The Honourable Catherine McKenna, Minister of Infrastructure and Communities, and Andy Fillmore, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister and Member of Parliament for Halifax, joined Andrea Dicks, President of Community Foundations of Canada and Mary W. Rowe, President and CEO of the Canadian Urban Institute, to launch the first application intake for projects under the Canada Healthy Communities Initiative.

The Government of Canada will fund eligible projects that fall under three main themes: creating safe and vibrant public spaces, improving mobility options, and digital solutions. The goal is to fund projects that can quickly help communities adapt to the challenges presented by COVID-19 as they continue to navigate the pandemic.

Projects could include widening sidewalks and adding signage to support physical distancing in busy areas, expanding community gardens and farmers’ markets to increase access to healthy and affordable food, building pop-up lanes for bikes, scooters, and personal mobility devices to allow people to move around their communities safely, or developing apps or other digital tools to allow residents to safely access services remotely.

Applicants can apply for funding ranging from $5,000 to $250,000 for eligible projects, within an overall envelope of $31 million in federal government funding. Local governments and a variety of community-led organizations are eligible to apply, including  charities, Indigenous communities, and registered non-profit organizations. Organizations interested in submitting an application are encouraged to visit healthycommunitiesinitiative.ca to learn more about the program, eligibility criteria and how to apply. Organizations can also register to attend information sessions on the program.

The application period for the first round of funding will close on March 9, 2021 at 5:00PM PST.