Item - 2021.TA11.15

The Board of Directors of the Toronto Atmospheric Fund:

1.  Requested, via the City Manager's Office, City Council approval to receive funding of up to $2 million from the Natural Resources Canada Zero Emissions Vehicle Infrastructure Program to accelerate the rollout of Emissions Vehicle (EV) charging infrastructure in the Greater Toronto and Hamilton Area.

In December 2020 TAF submitted a $2M funding application to Natural Resources Canada’s (NRCan’s) Zero Emission Vehicle Infrastructure Program (ZEVIP). Should funding be awarded, TAF would serve as a Delivery Organization (i.e., grantmaker) and distribute funding – up to 50 percent of project costs – to eligible stakeholders throughout the Greater Toronto and Hamilton Area (GTHA) as an incentive to install electric vehicle (EV) charging infrastructure. The ZEVIP funding would support deployment of approximately 300 connected EV chargers, including 15 fast chargers. Our proposed focus is on installation in public places, on-street and in multi-unit residential buildings (MURBs) with a priority on smaller projects and clients who would otherwise face difficulties securing government funding and/or navigating the process of selecting and installing EV chargers.  

Section 6.3.2(iv) of the Toronto Atmospheric Fund Relationship Framework with the City of Toronto requires Council approval of any grants exceeding $500,000. As a decision regarding TAF's ZEVIP application is expected before the end of April and the project must be completed within 30 months of the agreement date, this is a prospective recommendation and would not be acted on until and unless funding is awarded.