THUNDER BAY – The province will spend $12.35 million over the next five year to improve energy efficiency at social housing complexes run by the Thunder Bay District Social Services Administration Board.
Muncipal Affairs Minister Bill Mauro said the money will come directly from Ontario’s Climate Change Action Plan, specifically the carbon market.
The repairs and retrofits will improve the lives of those living in DSSAB-run facilities, and will include improved heating and insulation as well as window replacement, Mauro said.
“Not only will our housing providers have more energy-efficient buildings, their utility costs will go down. It will create jobs in the community, but then they’ll have more room in their budgets to provide other services to the people they work on behalf of,” the minister said.
Bob Katajamaki, chair of the DSSAB board, said the announcement will allow them to upgrade their buildings and make it easier and more comfortable for their tenants to live.
It will also speed up timelines.
“We’ve got buildings that are requiring a lot of capital. We have capital, but this will enhance our building capital programs and we can go ahead faster,” Katajamaki said on Friday after the announcement was made at Paterson Court, a DSSAB-run apartment complex on May Street.
“It will provide new windows in a lot of the buildings, heating systems and outside skin on some of the buildings so we won’t have heat loss.”
He added similar work, combined with an agreement with a gas provider, saved the DSSAB $500,000 annually.
