FortisBC gives early holiday gift to the Vancouver Aquarium

Dec 17, 2020

A donation of three high-efficiency natural gas boilers help heat animal habitats

SURREY, B.C.  ̶  December 17, 2020: While the Vancouver Aquarium closed its doors in September due to the COVID-19 pandemic, more than 70,000 aquatic animals still call the Aquarium their home. Having to close the Aquarium has created incredible financial strain for the non-profit and, to make matters worse, the natural gas boilers used to heat the Amazon Centre, the Aqua Centre and shark tanks, failed earlier this year. With new heating equipment at the top of the Aquarium’s holiday wish list, FortisBC stepped forward to donate replacement high-efficiency natural gas boilers for these animal habitats.

“We are extremely grateful to FortisBC for this generous donation,” said Mackenzie Neale, director of Animal Care at the Vancouver Aquarium. “The boilers help the Aquarium during what is a very difficult time and also supports our journey towards sustainable building operations.”

FortisBC donated three used high-efficiency natural gas boilers from a recent project, worth approximately $60,000 in total, to heat the various animal habitats. The Aquarium is also receiving further support through financial incentives for different projects such as custom design retrofits and heat recovery, which comes with participating in FortisBC’s energy efficiency programs.

“FortisBC looks for opportunities to contribute to the well-being of the communities we live and work in. The Vancouver Aquarium is a world-class wildlife education and conservation establishment and we’re proud to support it,” said Jason Wolfe, director of energy solutions at FortisBC. “We hope this donation will provide some relief to the Aquarium’s financial burden and keep their operating costs lower moving into the future.”

Once the newer boilers are installed, the Aquarium can look forward to several years of reliable and affordable heating for their animal habitats.

For more information on the Vancouver Aquarium, visit vanaqua.org and on FortisBC visit fortisbc.com.

 

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