
  • 13 capital projects
  • $41,388,566 disbursed
  • Social benefits reported:
    • Promotion of public health through physical activity
    • Improved local quality of life
    • Increased economic growth through events and visitors
Affordable housing (new builds and retrofits of existing units)
  • 4 capital projects
  • $6,776,955 disbursed
  • Social benefits reported:
    • More welcoming places to live, work and start a business
    • Help in addressing poverty
    • More security and comfort for vulnerable populations
    • Retention of workers and attraction of newcomers
    • Enriched neighbourhoods that drive economic growth
Active transportation (pathways for cyclists and pedestrians)
  • 3 capital projects
  • $12,600,000 disbursed
  • Social benefits reported:
    • Improved public health through physical activity
    • Improved public safety
    • Boosted community pride

Economic Impact

Building sustainable communities is good for the economy. From creating local jobs to driving operational efficiencies that help municipalities stretch tax dollars, the return on GMF investments has always been unmatched.

Using the Local Economic Development (LED) model, we’ve calculated the economic impact of our investments in plans, studies, pilots and capital projects:

•    $1.4 billion of national GDP 
•    12,179 person-years of national employment 
•    $639 million of national wages and salaries paid to households 

Find out more about GMF’s impact in our Annual Report