Green Business Certification Inc. (GBCI) and the Canada Green Building Council (CaGBC) have formed GBCI Canada to accelerate green building market transformation and impact in Canada, which is the second largest market for LEED in the world.

GBCI Canada enables the Canadian industry to leverage new opportunities to validate enhanced building performance and increase emissions reductions, operational savings and human health benefits.

GBCI Canada exclusively administers project certifications within the framework of the LEED green building rating systems, as well as the WELL Building Standard, the Sustainable SITES Initiative (SITES) for land use, Parksmart for parking structures, TRUE Zero Waste, Investor Confidence Project (ICP) for energy efficiency retrofits, and the GRESB benchmark, which is used by institutional investors to improve the sustainability performance of the global property sector.

CaGBC President and CEO Thomas Mueller will lead the venture and manage both organizations.

“With over a decade of LEED experience, the Canadian industry is well positioned to work toward more energy efficient and low-carbon buildings, as well as health and wellness, and zero waste goals,” says Mueller. “GBCI Canada has been established to support industry efforts to scale-up by providing expert service and online delivery platforms for a broader suite of complementary green building standards.”

Mahesh Ramanujam, president and CEO of GBCI, says the new venture will result in additional GBCI programs that will help the Canadian market realize the economic and environmental benefits associated with green building.

“GBCI Canada will go deeper into the Canadian market to deliver and execute on GBCI and CaGBC’s collective mission,” he says. “It is about local and regional support, while helping implement the global vision of strategic execution. By going into markets more broadly, we can work closely with our customers and help them implement their sustainability goals and aspirations.”

Nellie Cheng will also join GBCI Canada as its managing director.