Ottawa – Buildings are Canada’s third largest emitter of GHG emissions, with over 96 percent of building emissions coming from space and water heating. Major changes in the building sector are underway and have the potential to create hundreds of thousands of sustainable jobs, improve energy affordability for Canadians, and better equip our communities to withstand the effects of climate change.
The Canada Green Buildings Strategy (CGBS) is being introduced during this critical time when a renewal of the building sector is underway and sets out the Government’s vision and next steps for greener, more energy efficient and affordable homes and buildings. The Strategy outlines how the Government is taking action to drive down monthly energy bills, helping Canadians reduce their carbon emissions, and ensuring that the homes and workplaces of Canadians are protected against the increasingly harmful effects of climate change. This is all in addition to creating good-paying, sustainable jobs.
There are many initiatives already underway to support the CGBS goals, including some of the following federally funded projects announced at the same time:
Codes Acceleration Fund (CAF)
· $2,980,000 in funding for the City of Vancouver to encourage the adoption and implementation of Canada’s first embodied carbon and existing building greenhouse gas GHG emission regulations.
· $1,038,110 in funding for the Small Housing BC Society to build capacity in the Gentle Density Housing (GDH) industry.
· $1,625,571 in funding for PASSIVE HOUSE CANADA to build capacity in Canada’s manufacturing sector and enable them to deliver high-performance windows, building systems and ventilation.
· $2,517,260 in funding for the Alliance of Canadian Building Officials’ Associations to develop an online technology platform that provides access to tools, training materials, and expertise on current and future versions of high-performance energy and building codes.
· $199,100 in funding for the Municipality of Whistler to accelerate the adoption and implementation of the highest feasible energy performance tiers of the national model energy codes in Whistler.
· $2,513,010 in funding for the Canadian Home Builders Association to support market preparedness for the implementation of and compliance with the highest feasible tiers of the National Building Code (NBC).
· $120,000 in funding for the Canadian Home Builders Association of BC to support the transition and implementation of commitments made in the Province of British Columbia’s (BC) CleanBC Roadmap to 2030 through education and training.
· $309,427 in funding for the University of British Columbia to support market preparedness for ambitious code adoption at the University of British Columbia (UBC).
Deep Retrofit Accelerator Initiative (DRAI)
· $13,607,850 in funding for the Zero Emissions Innovation Centre (ZEIC) to help building owners improve replicability and increase the speed and scale of deep retrofit projects in British Columbia.
Toward Net-Zero Homes and Communities Program (TNZ)
· $550,000 in funding for Eta Energy Solutions to design and construct a factory-built home as part of a proof-of concept to evaluate affordability and other impacts.
· $586,040 in funding for the First Nations Energy & Mining Society to train “Energy Champions” to support First Nations communities as they establish community energy plans.
· $77,250 in funding for Musqueam Indian Band to showcase the benefits of DER completed on two on-reserve Musqueam First Nation homes and raise awareness about EE technologies.
· $585,527 in funding for Sustainable Buildings Canada (SBC) to facilitate the Canada-wide adoption of the NBC 2020 and the NECB 2020, and the highest tiers practical, through the delivery of a series of Integrated Design Process (IDP) charrettes using a virtual platform.
· $431,080 in funding for EcoTrust Canada to facilitate a transition to Net-Zero in under-served rural communities on the British Columbia coast.
· $116,250 in funding for Barkley Project Group, Ltd. to assess and test alternatives to EnerGuide home energy labelling that may be more effective at empowering Indigenous communities to pursue deep energy efficiency retrofits.
· $107,410 in funding for Douglas (Xa’xtsa) First Nation to conduct EnerGuide assessments of twenty-six (26) homes in the Douglas (Xa’xtsa) First Nation community, review the energy consumption of the homes, and create a path forward for energy-efficient improvements and the adoption of the B.C. Energy Step Code.