Kitchener’s Finance and Corporate Services Committee has decided to terminate it’s Local Environment Action Fund, known as LEAF.

The program which aimed to reduce and repair the city’s impact on the environment was terminated Monday and Chair of the committee, Councillor Scott Davey explained to 570News it was the lack of grant applications that was the deciding factor to cancel the program.

“The idea of the program was they (council) really wanted to see some transformative environmental initiatives and we didn’t really see the grant applications coming in that fashion. Well it was a good idea, it was one that just didn’t work in practice.”

The program also funded the solar roof on the Kitchener Operations Facility which generates $300,000 to $400,000 per year for the city, that money is now being diverted to taxes which would knock 0.3 to 0.4 per cent off of the potential tax increase for 2013.

There is still $2.82 million left in LEAF and council is looking to spend that on trails and natural areas and on the emerald ash borer problem in the city.