Artificial intelligence is proving useful for teaching old dogs new tricks in the existing buildings sector, finding energy savings and emissions reductions in advance of comprehensive retrofits.

Proposed new provincial legislation would strip municipalities of their ability to request a record of site condition (RSC) in specified circumstances where the risk of site contamination is deemed to be low.

An expanding roster of tech companies aligned with the sustainable and smart buildings market reflects growing demand from end-users and draws support from increasingly enthusiastic investors.

The Canadian government’s newly released green buildings strategy contains little that is actually new for commercial real estate or public sector facilities.

The cost case for salvaged steel looks promising even with an embryonic supply chain and a raft of logistical complexities to recover and then reuse structural members in new construction projects.

Ottawa landlords are contemplating a list of new expectations from a prized office tenant following recently announced updates to the federal government’s green operations strategy.

Real estate operators are looking to consultants, turnkey contractors and software for navigational assistance in developing and implementing decarbonization roadmaps.

Climate change adaptation measures are typically viewed as risk management rather than levers for investment returns, but they are inherently linked to building and portfolio value.

Toronto is backsliding on the upkeep of municipal facilities, with a state of good repair backlog that’s projected to surpass $1 billion this year and then continue accumulating to nearly $1.47 billion by 2033.

Daunting net zero targets in the buildings sector are spurring an all-in approach to decarbonization that assigns roles to finance, engineering, management and operational teams.

The business case for electrification works best when retrofits are synced with the end-of-life of existing mechanical equipment and/or asset repositioning plans

Canada’s newly finalized climate change adaptation strategy sets out objectives and attaches mid- to near-term targets to bolster resilience in five key action areas.

Bonus incentives for energy efficiency upgrades will be available to select commercial and multifamily landlords and condominium corporations in Ontario during the second and third quarters of 2023.

Most condominium corporations and rental housing landlords will need to make capital investments in energy storage to realize the benefits of Ontario's ultra-low overnight electricity rate.

Sustainable finance products, are expected to increasingly come into play as building owners/managers pursue decarbonization and look to bolster the climate resiliency of their properties.

The COVID-19 pandemic and supply chain disruptions are frequently cited, but not the only reasons for uneven uptake of Ontario’s energy retrofit and performance incentives over the past two years.

For public partners, P3s are a means to transfer risk. For the private sector, infrastructure’s recession-proof profile dovetails with expectations for a prolonged building spree.