Iqaluit gets Green Municipal Fund support

Dec. 14, 2010, Iqaluit, NU – The city of
Iqaluit, Nunavut, is receiving a $158,400 grant from the Federation of Canadian
Municipalities (FMC) Green Municipal Fund. The grant will be used to develop a
Sustainable Community Plan (SCP).

“FCM’s Green Municipal Fund offers a range
of resources and services that specifically address the sustainable community
development needs of municipal governments,” says Hans Cunningham, president of
FCM and director of the Regional District of Central Kootenay, British
Columbia. “The financing and knowledge provided by the Fund supports the development
of communities that are more environmentally, socially, and economically
sustainable.”

As one of the fastest-growing communities
in the country, Iqaluit will experience increased demand for housing, energy,
treatment and supply of potable water, disposal and treatment of wastewater,
and disposal of solid waste. The city will address these needs by developing an
SCP that recognizes its distinctive culture and incorporates elements of
methodologies that are most appropriate for the Iqaluit context. The SCP is
expected to chart a course that will bridge the realms of global concerns and
local traditional knowledge. It will include a vision for the community;
descriptions of current reality in the areas of built environment, economy,
natural environment, and social well-being; a set of goals, targets, and
indicators to achieve the vision; and implementation responsibilities for the
city and the broader community.

Integration will be achieved through a
municipal advisory group that spans all municipal departments and that remains
involved throughout plan development. A citizens’ advisory group will provide
necessary perspective from the diverse Iqaluit community and help to create
broad ownership of the SCP.

Northern communities face a special set of
economic, cultural, social, and environmental issues, and the Iqaluit process
will be of particular relevance to them. A running account of key lessons
learned will capture information that could be valuable to other small and
remote communities facing similar issues.