Electric vehicle (EV) charging stations seem to be going up everywhere across Canada, with Summerland, B.C. getting 22 new stations and Oakville, Ontario set to install 44 charging stations around town.
But one small municipality in northeastern Ontario is taking a more cautious look at installing their first EV charging station.
At a recent August 6, 2020 council meeting in Temagami, Ontario, the topic of installing an EV charger was brought up by local resident George Bull. In a letter to council, Bull wrote how he has noticed an increase in EVs driving through town, but there is a noticeable lack of charging infrastructure in the area, reports BayToday.
Bull asked council to seek out funding initiatives to install a charger, saying it would bring economic benefits to the community as EV drivers who otherwise wouldn’t visit, stop to charge and spend money at local stores.
Despite many funding opportunities available, like those from Natural Resources Canada which can cover a large portion of the cost of installation, councillor Barret Leudke said they should first look to see if a private entity would be willing to take on the project.
“However, we shouldn’t not consider the private entrepreneur or private sector to help put this in place rather than the municipality.”
The sentiment was backed up by Treasurer-administrator Craig Davidson, who said no recommendation was being made until it can be investigated further.
“There are some businesses within our municipality that might be tied to another organization that’s actually putting (the infrastructure) in across the country, or what have you.”
A decision on whether to start the process of researching funding opportunities will be made at a future council meeting after more research has been conducted.
