'It can be done': City seeks school division partnership to generate solar energy

The City is taking inspiration from a Winnipeg school division and looking to make its buildings more environmentally friendly.

College Jeanne-Sauve is one of several schools in the Louis Riel School Division that is in the process of installing solar panels on the roof to help power the building.

"We have a number of plans for solar energy, we’re very excited about it," said LRSD vice chair Chris Sigurdson. He added that J.H. Bruns is another school that has begun the process.

St. Vital city councillor Brian Mayes wants the city to partner with other school divisions to do the same. Mayes has put forward a motion that includes working with school divisions across the Cityof Winnipeg to install solar power on school properties that are near city facilities.

"They seem to be maybe a step ahead of us, so I thought it would be good for the city to explore this and talk to the school divisions, see if we could do something together," said Mayes.

He said he is following up on an election pledge made by Mayor Scott Gillingham, "Maybe we can do this economically, do this in cooperation with school divisions as a partner, I think that would be money well spent," Mayes said.

Sigurdson said he's looking forward to seeing what comes from the project.

"It can be done, and we have a very good working relationship with councillor Mayes," he said. "Our school board and the city have worked very well together on a number of projects and were very much looking forward to continuing to do that."

Mayes's motion asking administration to look into which City properties could be used for solar power goes to the Water, Waste and Environment Committee next Friday.