Six sustainable finance trends to watch in 2021

Real Estate  •  Investment Executive

The coming year is set to be a watershed for sustainable finance in Canada as the federal government and financial industry stakeholders double down on climate-conscious policies and practices. Six key trends that will shape Canada’s sustainable finance landscape in 2021:

OSFI embarks on climate risk consultation

Energy  •  Investment Executive

Amid growing concern about the effects of global warming among both investors and policymakers, federal financial regulator Office of the Superintendent of Financial Institutions (OSFI) has launched a consultation on climate-related risks to federally regulated financial institutions and pension plans.

Go-slow sustainable finance driving capital away

Energy  •  Globe and Mail

OPINION: Canada’s go-slow approach to the principles of sustainable finance is being overtaken by international developments that could leave the country’s financial sector operating under rules formulated by foreign decision-makers and Canadian corporations at a disadvantage in attracting global capital.

Canadian EV maker Lion Electric partners with Amazon

Energy  •  Globe and Mail

Montreal-based Lion Electric made a name for itself producing all-electric school buses and is already backed by the Desmarais family through Power Corp. In 2019, it added electric trucks to its arsenal and in 2020 partnered with Amazon to produce 10 trucks.

Hyundai, Apple talk potential electric-vehicle partnership

Real Estate  •  Globe and Mail

Hyundai Motor Co. said it was in talks with Apple after reports the firms were discussing an electric car JV, sending Hyundai shares surging 25 per cent following weeks when Reuters reported that Apple was moving forward with self-driving car technology.

SK Group’s invests $1.5-billion injection in Plug Power

Energy  •  Globe and Mail

SK Group’s investment in Plug Power of Latham, N.Y., is part of a new partnership designed to speed up the development of hydrogen-powered fuel cells while also spurring the production of hydrogen as an energy source in South Korea and other Asian markets.

Sponsored by Framery Lifecycle costs: Conference rooms vs. Framery pods

Are you thinking about making a change to your company’s office space? Eyes over here please! Office tenants and managers often inquire which kind of rooms, pods or constructed conference areas, are more cost-efficient.

Clean fuel standard needed to meet climate target

Energy  •  Clean Energy Canada  •  Government of Canada draft clean fuel standard

Canada’s environment and climate change minister has published the draft clean fuel standard for a 75-day comment period with the intent of finalizing the regulation in 2022. A clean fuel standard is considered crucial for attracting investment in low-carbon fuel options.

What’s in store for the future of commuting?

Energy  •  GreenBiz

Despite being in a global pandemic, essential low-wage workers, healthcare providers, knowledge workers and many others have continued to work. However, since the start of lockdowns in March, some 42 per cent of the U.S. workforce has been working at home full-time.

Victoria no longer flushing raw sewage into ocean

Real Estate  •  CBC

The Greater Victoria area no longer uses surrounding ocean waters to flush away raw effluent now that a $775 million sewage plant has started treating the equivalent of 43 Olympic-sized pools of waste daily after decades of effort to get a sewage treatment plant.

Calgary flood control reservoir clears review

Real Estate  •  Globe and Mail (Sub. required)

The federal government has determined that the Springbank Off-Stream Reservoir, a proposed flood-control structure intended to protect Calgary about 15 kilometres west of the city, in an area long used for ranching and agriculture would not likely cause significant environmental harm.

Coal leases near Alberta parks raise concerns

Real Estate  •  Globe and Mail (Sub. required)

At least five popular recreation areas in Southern Alberta are surrounded by coal exploration plans and one of them has been partly given over to an exploration lease, raising questions about their future with lovers of the outdoors.

Alberta researchers begin studying microplastics

Real Estate  •  Globe and Mail  •  Business in Vancouver

A team of researchers from the Northern Alberta Institute of Technology is conducting the first-ever studies of microplastics in Canadian rivers by sampling the water and sediments in the North Saskatchewan River in and around Edmonton.

Canmore church solar project to power two homes

Real Estate  •  Globe and Mail

A group in Canmore, Alta., is preparing to build a small solar project at a local church that will produce enough power for two homes and will offset approximately eight tonnes of greenhouse gases a year.

Affordable social housing built to Passive House Standard

Real Estate  •  TreeHugger

Designing to the Passive House standard of energy efficiency and airtightness is hard. Designing social housing on a tight budget to the Passive House standard is incredibly hard. That’s why the work of Emma Cubitt and Invizij Architects is so interesting and important.

Saskatoon plans to divert 70% of garbage from landfill

Real Estate  •  CBC  •  Global News  •  CTV

The City of Saskatoon has laid out its long-term plan to cut back on the amount of garbage sent to the landfill with a goal to stream 70 per cent of Saskatoon’s garbage away from the landfill by as early as 2030.

Canada complains about U.S. tariffs on solar products

Energy  •  Edmonton Journal

Canada is unhappy with “unwarranted” U.S. tariffs on Canadian solar products and has requested consultations under terms of the U.S.-Mexico-Canada trade deal. Tariffs were imposed in 2018 and exports of solar products to the U.S. have fallen by as much as 82%.

CPP commits $382M to Renewable Power Capital

Real Estate  •  Canada Newswire

CPP Investments has committed up to $382 million to its U.K.-based platform,  Renewable Power Capital Limited (RPC) in support of RPC’s first investment in European renewables. RPC was launched by CPP Investments in December 2020.

HSBC shareholders ask bank to cut fossil-fuel lending

Real Estate  •  Financial Post

A group of HSBC Holdings Plc shareholders have filed a resolution urging the bank to cut its support to the fossil-fuel industry. Fifteen institutional investors overseeing a combined $2.4 trillion are backing the move, according to a statement from ShareAction.

Green euphoria may cost investors, but save planet

Real Estate  •  Toronto Star

Tesla, trading at more than 1,000 times trailing earnings, is only the most extreme example of a euphoria that has swept green energy. From the end of 2019, a fund that tracks Nasdaq’s clean energy index has risen 191% compared with the broad market’s 15%.