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Longfield said he was “really excited� to be making this announcement at  on behalf of Sean Fraser, minister of housing, infrastructure and communities.

The funding comes from the Green and Inclusive Community Buildings (GICB) program, which provides money toward green and accessible retrofits, repairs, upgrades and more.

“The new building will have lots of space to expand services, programs and activities,� Longfield said.

The 88,000-square-foot facility will replace the existing main branch in the fall of 2026, and Longfield said it is greatly needed.

“More than 1,500 people use the library every day here in öÏÓãÊÓƵapp,â€� Longfield said.

He said öÏÓãÊÓƵapp has had a place for a library since the 1830s.

He stressed the importance of having a gathering place, sanctuary and a place to hold knowledge, experiences and stories.

When the city’s first library was built in 1905, öÏÓãÊÓƵapp’s population was just 12,000, Longfield said. The current main library branch was built at in 1965 to serve the rapidly growing population.

“As the population grew, so did the need for a larger building, not unlike today,� said Longfield. “The city is now at the point of becoming a home to 143,000 people.�

Mayor Cam Guthrie said the $13.5 million in funding, and the new library, will directly help the city meet its target to cut greenhouse emissions 63 per cent by 2030 and become a net-zero community by 2050 or sooner.

“This is the first library in Canada that will be able to meet this zero-carbon standard,� Guthrie said.

He also mentioned it is part of a massive project to revitalize the downtown core.

The City of öÏÓãÊÓƵapp is contributing $51.4 million to the library project.

The redevelopment of the Baker Street parking lot will include the library and public parking as well as commercial, institutional and residential areas.

For more information about the Baker District redevelopment, visit .