$2.2 billion in federal gas tax revenues that will be directed to municipal infrastructure projects

A one time allotment of $2.2 billion in infrastructure will be divided amongst the provinces on a per capita basis. This is roughly a doubling of the annual funding of past years and will bypass provincial government, hoping to speed up the deployment of the infrastructure plan. This announcement is good news for communities across the country and has a number of potential applications for smart energy initiatives including: public transit, wastewater, infrastructure, drinking water, solid waste management, community energy systems, local roads and bridges, local capacity building, disaster mitigation, and broadband and connectivity.

$144.9 million over 5 years to support cybersecurity of critical infrastructure

This investment includes $22.9 million from within existing Communications Security Establishment resources. It is a necessary investment as we transform to Smart Energy Communities and will help to protect Canada’s critical cyber systems including in the finance, telecommunications, energy and transport sectors.

$435 million to support the goal to make zero-emission vehicles 10% of Canadian vehicle sales by 2025, 30% by 2030

There are significant investment to support growth of zero-emission vehicles in the Canadian market including $130m over five years for recharging and refueling stations; $5m over five years to work with auto manufacturers on sales and inventory goals, and $300m over three years for purchase incentives of up to $5,000.

$15.2 million over five years for Statistics Canada to establish a virtual Canadian Centre for Energy Information

Now more than ever, we require accurate information to guide investment decisions and policies that will enable a smooth transition in the rapidly changing energy sector. We hope to see this initiative to grow and provide granular data for energy use in communities across the country to provide energy consumers and providers, utilities, regulators and government with the data to make educated decisions that will reduce greenhouse gas emissions, generate economic opportunities and offer better services. The importance of energy data was laid out in QUEST’s Atlantic Canada Data Energy Roadmap.

$67.8 million over five years for Regulatory Innovation Including ‘Regulatory Sandboxes’

The budget introduced an initiative called Regulatory Roadmaps for the Canadian Food Inspection Agency, Health Canada, and Transport Canada. This includes the examination of novel regulatory approaches to accommodate emerging technologies, including the use of regulatory sandboxes and pilot projects. While this isn’t directed at the energy sector, there are potential learnings from the work.

$1.7 billion for Canada Training Benefit

The transformation to a smart energy future will require new skills and training and this commitment will invest in training workers in new skills for the future workforce.