A new oversight regime for Ontario’s elevators and escalators will come into force on March 1, bringing shorter timelines for rectifying an extensive list of designated high-risk deficiencies.

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.

Newly released findings from British Columbia’s public consultation on cannabis lounges unsurprisingly confirm that recreational cannabis users are most likely to find the concept appealing.

Mona Fortier, President of the Treasury Board of Canada, confirms that public service employees will be expected to spend 40 to 60 per cent of their working hours in a formal office setting.

Greenwashing is tapping into a demonstrated consumer preference for products and services with low-carbon credentials and growing interest in ESG accountability.

Among its many challenges, the race to meet 2030 commitments for greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions reduction could have some public relations complications.

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.

The Ontario government has pledged $342 million in additional energy efficiency spending to be rolled out between the spring of 2023 and the end of 2024.

Utilities and other entities selling power into public transmission and distribution networks have about 12 years to cut the greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from their production processes down to near-zero levels.

Beginning in 2023, municipalities will have flexibility to pull more revenue from their non-residential tax base, potentially cancelling out a phased 15 per cent reduction in the provincial property tax rate that was introduced this year.

Climate, cost and capacity pose fuel-switching challenges for building owners looking to curb greenhouse gas emissions in line with Canada’s target for a 40 per cent reduction below 2005 levels by 2030.

Researchers and manufacturers have now done much of the work to prepare for the HFC phase-down, but codes and standards will need to catch up before a new generation of lower-GWP refrigerants can be used.

Both the NDP and Green parties float concepts for standardized lease agreements and rent control guidelines in their recently released platforms for the June 2 Ontario election..

The Ontario Liberals and NDP are making similar pledges to inject more funding into the energy conservation programs that have been downscaled during the current provincial government’s tenure.

Ontario’s large commercial customers will have somewhat more straightforward parameters for carving out their share of the global adjustment as they prepare for expected summer peak demand.

Newcomers will be confronting Canada’s affordable housing shortage, while also dealing with potential trauma, language barriers and the general culture shock of unfamiliar surroundings.

Canada ranks 7th for its policy measures and second-last in performance outcomes in an analysis of energy efficiency efforts in the world's 25 highest energy-consuming countries.