A newly released discussion paper sets out a proposed emissions reduction agenda for cutting about 38 megatonnes (Mt) of greenhouse gas (GHG) output from Canada’s building inventory within the next eight years. Buildings sector insiders and the general public are invited to submit comments by Sept. 16, which will be considered in refining the Canada Green Buildings Strategy promised for the spring of 2023.
Earlier this year, the Canadian government earmarked $150 million for the strategy to support deep retrofits and the phase-out of fossil-fuel space and water heating in existing building stock, while encouraging net-zero emissions performance in new construction. The initiative aligns with national targets to reduce GHG emissions by 40 to 45 per cent below 2005 levels by 2030 as a step toward net-zero emissions by 2050.
“Canada’s Green Building Strategy will help grow our economy and achieve our ambitious climate objectives,” asserts Jonathan Wilkinson, Canada’s Minister of Natural Resources. “I look forward to hearing from Canadians on the path forward.”
To meet the 2050 net-zero goal, it’s projected that 3 to 5 per cent of existing buildings will need to undergo deep retrofits annually beginning no later than 2025 and all new construction will need to be net-zero-carbon-ready by no later than 2032. The strategy is to be premised on attracting private capital investment, promoting affordability, complementing the GHG-reducing efforts of other economic sectors, reflecting equity, diversity and inclusion and enabling Indigenous climate leadership.
The discussion paper identifies six broad components of the strategy, each with a series of suggested measures, to steer development and investment decisions, promote innovation and expand workforce expertise. That includes plans to: revise or introduce new regulations; fund research and training; augment retrofit financing; and decarbonize the government’s own real estate portfolio.
“Given the scope and scale of the challenge, the Canada Green Buildings Strategy is needed to mobilize commitment from all parts of the sector — public and private — to strategically deploy investment toward the market transformation and the cost compression needed to rapidly and cost-effectively transform the built environment,” the discussion paper states. “To achieve net-zero emissions from Canada’s building sector, we need to take a market transformation perspective and that means working across jurisdictions to set a high bar and prepare the market to meet it.”
Some of the suggested priorities include: accelerated adoption of building codes and standards to impose energy efficiency and climate resilience performance requirements; incentives and/or regulatory mandates for the electrification of space and water heating; widespread rollout of energy benchmarking, labelling and disclosure; mortgage financing that reflects climate risk; incorporation of life-cycle carbon into building performance metrics; training for the green building workforce; and consistent collection and comparability of data.
