August 22nd, 2022

We are pleased to announce the launch of seven new electric vehicle charging stations across the Waterloo Region District School Board (WRDSB). These new stations build on the existing station installed at Chicopee Hills PS in Kitchener in 2019. Our aim is to continue to support students, staff and community members with making environmentally sustainable transportation choices.

New Charging Stations

The seven new charging stations, with two charging ports each, are now available at the following WRDSB sites:

  • Cedar Creek Public School
  • Education Centre
  • Groh Public School
  • Janet Metcalf Public School
  • Riverside Public School
  • Vista Hills Public School
  • Westmount Public School

Funding for these new charging stations was provided by Natural Resources Canada’s (NRCan) Zero Emission Vehicle Infrastructure Program (ZEVIP). This funding covered up to 50% of the installation costs.

Making an impact

We can get an idea of what difference this will make for our environment by looking at the impact the station at Chicopee Hills PS has had over the past few years. Since it was installed, it has helped to avoid 8,241kg of greenhouse gases. This is like planting 211 trees and letting them grow for 10 years.

EV charging station outside Chicopee Hills PS.

How to use the charging stations

Public hours of operation will be from 4 p.m. to 11 p.m. Users will need to download the ChargePoint App to use these charging stations.

From 4:00 p.m. to 11:00 p.m.

  • After 4:00 p.m., the charging stations will be available for use by community members and the general public
    • The charging station availability will also become visible on the ChargePoint App
    • Charging will cost $0.025 per minute or $1.50 per hour
  • Parking in the charging station parking spaces will be restricted to a maximum of three hours
    • Users will be notified via email and will have 30 minutes to move their vehicle
    • Charges will increase after the 30 minute notice period has expired

After 11:00 p.m., users are asked to remove their cars from WRDSB property. Charging will be unavailable after 11:00 p.m.

During the summer break, charging stations are available to the public from 7:00 a.m., to 11:00 p.m.

In addition to these public stations, WRDSB vehicles have access to two fleet charging stations.