London's Kinsmen Recreation Centre will be undergoing green upgrades that once completed will cut its energy consumption nearly in half.
The federal government announced on Thursday it is giving the city $2.1 million to retrofit the nearly 70-year-old building to make it more energy efficient.
"Making our buildings greener is an essential step towards building stronger communities and protecting our environment," said London North Centre MP Peter Fragiskatos. "This investment from our government will allow the Kinsmen Recreation Centre to reduce its greenhouse gas emissions and save money on heating costs, ensuring that this cherished facility can continue to serve Londoners for years to come."
The city is also chipping in $500,000 toward the retrofit.
The money will go toward the installation of LED lighting, the construction of a central heat pump to reuse residual heat, electric mobility device recharging stations, an electric ice resurfacer, and an expanded building automation system.
The upgrades, which won't begin until 2024, will reduce the rec centre's energy use by 46.5 per cent and greenhouse gas emissions by 168 tonnes annually.
More than 225,000 people visit Kinsmen, which is located at 20 Granville Street, each year.
"Not only will visitors and user groups benefit from new improvements to this building, but the project will allow the City to decrease greenhouse gas emissions, improve London’s resilience to the impacts of climate change and accelerate our path towards net-zero emissions,” said London Deputy Mayor Josh Morgan.
After declaring a climate emergency in 2019, the city approved a Climate Emergency Action Plan in February that commits to achieving net-zero greenhouse gas emissions in London by 2050.
