Alberta office park earns ENERGY STAR award

BIZ  Energy, Real Estate  •  Clean Energy, Office  •  National, Edmonton

The Commerce South Office Park – Building B in Edmonton, which has implemented numerous energy-efficient initiatives over the years, is the winner of the Commercial Building of the Year of the 2021 ENERGY STAR Canada Awards.

Mitrex Toronto factory largest to use its BIPV system

BIZ  Energy, Real Estate  •  Clean Energy, Infrastructure, Technology  •  National, Toronto / GTA

Leading Canadian solar company Mitrex launched operations of its new production factory in Toronto. The structure is the largest building in the world to employ the company’s patented building-integrated photovoltaic (BIPV) technology.

Toronto station’s roof conserves heat, creates electricity

Energy, Real Estate  •  Globe and Mail

The slanted roof and sides of the new Toronto Paramedic Services Multifunction Station are eye-catching and environmentally-friendly. The building’s walls are designed to conserve heat while the photovoltaic arrays on the roof can produce much of the building’s electricity.

3 new solar farms to be built in Nova Scotia

Energy, Real Estate  •  Daily Commercial News

The governments of Canada and Nova Scotia are partnering to provide funding for the construction of three solar farms in Nova Scotia. The farms are expected to produce about 10GWh of clean energy, enough to power 1,000 homes per year.

Shell’s carbon capture facility key to reducing emissions

Energy, Real Estate  •  Globe and Mail  •  Treehugger  •  Calgary Herald

Shell Canada plans to capture more pollution at its Scotford refinery complex near Edmonton, the company’s latest move to convince the public and shareholders it is serious about reducing its greenhouse gas emissions.

Repairs to Canada’s energy infrastructure will cost $1T

Energy, Real Estate  •  Financial Post

The record heat wave that swept across Western Canada is affecting the electrical grid, as regions that would normally expect electrical demand to peak during the winter suddenly find that blazing summer temperatures are surpassing previous levels of peak demand.

Real World of Real Estate › Podcast: City of Edmonton climate resilience programs, strategies

Gerald Tostowaryk:

Lac-Megantic microgrid showcases Hydro-Quebec tech

Energy  •  Canada Construct  •  Lapresse

Eight years after the tragic freight train derailment, explosion and fire that killed 47 people and destroyed half of its downtown, Lac-Megantic, Quebec has become a showcase for the latest Hydro-Quebec clean-energy technology thanks to a large microgrid project.

Atco to build 1st Alberta renewable natural gas facility

Energy, Real Estate  •  CBC

Calgary-based Atco Energy Solutions will build its first renewable natural gas facility in Alberta. The facility, which should be up and running by late 2022, will capture methane emissions from manure and other organic waste to produce fuel.

Ottawa contributing $40M to “green” mining industry

Real Estate  •  La Presse

Ottawa is contributing $40 million to create the Mining Innovation Commercialization Accelerator Network (ACIM), an association that will help various players in the mining industry come together to better deploy new Canadian technologies.

Natural landscapes key to creating climate resilience

Real Estate  •  CBC

The Park Rill Floodplain is an area of grassland and wetlands in the South Okanagan area of B.C. Home to at risk species like the peregrine falcon, Nature Trust of B.C. purchased the land to protect it from development.

Canada’s utilities unleashed to speed climate action

Energy  •  Globe and Mail

OPINION: The International Energy Agency has come out against new fossil-fuel development; the federal government issued a climate change budget; investors are pushing Big Oil to do better on emissions; and the position on clean energy is becoming mainstream.

1,400+ properties evacuate central B.C. due to wildfires

Real Estate  •  Globe and Mail

The Cariboo Regional District placed more than 1,400 properties in British Columbia’s Cariboo region on evacuation order as wildfires rage across the province. The order covers roughly 1,000 properties south of 100 Mile House and 482 properties in the Canim Lake area.

Design of U.S. cities magnifying extreme heat waves

Real Estate  •  The Hill

As sweltering conditions break records across cities in the Pacific Northwest and wildfires rage, a new study looks at how modern urban design is far less heat-resistant than its residents may know.

Inside the risky business of Canada’s dead ships

Transportation  •  Toronto Star

When the tow line of a tugboat dragging the MV Miner broke, the dead vessel turned into a ghost ship. Untethered, the Miner floated to Nova Scotia, crashing into Scatarie Island, a pristine environmental area protected by the province.

WEF launches the Circular Cars Initiative

Energy, Transportation  •  GreenBiz

At the World Economic Forum last year, the need for more sustainable solutions led to the launch of the Circular Cars Initiative. The initiative involves materials suppliers, fleet operators, manufacturers, recyclers and data platforms.

South Korean giant partners with Canada’s Loop Industries

Real Estate, Waste  •  La Presse

Loop Industries made an agreement with South Korea’s SK Global Chemical, which will pay approximately $65.9 million to acquire 10 per cent of the company. The partners will also collaborate on building four recycled plastic production plants in Asia by 2034.

5 opportunities for transport to improve climate goals

Energy, Transportation  •  GreenBiz

The transport sector comprises 14 per cent of global greenhouse gas emissions and 24 per cent of carbon emissions. Meanwhile, over a million traffic fatalities occur every year and millions of people are exposed to deadly air pollution.

GM partners with Shell to help suppliers buy clean energy

Energy, Transportation  •  GreenBiz

General Motors’ commitment to becoming carbon neutral means more than just transitioning to electric vehicles. Through a new partnership with Shell and MP2 Energy, GM is offering its Texas suppliers the opportunity to buy discounted renewable energy from Shell.

“Mount Recyclemore” reveals threat of e-waste to planet

Waste  •  Treehugger

The leaders of the world’s leading democracies noticed something strange at the G7 Summit: A sculpture made from discarded electronics, dubbed “Mount Recyclemore”, depicted the heads of the seven leaders. Two metric tons of e-waste were used in the process.