The federal government is contributing $414,000 to fund the establishment of 72 EV chargers in the Northwest Territories.
NWT MP Michael McLeod and deputy premier Diane Archie made the announcement over Zoom July 14.
“Northerners and all Canadians expect us to step up to the fight for climate change,” said McLeod. “Transportation is a key focus of our plan and it has to be. The price of filling your car is a major item in most Canadian budgets.”
Archie said the arrangement will help the GNWT reach its commitment to reducing greenhouse gases by 20 per cent below 2015 levels.
She said 58 per cent of the NWT’s emissions come from motor vehicles.
“More charging infrastructure will in turn increase the number of electrical vehicles, because it makes buying them more viable for Northerners,” she said. “The GNWT is committed to making strategic infrastructure investments and providing alternative modes of transportation.”
The GNWT’s costs in this deal amount to $56,000, largely for administrative purposes.
Electric vehicle charging stations good to -40 C are available and are already in use in Yukon. The Yukon government has previously visited Inuvik with plans to help establish an EV network along the Dempster Highway.
Archie said the program was still in development and would launch later in the year. She said details of where the EV stations would be located would be announced at that time. McLeod said the program would be application based and he expects it to be focused first in communities where there is hydroelectric power.
How the application process will be handled and how the GNWT plans to allocate the EV stations will be announced in the future, said Archie.
As part of #EVWeek, McLeod also announced a four-year, $547-million nationwide commitment to help businesses and families make the switch to electric vehicles. This will include incentives from $10,000 to up to $200,000 to cover the costs of making the switch.
He said approximately 25 per cent of Canada’s greenhouse gas emissions come from the transportation sector and three quarters of that come from cars and trucks.
The program is on top of a second program providing $5,000 rebates for purchase of electric vehicles, and providing support for businesses who make the switch. The purchase incentive program will be in place until March 2025. McLeod said more than 150,000 Canadians have made the switch to EVs.