Canada Green Buildings Strategy Released

By John Boling

On July 16, 2024, Minister of Energy and Natural Resources Jonathan Wilkinson released the first Canada Green Buildings Strategy (CGBS). The strategy is designed to increase the energy efficiency in Canadians’ homes and buildings while focusing on affordability and reducing greenhouse gas emissions. IIBEC submitted comments regarding the original proposal.

The CGBS aims to:

• Accelerate retrofits of existing buildings
• Ensure we are building energy-efficient, climate-resilient and affordable buildings from the start
• Seize the economic opportunities associated with more efficient and lower carbon building materials and technologies.

Recognizing that buildings are the third largest emitter of GHG emissions, with over 96% of building emissions coming from space and water heating, the strategy focuses on three sectors: residential buildings, commercial and institutional buildings, and federal government buildings. Specific programs within the strategy that may be of interest to building enclosure consultants are:

• Green and Inclusive Community Buildings Program (GICB)
• Canada Infrastructure Bank Building Retrofits Initiative
• Green Municipal Fund
• Deep Retrofit Accelerator Initiative
• Greening Government Strategy[focuses on achieving net-zero emissions in federal buildings].

The strategy outlines how the government is taking action to drive down monthly energy bills, helping Canadians reduce their carbon emissions and ensuring that the homes and workplaces of Canadians are protected against the increasingly harmful effects of climate change. This is all in addition to creating good-paying, sustainable jobs.

Separately, funding was announced for numerous initiatives underway that support the CGBS goals within three programmatic areas: Codes Acceleration Fund, Deep Retrofit Accelerator Initiative, and Toward Net-Zero Homes and Communities Program.