Federal investment creates local jobs, promotes environmental conservation

VAUGHAN — Young people across southern Ontario will have greater opportunities to become inspired and learn how to protect the environment thanks to a new project underway at Earth Rangers.  The Honourable Peter Kent, Minister of State of Foreign Affairs (Americas), on behalf of the Honourable Gary Goodyear, Minister of State for the Federal Economic Development Agency for Southern Ontario, visited the work site on January 7th. The project is allowing the Rangers to expand their facilities and create jobs because of support from the federal government. 

“Our government is working quickly to stimulate the economy and create jobs in York Region and across the province,” said Minister Kent. “We are pleased to partner with Earth Rangers to expand its unique environmental education program, which teaches Canadian children how to be environmentally conscious.” 

“This funding will allow us to expand our facility to accommodate the growth we are experiencing in our programs, and ultimately expand across the country,” said Peter Kendall, Executive Director of Earth Rangers. “We are already reaching several hundred thousand children across Ontario about the importance of adopting more sustainable behaviours; this investment will help us to ‘walk our talk’ by allowing the Earth Rangers Center to stay at the leading edge of sustainable building design.”   

In addition to the installation of a geothermal heating and cooling system, solar panel and building automation system, this federal investment will allow  Earth Rangers to expand its animal housing, parking lot, cafeteria, waste water treatment facility and washrooms.

The Government of Canada is providing up to $2.5 million to this project through the Community Adjustment Fund (CAF) in southern Ontario and the Earth Rangers Foundation, a registered charity located in Vaughan, Ontario, and its partners are providing up to $2,036,000.

An investment of more than $101 million in economic stimulus has been committed to date for communities throughout southern Ontario under the Community Adjustment Fund (CAF), which supports projects in and around resource-based and manufacturing communities dependent on a single industry. CAF is investing in projects that create immediate job opportunities for communities, with a focus not only on economic development, but also innovation and diversification.