Ontario Investing $2.5 Million in First Nation Renewable Energy Project

Written by Ministry Northern Development and Mines on 19 August 2015

Funding Part of Largest Infrastructure Investment in Province’s History

Ontario is investing in new energy infrastructure in the Far North that will link solar and wind power to the Fort Severn First Nation’s existing diesel-generating stations.

Through the province’s Northern Ontario Heritage Fund Corporation (NOHFC), $2.5 million will be provided for the construction of a commercial-scale renewable energy micro-grid that will result in significant long-term cost savings to the community, create jobs and benefit the environment. The project will be built and operated by the Fort Severn First Nation.

This funding is part of the largest infrastructure investment in Ontario’s history — more than $130 billion over 10 years — which will support more than 110,000 jobs per year on average, with projects such as roads, bridges, transit systems, schools and hospitals across the province.

Ontario’s long-term infrastructure plan will help connect regions, develop new economic opportunities and improve quality of life for Ontarians by supporting critical infrastructure projects in cities, towns, and rural and remote communities all across the province.

Investing in energy infrastructure is part of the government’s plan to build Ontario up. The four-part plan includes investing in people’s talents and skills, making the largest investment in public infrastructure in Ontario’s history, creating a dynamic, innovative environment where business thrives, and building a secure retirement savings plan.

Quick Facts

Since 2003, the NOHFC has invested more than $1 billion in 6,780 projects in Northern Ontario, creating or sustaining more than 25,500 jobs.
A Conference Board of Canada report estimated that Ontario’s public infrastructure investment would add more than $1,000 to the average annual income of Ontarians in 2014 and lower the unemployment rate by about one percentage point.
The NOHFC’s investments in community infrastructure are part of the Ontario government’s Growth Plan for Northern Ontario [pdf].
Fort Severn is a remote community at the mouth of the Severn River on Hudson’s Bay, near the Manitoba border. It is Ontario’s most northern community.