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Ontario
Municipal Brownfields Redevelopment Toolbox:
The toolbox has been developed as a guide and resource for Ontario
municipalities to assist them with urban renewal, redevelopment and
revitalization. Visit
the Toolbox.
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Canadian
Brownfields 2005 - Investing in Capital - Making It Happen:
Mark your calendars for Canadian Brownfields 2005, to be held in Ottawa
at the famed Fairmont Chateau Laurier on October 13-14, 2005. We also
welcome a new major sponsor this year, the Cement Association of Canada.
Taking advantage
of the conference's first official visit to the nation's capital,
Canadian Brownfields 2005 offers top speakers from the U.K. and the
U.S. to give you first hand perspectives on how forthright national
policy can be leveraged to transform the marketplace. Senior representatives
from both the London-based British Urban Regeneration Agency (BURA)
and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency will bring specific advice
and insight from two very different approaches to brownfields redevelopment.
We will also build on our successful formula of cross-country legislative
reviews from Victoria, B.C. to Halifax, N.S., illustrated by local
case studies. The pace of innovation in technological clean-up methods
will also have its own slot in the program, as will the latest in
finance, venture capital and risk management techniques. We are still
sifting through presentation ideas from members of the network, so
if you have a topic that you want to pursue, contact Steven Rowe at
deyrowe@sympatico.ca.
We'll acknowledge your input right away. A preliminary program will
be available at www.CanadianBrownfieldsNetwork.ca
and www.canurb.com shortly.
A CBN national
conference wouldn't be complete without the Brownfields Marketplace
and this year's presentation of the CUI Brownie Awards, sponsored
once again by CMHC. As well, there will be the second annual meeting
of the CBN with an update on the positive feedback from the past year's
activities, including a major report with recommendations on the removal
of liens as a barrier to brownfields redevelopment, the result of
a joint event co-sponsored by the National Roundtable on the Environment
and the Economy. Meet with members of the CBN Advisory Panel, and
chair Angus Ross.
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2005 CUI
Brownie Awards - Same Great Acknowledgement, Better Process:
Every year, the CUI Brownie Awards get better and better. Last year
saw new benchmarks for excellence set in terms of the number of submissions,
as well as the geographic reach of both submissions and awards. Last
year's overall winner, TOHU or the Cirque du Soleil from Montreal,
Quebec, has continued to win acclaim and is fast becoming a regional
draw as people come to be entertained and to explore the facilities.
Visit www.canurb.com then
click on CUI Brownies for details of last year's winners.
In response to
feedback from the Awards Committee and people in the field we have
made a number of improvements to the process. When you click on the
webpage, you will be asked only to respond to an "intent to nominate"
form. The deadline listed on the page is there simply to help us gauge
the level of interest on a geographic basis and the scope of projects
to be nominated. The deadline for submission of the actual application
is much later in the year - see the website for details - and guides
you through a step-by-step description of the information required.
We hope that asking for more detailed information later in the process
will help you while helping us. So get your colleagues talking and
put on your thinking caps. The CUI Brownie Awards are Canada's only
nationally recognized award dedicated to the brownfields industry.
Your expertise and innovation deserves to be recognized. As with last
year, we will announce finalists and only reveal the winners at the
conference. We heard from members of the network that this was a welcome
innovation, and we look forward to this year's crop of projects and
programs.
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City of
Edmonton Brownfield Redevelopment Grant Pilot Program: The
City of Edmonton has made reducing land contamination an environmental
and strategic priority. With the Brownfield Redevelopment Grant Pilot
Program, the City hopes to encourage the redevelopment and clean up
of contaminated sites in Edmonton through an incentive based program.
The program provides an incentive to landowners by removing a portion
of the financial burden for site remediation. The property owner will
receive a grant equivalent to the increase in the municipal portions
of property taxes over a specified number of years, not exceeding
the actual costs of remediation or $100,000. Five sites will be selected
this year as part of this pilot project. More
information.
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Liens
and Tax Arrears Workshop (Ottawa, 2005, Mar 09):
The final report from this workshop, Greening Canada's Brownfields:
A National Framework for Encouraging Redevelopment of Qualifying Brownfields
through Removal of Crown Liens and Tax Arrears, is now available.
This framework has been prepared to assist the Government of Canada
and provincial and municipal governments interested in redeveloping
brownfields. It outlines an opportunity for governments in Canada
to encourage redevelopment of many of the country's estimated 30,000
or more urban brownfield sites through a coordinated, practical and
nationally consistent approach to removing Crown liens and tax arrears
on qualifying properties.
The
report will be going to the appropriate ministers in the Federal and
Provincial governments. The CBN will be following up on activity related
to the report and will be monitoring progress in its implementation.
Updated information will be available on the CBN website.
The
report is available in English and French on the Canadian Brownfields
Network website on the Research
& Publications page.
- CMHC
Pilot Project - Risk Sharing for Brownfield Sites: CMHC
is currently in consultation mode regarding risk sharing for brownfield
sites. CMHC is investigating potential sites on a pilot basis, ideally
one with a privately owned site and another on a publicly owned site.
Of the sites to be considered, it is critical that the site is fairly
advanced in its development process meaning that the developer has a
strategy/concept in terms of housing type for the site. CMHC also indicated
that they are looking for a project of meaningful size, potentially
a minimum of 20 housing units and would like to see some affordable
housing units as per CMHC's current underwriting flexibilities. In addition,
the developer should know the extent of the contamination even though
full remediation is not possible. The requirement to implement a risk
management plan associated with site would be desirable as well. CMHC
is currently consulting with builders, financial institutions, interested
groups, and key federal and provincial departments. CMHC indicated that
they would like to have a risk sharing agreement in place by year-end.
- Green
Municipal Fund's Financing Concept for Brownfields Redevelopment:
FCM is in the process
of combining the Green Municipal Enabling Fund and the Green Municipal
Investment Fund into one fund that will be called the Green Municipal
Fund (GMF). The February 2005 federal budget provides for an additional
$300 million to be added to the existing $250 million GMF capital. This
additional GMF funding is one of the items in the budget allocation
bill now before Parliament.
Of the additional
$300 million included in the federal budget, FCM is required to use
$150 million to finance brownfield remediation and redevelopment.
On April 6, 2005,
the Canadian Brownfields Network (CBN) delivered a workshop, Development
of the Green Municipal Fund's Financing Concept for Brownfields Redevelopment
(Ontario Pilot Project), on behalf of the Federation of Canadian Municipalities
(FCM) to engage experts from key industry sectors in a discussion
regarding the proposed financing concept for brownfields redevelopment.
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Agreement
Signed on the New Deal for Cities and Communities: The Prime
Minister and Minister Godfrey have announced the gas tax funding agreement
between Canada, British Columbia and the Union of British Columia
Municipalities. This is a significant milestone for the New Deal for
Cities and Commuties that will provide BC's municipalities with $635
M in gas tax funds over the next five years, and $254 M per year indefinitely
thereafter. Press
release and backgrounder.
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