KELOWNA, B.C.  – On behalf of the Honourable Jim Prentice, Minister of the Environment, the Honourable Ron Cannan, Member of Parliament for Kelowna-Lake Country, today announced $500,000 in Asia-Pacific Partnership (APP) funding for a project led by the Okanagan Science & Technology Council (OSTEC) in partnership with Okanagan College. The project will build on existing national and international networks to share research on green building design, and is aimed at reducing 75 percent of GHG emissions from the heating, cooling and construction of buildings. 

“Developing next generation green buildings that generate more energy than they consume, and absorb more greenhouse gases than they emit is a very exciting project  which the Government of Canada is pleased to support,” said MP Cannan. “Investing in research and the development and demonstration of transformational clean energy technologies is one of Canada’s key commitments under the Copenhagen Accord.”

Canada’s APP funding of $500,000 for this project represents 50 percent of the total cost. The remaining half of the funding will be contributed by Okanagan College and its partners. Funding for this project is part of an $8.4 million investment in APP projects announced by Prime Minister Stephen Harper on December 4, 2009, in Shanghai, China.

“The Government of Canada’s investment in this project is welcome,” said Jason Richards, OSTEC President. “High tech and green buildings go hand in hand, and this project will enhance our understanding and capacity in this area. We’re pleased to work with Environment Canada and with Okanagan College, which is demonstrating leadership on this front already.”

“Taking a different, more sustainable approach to building is critical to developing a changed economy,” said Jim Hamilton, President, Okanagan College. “We’ve recognized that as an institution, and welcome the support from OSTEC and the federal government in developing the information and skills base that will facilitate change in Canada and across the Asia Pacific region,”

Canada’s participation in the APP supports its commitment to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 17 percent from 2005 levels by 2020, a target Canada recently inscribed in the Copenhagen Accord.  Canada will continue to work constructively in 2010 to implement the Accord and to complete the negotiations for a comprehensive, legally binding post-2012 agreement.

The APP is an innovative public-private partnership to accelerate the development and deployment of clean energy technologies to meet goals for energy security, national air pollution reduction, and climate change in ways that promote sustainable economic growth and poverty reduction. Seven countries participate in the APP: Canada, Australia, China, India, Japan, South Korea, and the United States.