TORONTO, November 5, 2026 | Urban Climate Leadership welcomes Budget 2026's significant investments in electrification, housing, clean technologies and Canadian economic competitiveness. The federal government's commitment to expanding electricity supply, accelerating heat pump adoption, supporting electric mobility and investing in Canadian AI infrastructure creates an important foundation for a more affordable, resilient and competitive economy.
We are encouraged to see the federal government reconfirm financing for the Canada Home Retrofit Program and new funding for Strategic High-efficiency Industrial Facilities Transition (SHIFT). “The opportunity now is to turn these investments into action at scale, ensuring they deliver meaningful benefits to the communities, the industries and households that need them most,” said Shauna Sylvester, Founder and Lead Convenor of Urban Climate Leadership.
Through our Keep It Cool initiative, we see an urgent need to extend retrofit financing and delivery support to older low-rise apartment and condominium buildings, where residents remain particularly vulnerable to extreme heat and rising energy costs. The federal government can help highlight the use of heat pumps for cooling, as well as an efficient heating alternative.
As Canada accelerates investment in AI and data centres, local governments need the tools and authority to manage impacts on electricity, water and land use while securing tangible community benefits. “Through its AI for All strategy, the Federal Government has made over $500 million available to the private sector to integrate and adapt to AI. But this kind of support has not been extended to cities in Canada: the local level where governments are grappling with managing land use, water, energy, air quality, noise concerns, and transparency questions from the public. UCL will continue to advocate for a Federal Data Centre Preparedness Fund to support local governments, where the federal government's ambitions are hitting the ground," said Mairin Loewen, Associate Program Director, AI and Data Centres, Urban Climate Leadership.
And, as the country expands EV charging infrastructure, we have an opportunity to make vehicles part of the solution to electricity demand through vehicle-to-grid technologies.
Across all three areas, the opportunity is to connect federal investment with smart regulation, innovative financing, Canadian manufacturing, workforce development and local implementation.
Building more infrastructure is essential. Making better use of the infrastructure, energy and technologies we already have is equally important. But the real opportunity for Canada to truly “master our own destiny” is to ensure that public investment dollars deliver a healthier, more equitable and resilient economy where local communities don’t just survive; they thrive.
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About Urban Climate Leadership
Urban Climate Leadership (UCL) is a pan-Canadian initiative of MakeWay Charitable Society that removes obstacles to equitable climate action.
Media contact: Wanjiru Munene, Communications Director, Urban Climate Leadership | media@urbanclimateleadership.org | 604-354-0813
