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All Menkes office buildings are now LEED-certified
All Menkes office buildings are now LEED-certified
Menkes Developments Ltd. has achieved LEED Gold or LEED Platinum in its entire office portfolio as part of its commitment to sustainability. “Over the last decade, Menkes has really wanted to be a leader in sustainable real estate and reduce
LEED Gold revitalization transforming 60 Bloor West
A 1970-built office tower at Toronto’s Bay and Bloor intersection is getting a major refresh, with construction already underway on the revitalization of 60 Bloor Street West. The Morguard-owned 14-storey office building is having its exteriors re-clad in an energy-efficient building envelope, while also modernizing the interior spaces to meet a targeted LEED Gold certification.
Geothermal considered for two-tower Toronto development
More than earth is being broken at the two-tower Lillian Park development now under construction in midtown Toronto. Developer attitudes about the possibilities of installing geothermal heating and cooling systems in dense urban settings may also be giving way.
Canada’s building code is getting a climate change rewrite
• CBC
From how concrete is mixed for road construction, to roofing standards enabling buildings to withstand stronger storms and plans to help homeowners manage increased flooding, Canada’s building rules are being rewritten due to climate change, according to briefing notes for a senior government official seen by CBC News.
‘Disclosure Challenge’ to champion building data transparency
• Canada Green Building Council news release
QuadReal Property Group, Triovest Realty Advisors Inc. and Concert Properties Ltd. have volunteered to participate in the CaGBC Disclosure Challenge and will be fully disclosing energy, water and carbon data across their building portfolios and encourage broader uptake of benchmarking programs.
USGBC research highlights buildings as a global solution
As part of its Living Standard initiative, the U.S. Green Building Council released a new U.S. public research report titled Standard Issue that sets out to better gauge how the public feels about issues at the core of the green building community’s mission: sustainability, green buildings and the environment.
Getting to the bottom of the green buildings conundrum
Companies setting science based targets in the building sector face formidable challenges due to the long value chain. Mike Scott reports on a WBCSD initiative to come up with a systems-level approach to cutting whole-of-life CO2 emissions
How Denmark approaches sustainable architecture
• Globe and Mail (Subscription required)
Danish architects, I was warned by a publicist with the country’s consulate, are sometime a bit tongue-tied when asked to describe how they incorporate sustainability principles into their projects. Seems it’s just a thing they do.
B.C. premier says wood to be used in two megaprojects
• CBC
British Columbia is helping the forest industry by requiring the use of engineered wood on the new St. Paul’s Hospital and Royal B.C. Museum retrofit. The province has also directed use of engineered wood for the $20B in public infrastructure, including schools and housing.
Wood investment turns into gold for Vancouver developer
Wood towers have come a long way since the log skyscrapers of Whitehorse, landmarks on the skyline of the northern city that have since been dwarfed by trials of six-storey wood-frame buildings and, more recently, the 18-storey Brock Commons tower at the University of British Columbia that was completed in 2017.
Walmart Canada launches major emissions reduction initiative
Walmart Canada announced that it is joining Project Gigaton, a global Walmart effort to reduce emissions from global supply chains. First launched by Walmart Inc. in the US in 2017, Project Gigaton seeks to reduce emissions by a gigaton – or one billion metric tonnes – by 2030.
Loblaw gets $12-million carbon reduction subsidy
• Huffington Post • Canadian Grocer
The federal Liberal government is taking criticism online after announcing it’s giving retailer Loblaw Co. $12 million under a clean energy program part of a $36-million effort to upgrade the refrigeration units at 370 Loblaw-owned stores across the country.
Carbon Engineering takes lead in carbon-capture market
• Business In Vancouver • Business In Vancouver
In the Canadian carbon-capture space, Carbon Engineering has been grabbing most of the headlines lately having recently closed a $90 million equity financing round and is working to build its first commercial-scale direct-air capture plant.
Lafarge’s Brookfield tire-burning project a go for June
The Lafarge plan to burn rubber at its cement plant near Brookfield is moving ahead at full speed. “In terms of the tire-derived fuel, the lower carbon fuel, that whole system is under construction,” said Lafarge-Canada communications director Jennifer Lewis.
OPG completes solar plant at former Nanticoke site
Ontario Power Generation (OPG) and its partners the Six Nations of the Grand River Development Corporation and the Mississaugas of the Credit First Nation have announced the completion of OPG’s first solar facility, located at the former Nanticoke Generating Station site near Port Dover, Ont.
BC Hydro shedding clean energy investment
• Globe and Mail (Subscription required)
The Hupačasath First Nation on Vancouver Island started selling electricity from their run-of-river facility to BC Hydro in 2005. They are still paying off the debt from that $14-million investment. Now, BC Hydro is signalling it may not renew the contract in 2025.
CREO, CDPQ partner to invest in sustainable economy
The CREO Family Office Syndicate, a not-for-profit global network of family offices headquartered in New York City, and Caisse de dépôt et placement du Québec announced a new partnership to foster more capital into climate investments.
Cleanup of Alberta’s oil wells could cost up to $70B
• Globe and Mail (Subscription required)
Alberta’s oil and gas industry could be on the hook for up to $70-billion in future cleanup liabilities related to oil and gas wells, quadruple the current estimate gleaned from the provincial regulator’s data, a new research group says.
Norway walking away from billions of barrels of oil
Western Europe’s biggest petroleum producer is falling out of love with oil. To the dismay of the nation’s powerful oil industry and its worker unions, the opposition Labor Party has decided to withdraw its support for oil exploration offshore the sensitive Lofoten islands in Norway’s Arctic.
Shell’s support for carbon tax environmentally conscious
• CBC
Royal Dutch Shell’s support for carbon pricing models is a sign that the company is ready to make climate change concessions. Shell, one of the world’s largest oil and natural gas producers, has announced its intention to withdraw from the American Fuel and Petrochemical Manufacturers trade association.
Industry Events
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Greenbuild 2024: Built to Scale
Nov 12 2024
to Nov 15 2024
Pennsylvania Convention Center, Philadelphia, PA
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Sustainable Finance Forum 2024
Nov 28 2024
to Nov 29 2024
Shaw Centre, Ottawa
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