Canada’s BOMA BEST expanding into Mexico

Canada’s BOMA BEST expanding into Mexico

BOMA Canada is introducing its BOMA BEST program to Mexico in partnership with BOMA Mexico, and more international expansion is in the works. “We’ve had such high take-up that we’re recognizing that the next frontier lies outside the borders of this country,” said Benjamin Shinewald, president and chief executive officer for BOMA Canada. BOMA Canada is introducing its BOMA BEST program to Mexico in partnership with BOMA Mexico, and more international expansion is in the works.

Sustainable Biz Canada

New tool streamlines green building design in Ontario

A newly launched tool seeks to improve energy literacy in Ontario and aid construction professionals to make better use of green building designs to reach the goal of net-zero carbon emissions. The EnergyCompass, or Compass, is a free data visualization platform which will streamline energy benchmarking and reporting during the design phase of building development projects. This tool seeks to accelerate the understanding and adoption of energy-saving solutions.

Construction Canada

Prefabrication: The future of construction

As the nationwide labour shortage intensifies and building material costs continue to inflate, Think Wood recognizes the need for building owners and developers to maintain the viability of projects. Prefabricated wood buildings—which are no longer limited to single-family housing and smaller temporary workspaces—offer an innovative solution with a multitude of benefits, including process efficiency, a controlled environment, greater return on investment, material efficiency and reduced waste.

Globe Newswire

New monitoring system offers control over home energy usage

Schneider Electric, the leader in digital transformation of energy management and automation, today announced the launch of its Wiser Energy™ System, an integrated monitoring system for residential homes that provides insights into activity and energy use. Wiser Energy provides real-time, easy-to-understand and actionable data to help homeowners make their homes greener, more efficient and wiser.

Canada Newswire

Built Green Canada takes step forward in water conservation

Built Green Canada has partnered with the Green Builder® Coalition to bring performance-based water efficiency to Canada through its third-party certification programs’ water conservation section. Though parts of Canada, and the world, are increasingly experiencing droughts, and freshwater ecosystems are shown to be under stress, water conservation in the residential building industry has not received the attention energy efficiency has.

Globe Newswire

Real estate primed for low-carbon vanguard

Real estate and infrastructure top a list of five sectors that prominent Canadian analysts have tagged as the most obvious prospects to deliver returns on investment in reducing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and improving resilience to climatic extremes. Even so, the recently released interim report from Canada’s Expert Panel on Sustainable Finance suggests there is more untapped opportunity than coordinated action in a market.

REMI Network

Vail Resorts announces long-term wind energy contract

Vail Resorts, Inc. recently took major steps in its ‘Commitment to Zero,’ as the Company announced a long-term wind energy contract to purchase the equivalent amount of electricity needed to power 100 percent of its estimated FY 2019 North American operations by 2020. Additionally, Vail Resorts announced a partnership with Eco-Products to supply all of its North American restaurants.

Canada Newswire

	7-Eleven’s ‘Buy this cup. Plant a Plant’ program
	On Nov. 13, 7-Eleven Canada took a step towards a more sustainable future, partnering with local restoration groups within each province to help rehabilitate damaged landscapes and offset their carbon footprint, one hot beverage cup at a time.
	Canada Newswire, November 13, 2018

 

Alberta increases rebate rates for installing solar panels

The province is boosting solar power rebate rates for homeowners and doubling the cap on returns for businesses that install solar panels. The industry has grown by 500 per cent since 2015. Energy Efficiency Alberta has pegged rebate rates for homeowners at $0.90 per watt, marking a 15 per cent increase, with a cap of $10,000.

Edmonton Journal

Toronto tries to sort out the trash from the recycling

“Let’s talk garbage!” Howard Tam exclaims, and this crowd of about 60 Torontonians actually looks jazzed. Over the next four and a half hours, he guides the multicultural mix of volunteers — of all ages and genders — as they work through their feelings about recycling, obstacles to doing it right and possible solutions to the complex system’s acknowledged problems.

Toronto Star

Climate change will heat up cities and rural areas differently

Climate change isn’t the only thing that will be heating up cities in the future — urbanization hikes temperatures too. A new study led by a University of Guelph researcher looks at how climate change will affect urban and rural areas differently, finding both good news and bad news. The good news is that climate change appears to reduce the temperature boost from urbanization, known as the “urban heat island effect.”

CBC

New strategy sets tone to make Edmonton ‘climate resilient’

The City of Edmonton has a new framework to help brace the city for a warmer future of unpredictable weather events. Climate Resilient Edmonton: Adaptation Strategy and Action Plan, released Thursday, is intended to help guide the city and council in future decision-making. The strategy will be discussed Tuesday at an executive committee meeting.

CBC

	Gov’t climate change plans can’t meet targets
	Canadians produce more greenhouse gas emissions per person than any other G20 economy. Climate Transparency, a coalition of international climate organizations, released its fourth annual review of the climate polices of G20 members Wednesday.
	Canadian Press, November 14, 2018

 

Canada invests in clean CO2 conversion technology

Canada’s Minister of Natural Resources, the Honourable Amarjeet Sohi, announced a $2-million investment in Quantiam Technologies Inc. to complete a carbon capture, storage and use technology that will reduce greenhouse gas emissions and generate clean tech jobs. By harnessing innovation and creativity, the Government of Canada is developing natural resources more sustainably, growing the economy and creating cleaner energy options to transition to a low-carbon future.

Canada Newswire

Ottawa plans to give climate funds directly to Ontario institutions, businesses

Environment Minister Catherine McKenna says the federal government plans to disburse money from a climate fund directly to Ontario institutions and businesses after the provincial government cancelled its climate program. Speaking at Rockwool insulation plant in Milton, Ont., recently, McKenna said the remaining $420 million pending for Ontario from the Low Carbon Economy Fund will go to cities, hospitals, universities, schools, and businesses to help with efficiency programs and other emission-reduction efforts.

ConstructConnect

N.B. premier plans to fight Ottawa’s carbon pricing plan

New Brunswick’s newly minted Tory premier says he will follow through on his promise to fight Ottawa’s carbon pricing plan, but wants to get all the facts before making a move. Just after his first meeting with his new cabinet on Saturday morning, Blaine Higgs told reporters he’d spoken with the federal minister of intergovernmental affairs, Dominic LeBlanc, the previous day.

Globe and Mail

Carbon tax alone won’t achieve Canada’s emissions goals

The federal government has just introduced a carbon tax to apply in the four provinces that have not implemented a price on carbon themselves. It is appropriate to “tax” pollution because we know that greenhouse-gas emissions are affecting the environment in ways that are difficult to measure. Therefore, taxing polluters is justified on a societal and economic basis.

Globe and Mail

Renewable Energy

Feds, N.W. invest in first Arctic Energy Fund project

Today, the Honourable François-Philippe Champagne, Minister of Infrastructure and Communities, announced $40 million in funding for the Inuvik Wind Generation project. This is the first project under the Government of Canada’s new Arctic Energy Fund, which supports energy security in Northern communities.

Canada Newswire – CBC

Government Programs and Incentives

Washington state carbon tax poised to fail after Big Oil campaign

Washington state was heading towards rejecting a ballot initiative to create the first carbon tax in the United States, a tally of about 80 percent of votes showed early on Wednesday, after an oil industry campaign argued it would hurt the economy. The Carbon Emissions Fee and Revenue Allocation Initiative, known as Initiative 1631, would have imposed a $15 fee on each metric ton of carbon emissions.

Reuters

Water Management

Raw sewage overflowing into Ontario waterways

Raw sewage has been overflowing into Ontario’s lakes and rivers at an alarming rate and the government is doing little to stop it, the province’s environmental watchdog said Tuesday as she laid out broad changes required to help keep waterways clean. Environmental Commissioner Dianne Saxe outlined her concerns and recommendations in an annual report — called Back to Basics — that looked at the state of the province’s waterways between April 2017 and March this year.

CBC

Rising seas threaten nearly 400,000 U.S. homes

 Some 386,000 U.S. homes today are likely to be at risk of regular flooding by 2050 because of sea-level rise from climate change, under a scenario of unchecked greenhouse gas emissions, according to a new analysis by Zillow and Climate Central. What’s more, America’s coastal communities have recently built thousands of new homes in these flood-risk zones, contributing to this total.

PR Newswire