A recent decision by the federal government to eliminate millions of dollars in funding for climate change programs has environmentalists and academics in a tizzy, but the slash to spending won’t make much of an impact locally.

With a decided lack of fanfare, Natural Resources Canada announced earlier this month that 15 programs designed to encourage Canadians and businesses to reduce greenhouse gas emissions would be halted or taken in a different direction. Included in these cutbacks were high profile programs like the One Tonne Challenge, a public information campaign intended to persuade individual Canadians to reduce their annual emissions by one tonne. In addition to pamphlets and web-based information, the One Tonne Challenge provided funding to municipalities for localized awareness work. While nearby communities such as Banff and Canmore took advantage of these opportunties, Jasper did not receive any funding from the federal government as part of the One Tonne Challenge.

The municipality is, however, pursuing a solar power demonstration 

project that would be funded by the Green Municipal Fund, a pool of money provided by the federal government and managed by the Federation of Canadian Municipalities. The overall project is budgeted to cost $35,000, half of which is to be provided by this national fund. Council has recently given second reading to a borrowing bylaw required to obtain the remaining $17,500 for the project.

The Green Municipal Fund has expanded with each federal budget since its formation. In the 2005 budget, the then Liberal government allotted $300 million for the fund. While it has not been included in the list of programs to be eliminated or refocused, the amount of money available for the fund will not be known until the new Finance Minister sets the first federal budget of the Conservative mandate later this spring.

Meanwhile, Parks Canada programs on sustainability and climate change, such as the solar-powered water treatment project along the Snaring Road, will not be affected by the cuts. These green programs are funded through the agency’s budget and various other federal sources, said Parks Canada spokesperson Amber Pastoor, and this funding remains in place.