Federal money announced today won’t speed up the building of the new library, but it will help the stability of the project and for it to stay on schedule, said city CAO Scott Stewart, City.
The $13.5 million in federal funds was announced Monday morning at the Baker Street site.
Shovels went into the ground in June 2023 for the 88,000 sq ft facility. It has a budget of $62 million.
The $13.5 million funding “will go directly to the overall envelope costs that were set aside for the building,” said Mayor Cam Guthrie, during the Q & A.
The funds are from the government’s Green Inclusive Community Buildings Program. The program helps support green retrofits, repairs, upgrades to existing community buildings and the construction of new publicly accessible buildings.
“The infrastructure investments that we're making are really looking at reducing harmful emissions, increasing our productivity and making our community a more attractive place to live,” said Guelph MP Lloyd Longfield.
The funding will help directly with cutting greenhouse gas emissions and Guelph becoming a net zero community by 2050, or sooner, said Guthrie at the funding announcement.
“And in fact, I've been told that this is the first library in Canada that will be able to meet this zero carbon standard, right here in Guelph,” he said.
The zero carbon standard comes from the Canada Green Building Council (CGBC). It reduces greenhouse gas emissions from building materials, and operations to help make it an energy-efficient zero-carbon building, said on the CGBC website.
The funding shows Guelph continues to be a leader in environment, climate action and highlights we are a green, sustainable city, said Stewart.
Guelph’s new library has been a long time coming. Longfield spent some time at the current library to read newsletters about it from 2010, written by Virginia Gillham, former chair of Friends of the Guelph Public Library.
In the newsletters she wrote “are we ever going to get a new library?” said Longfield. He reflected on the history of the library and how it has always been located in the heart of the city. It will remain in the heart at 55 Baker St.
“So yes, Virginia, we are getting a new main library,” he said.
