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BrainBox AI recognized as TIME’s Best Invention of 2020

3 years ago

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BrainBox AI a leader and pioneer in autonomous building technology, was recognized by TIME as one of the Best Inventions of 2020. BrainBox AI utilizes self-adapting artificial intelligence to proactively optimize the energy consumption of buildings.

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Environment and Climate Change Minister Jonathan Wilkinson tabled new legislation Thursday that would force current and future federal governments to set binding climate targets to get Canada to net-zero carbon emissions by 2050.

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The Bank of Canada and the Office of the Superintendent of Financial Institutions announced plans for a pilot project to use climate-change scenarios to better understand the risks to the financial system related to a transition to a low-carbon economy.

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Morningstar, Inc., a leading provider of independent investment research, has begun formally integrating environmental, social, and governance factors into its analysis of stocks, funds, and asset managers, employing a globally consistent framework to capture ESG risk across over 1,500 stocks.

Energy Profiles

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CBRE Group‘s environmental, social and governance programs have earned the company a place on the prestigious Dow Jones Sustainability World Index for the second year in a row. Only 323 companies (of 2,470 eligible) are included in the 2020 DJSI World Index.

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JLL’s EMEA CEO Guy Grainger will move into a new role as global head of Sustainability Services & ESG effective Jan. 1.  The new senior role reflects the company’s ongoing strategic focus on expanding its already substantial sustainability services capabilities.

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OMERS Private Equity is weighing options for ERM Group Inc., including a potential sale that could value the sustainability consultancy at as much as US$2.5 billion, people familiar with the matter said.

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TCI Fund Management Ltd., owned by British billionaire Christopher Hohn, one of the largest shareholders of Canada’s two main railways is calling on them to present climate plans at their upcoming annual meetings and strategies to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

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Boralex Inc. says it has signed a deal to buy the 49 per cent stake in three Quebec wind farms from the Caisse de depot et placement du Quebec for $121.5-million in cash plus up to an additional $4-million.

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Canadian Utilities, an ATCO company, has completed Canada’s largest off-grid solar project comprised of two solar farms with a capacity of 2,800 KW that will provide Fort Chipewyan, Alta., with clean energy and reducing local diesel use by approximately 800,000 litres annually.

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Enbridge Gas Inc. and partner Cummins Inc. say they will proceed with a $5.2-million pilot project next year to blend hydrogen from their renewable-powered hydrogen production facility in Markham into part of the existing natural gas network.

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Avatar Innovations Inc. — founded by former Beaver Drilling Ltd. president and CEO Kevin Krausert as well as Bryan Trudel, a Toronto-based finance executive — aims to become the world’s first “full life cycle” clean energy accelerator.

Yardi Marketplace

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The tremendous work to reduce operational carbon from buildings can be seen in the rise of net-zero energy buildings. Without a comparable focus on reducing embodied carbon in construction materials, the hoped-for mitigation of climate change may not be reached.

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In a post-pandemic world, will municipalities rethink policies and regulations to permit more green or sustainable design and construction? Speakers at a webinar hosted by the Canada Green Building Council (CaGBC) recently in Guelph, Ont. hope so.

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Vancouver councillors have voted to move forward on an aggressive new climate-emergency plan, which includes requiring parking permits for any resident car on the street, mandatory upgrades to homes and offices to eliminate the use of fossil fuels, and improved electric vehicle infrastructure.

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A 2020 survey by the Canadian advocacy group Park People found that, during the pandemic, 70 per cent of respondents had a greater appreciation for green space. And mobility tracking data collected by Google showed visits to Canadian parks surging this year.

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The Principles for Responsible Investment (PRI) has documented more than 730 regulatory or “soft law” policy revisions in the world’s 50 largest economies, across over 500 policy instruments, that required or encouraged investors to consider long-term value considerations, including ESG factors.

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Jeff Bezos named 16 environmental organizations that will get the first chunk of his $10 billion fund for climate action. They collectively will receive $791 million from the world’s richest man, although Bezos did not specify how much would go to each group.

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Three Nordic investors, PKA, PenSam and Storebrand, have launched a new energy transition fund making a financial commitment of about $6 billion Cdn. The fund is to be run by AIP Management, a joint venture belonging to PKA and PenSam.

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Britain will ban the sale of new petrol and diesel cars from 2030, five years earlier than previously planned, as part of what Prime Minister Boris Johnson is casting as a “green revolution” to cut emissions to net zero by 2050.

Industry Events