Federal, provincial funds allocated to climate change projects on P.E.I.

Prince Edward Island is getting 50 new Level 2 electric vehicle charging stations.

The federal government announced $250,000 for Maritime Electric to do the work, as part of a series of announcements Thursday on funding for climate change projects.

The federal charging station cash will be combined with contributions from the province and Maritime Electric, adding up to just under $600,000.

It's part of Natural Resources Canada's Zero-Emission Vehicle Infrastructure Program.

"The infrastructure resulting from these investments will ensure that people can drive and charge their vehicles across Canada," the federal government said in a news release Thursday.

Maritime Electric says the work should be complete by the end of this year.

"Electric vehicles are going to play a big role in reducing pollution in the years to come," Cardigan MP Lawrence MacAulay said in a statement as the funding was announced.

Level 2 chargers usually take a few hours to fully charge an electric vehicle, whereas newerDC fast chargers take much less time.

As of early February, Natural Resources Canada estimated that the country now has 13,230 electric vehicle chargers at 6,016 public stations.

Provincial funding details also out

In a related announcement Thursday, the provincial government said 15 Island groups will receive a total of nearly $1 million from P.E.I.'s Climate Challenge Fund.

The funding is part of a three-year plan"to help Islanders adapt to climate change, develop new technologies and opportunities, and reduce greenhouse gas emissions in innovative ways."

The recipients include:

• All EV P.E.I., which gets $99,382 "to provide an education, outreach, and experiential program provincewide to residents and businesses on the climate and ownership benefits of electric vehicles."
• The school ofclimate change and adaptation at UPEI, which gets $100,000 "to develop 1 km x 1 km high-resolution regional climate scenarios for Prince Edward Island."
• The department of engineering at UPEI, which gets $99,400 to explore sustainable agriculture practices.
• Upcycle Green Technology, which gets $100,000 towardits efforts to replace traditional engines in older cars with electric versions.
• BIPOC USHR, which gets $100,000 "to actively address inequities and discrimination that are generated or augmented by climate change and work to ensure discrimination is considered when addressing climate change."
• Wind Energy Institute of Canada, which gets $100,000 "to work with UPEI's Climate Research Laboratory to create a climate monitoring facility, including a meteorological tower."

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