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VOL. 36 NO. 2 • JULY 2021
CLIMATE CONNECTION
PA R T O F T H E
Energizing a Low-Carbon Future
P A R T
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T H E
FEDERAL RETROFIT FUNDS GREEN ECONOMIC RECOVERY NET-ZERO EMISSIONS FOSSIL FUEL DISFAVOUR DIGITAL TWIN TECHNOLOGY ENERGY STAR AWARDS
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VOL. 36 NO.2
JULY 2021
Editor-in-Chief
Barbara Carss barbc@mediaedge.ca
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TEL: (416) 512-8186 • FAX: (416) 512-8344 Published and printed six times yearly as follows: March, April/May, June, Aug/Sept, Oct/Nov, Dec by MediaEdge Communications Inc. 2001 Sheppard Avenue East, Suite 500 Toronto, Ontario M2J 4Z8 (416) 512-8186 Fax: (416) 512-8344 e-mail: circulation@mediaedge.ca Subscription Rates: Canada: 1 year, $60*; 2 years, $110* Single Copy Sales: Canada: $12* Outside Canada: US 1 year, $85 International $110 *Plus applicable taxes Reprints: Requests for permission to reprint any portion of this magazine should be sent to info@mediaedge.ca. Copyright 2021 Canada Post Canadian Publications Mail Sales Product Agreement No. 40063056 ISSN 0834-3357 Authors: Canadian Property Management Magazine accepts unsolicited query letters and article suggestions. Manufacturers: Those wishing to have their products reviewed should contact the publisher or send information to the attention of the editor. Sworn Statement of Circulation: Available from the publisher upon written request. Although Canadian Property Management makes every effort to ensure the accuracy of the information published, we cannot be held liable for any errors or omissions, however caused. Printed in Canada
editor’snote LOW-HANGING FRUIT — perhaps the most overworked metaphor of the 21st century to describe easy energy savings — has been a palatable prompt for more ambitious capital investment in the commercial real estate industry. Quick paybacks and often noticeable improvements (i.e. lighting) in how occupants perceive and experience buildings helped jell the case for other new expenditures and/or premiums on equipment replacement costs that delivered better energy efficiency. Nevertheless, strategists who see deep retrofits as a key ingredient in the larger recipe for climate action express concern that persistent nibbling at incremental change could diminish appetites for fuller possibilities. They consider energy in the context of Canada’s aggressive targets to reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, and base their expectations on what can and must occur to cut GHG output to 30% below 2005 levels by 2030 or to attain the even more challenging goal of netzero emissions by 2050. Modelling affirms that energy efficiency could make a significant contribution to a lower-carbon future via a process that would stimulate both employment and GDP growth. Those analyses — from researchers at the Canada Green Building Council and Efficiency Canada among the many organizations worriedly contemplating a warming planet — also stress that we must dramatically pick up the pace and scale of our efforts. In this issue, we outline some suggested courses of action and report on some new sources of funding designed to get things rolling. The latter includes $2 billion offered through Canada Infrastructure Bank to provide low-cost financing to co-investors with business plans for achieving a 30% reduction in GHG emissions across a portfolio of buildings. Here’s where previous harvests of lowhanging fruit will make it harder to hit the prescribed target, which also stipulates a minimum 25% emissions reduction in any single building. Retrofit Spending features include more program details for this and parallel initiatives for public sector buildings. Circling back to untapped potential, Jiri Skopek explores another of the steady series of technological advancements that have helped the buildings sector operate more efficiently with a muted impact on the environment. This time, he explains how digital twins can simulate the path forward. Meanwhile, Tsering Yangki, Head of Real Estate Finance and Development with Dream Unlimited Corp., exemplifies growing conviction that the commercial real estate sector could be central to “an equitable, green and resilient economic recovery” in the aftermath of COVID-19 and in advance of even more ominous threats. Speaking at the webinar the Building Owners and Managers Association (BOMA) of Canada sponsored to discuss the $2-billion Canada Infrastructure Bank fund, she called for a broader perspective on retrofits and their paybacks in line with “fostering an ecosystem of innovation and resilience”. “When we change the framework and how we’re looking through it, we find that there is innovation created,” she urged. “The combination of green buildings and healthy buildings is not just what’s good or the right thing to do, but there is a strong business case. There is an abundance of evidence of strong compounding effects to the bottom line.” Barbara Carss barbc@mediaedge.ca @BarbaraCarss
Canadian Property Management | July 2021 3
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Commercial Building Retrofits: Canada Infrastructure Bank is considering prospective proposals from co-investors with business plans for reducing greenhouse gas emissions by 30% across a portfolio buildings.
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Curbing Community Emissions: Two distinct, but complementary federal programs provide funding for energy upgrades in community cultural and recreational facilities.
12 Climate Forward Recovery: The Canada Green Building Council sets out a strategy for greenhouse gas reduction and green job creation. 14 Achieving Ambitious Targets: Energy policy analysts contend that Canada won’t meet its net-zero emissions target through the current piecemeal approach to retrofits. 16 Carbon Shutout: Forging a path to net-zero emissions in existing buildings and new construction. 21 Tax Credit Shuffle: Natural-gas-fired cogeneration systems will lose claim to accelerated capital cost allowance after 2023, while incentives for other kinds of energyefficient technology have been introduced as of April 2021. 22 Digital Twins: A real-time virtual copy can steer Departments building operators to energy savings and 3 Editor’s note emissions reductions. 46 Award-winning Energy Performance: 2021 NEXT ENERGY STAR Canada honourees. BOMEXfull page2-2021.pdf
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retrofitspending
CAPITAL CONDITIONS
Third-Party Aggregators Instrumental in Federal Retrofit Fund Delivery By Barbara Carss
RETROFIT PROPONENTS unable to contribute at least $6.25 million in equity capital will have to look to third-party interveners in order to tap into the Canada Infrastructure Bank’s $2-billion fund for energy efficiency and greenhouse gas (GHG) reduction measures in commercial buildings. Speaking during a recent webinar sponsored by the Building Owners and Managers Association (BOMA) of Canada, Frederic Bettez, Managing Director, Investments, at the Canada Infrastructure Bank (CIB), outlined a scheme to enfranchise a squad of delivery agents that can help launch projects more quickly and widely than could the lending institution working on its own. “The aggregator model basically gives the CIB a broader network of sales people, gives us a broader network of experts and it accelerates the deployment of capital in the market,” he advised. “But we can make direct investments to corporations or large owners that have larger projects; we have that flexibility also. We are trying to cater to the market with as much flexibility as we can toward achieving the common objective of the GHG reductions.” CIB is now accepting businesses cases for both potential avenues of investment. As first announced in the fall of 2020, the $2-billion initiative is one component of a $10-billion 6 July 2021 | Canadian Property Management
strategy to stimulate green economic growth and help to meet Canada’s commitment to reduce GHG emissions to 30% below 2005 levels by 2030. Bettez characterizes it as an effort to “turbo charge” the five targeted streams — which also include clean power, rollout of broadband to underserved regions, agriculture-related infrastructure and zero-emission buses — and to drill down from the CIB’s typical focus on large projects to capture the environmental and economic potential of the vast existing building inventory. To do so, CIB will stick to its large-loan template, disbursing low-cost financing in chunks of $25-, $50- or $100-million dollars to borrowers presenting plans for reducing GHG emissions by 30% across a portfolio of buildings. Meanwhile, energy management specialists caution that will be a challenging target to meet. Energy efficiency upgrades, switching to low-carbon or carbon-free heating sources and adopting on-site renewable generation and energy storage are all tapped as plausible measures, but that will come with differing degrees of difficulty and economic viability depending on electricity costs, the carbon intensity of the provincial electricity grid and a building’s baseline starting point.
“Fuel switching seems to be the direct route, but it will be tough to find a business case to do it unless the price of natural gas goes up a lot,” says Rob Detta Colli, Energy and Sustainability Manager with Crossbridge Condominium Services. FLEXIBLE FINANCING PROMISED Borrowers, who could be portfolio owners or third parties planning to offer retrofit services to a number of smaller players, will have to bring at least 20% equity capital to the deal and a credible strategy for delivering GHG reductions. The latter requirement includes compliance with Investor Ready Energy Efficiency (IREE) certification and enrollment in ENERGY STAR portfolio manager. Loans will be offered at 3% interest — tied to delivering a 30% GHG reduction portfolio-wide and no less than a 25% reduction per individual building — but borrowers have the opportunity to secure rates as low as 1% for achieving greater reductions. Capital must be fully invested within five years of the credit agreement, and there is a 25-year repayment period. “We wanted to allow the market to move the financing off-balance sheet, if necessary, or at least lower the level of security so that we would not prevent the building owner
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from borrowing funds to make acquisitions or other investments within the buildings,” Bettez told webinar attendees. “It is not just about the interest rate. We don’t take security on the buildings; we don’t supersede the mortgages. We’ll go second lien; we’ll go corporate. We can go longer-term rather than renew every five years; we can go six to 20 years. We can also play with the early years where, if you have a longer mobilization or deployment period, the interest will be deferred for a little while.” That’s all welcome for large commercial real estate portfolios. Also speaking at the BOMA Canada webinar, Tsering Yangki, Head of Real Estate Finance and Development with Dream Unlimited Corp., identified access to capital as one of the barriers the sector faces in implementing energy-saving and sustainability measures. “Typically, for any kind of financing, it is based on your rents. You’re really trapped just based on your cash flow in the ability to be able to get the mortgages, and it is quite challenging,” she observed. “This structure, it is quite innovative in terms of being offbalance sheet. I think these are pretty good opportunities for landlords and owners to have the flexibility of being able to get sources of capital when it’s not sitting on the balance sheet.”
REACHING MARKET SEGMENTS Energy services companies (ESCOs), engineering firms and contractors are considered prime candidates to serve as the aggregators tasked with reaching the greater number of smaller owners. CIB additionally aims to sign on some municipalities to offer retrofits through a property assessed clean energy (PACE) program approach, in which loans are registered with the property itself and repaid over a number of years via a designated premium on the property tax bill. Or local utilities might offer the same sort of option through a mechanism known as on-bill financing. “We’re also talking to third parties like investors in the infrastructure and energy world or property management firms that want to create their own new investment vehicle,” Bettez reported. “The common thread [among prospective aggregators] is the CIB backstops. The difference is every one of those aggregators can choose which market it wants to address — be it a geography in particular; a size or a type of building; or a portfolio of measures that they feel more comfortable with.” He suggested that could be an aggregator targeting one hundred $300,000-retrofits in low-rise multifamily stock or three $10-million projects in industrial facilities. “We like that because by making two investments, we attract two different markets, and that’s the goal of the aggregator. That’s the way that we want to spread our tentacles through Canada across different segments of the market,” Bettez said. There is also an envisioned role for aggregators to take on packages of retrofit work across public sector portfolios, such a municipal, provincial, healthcare and university holdings. Through the envisioned deal structure, the CIB would provide 40 to 60% of the financing for project bundles valued at $50 million or higher, with the potential for up to 70% financing “to enable deeper retrofits and fuel switching”. Public sector facilities managers would not have to contribute upfront capital or commit to minimum guaranteed payments, but would pay out 100% of realized energy savings to the aggregator/ESCO for the term of the agreement. “CIB has decided to attack public and the private sector buildings in two different ways in order to bring efficiencies to the forefront,” Bettez said. “We have a team dedicated to addressing the public sector needs and we do encourage them to contact us.”
EMERGING INVESTMENT CLASS All borrowers will have to pass rigorous technical and financial due diligence and post-construction quality auditing, which is also devised to bolster an ancillary goal to position retrofit as an investment asset class. “You’ll see in the initiative that we’re trying to move the market to some sort of standardization on reporting, certification and, on our side, also on documentation,” Bettez affirmed. For institutional investors, property funds and asset managers, that might align with other performance benchmarking and reporting imperatives. Yangki underscored the need for metrics to inform investors’ and lenders’ decision-making. “There is cost, but what is the value creation and [the return on] unlocking the potential of that?” she mused. “What is the value of the opportunity cost that you’re losing out on?” Paybacks are expected from energy and operational savings, enhanced asset value and the related capacity to draw and retain tenants. Direct borrowers or aggregators’ clients will also be free to leverage grants and incentives to further offset their costs. “There are municipal, provincial and federal programs that allow for incentives to kick in on the energy side, on the GHG side or air quality or the health and safety side, which can be compatible to what we’re doing here,” Bettez reiterated. “We are very interested in working with these other incentive programs and making sure that we can.” Some of the future envisioned green job growth may come from portfolio owners’ need for expert guidance. “You really do need to make sure that you have a good consultant to be able to analyze and assess what is your risk profile, and what are the returns that you’re looking for based on whether or not this is a long-term hold,” Yangki maintained. Smaller players — which will typically include condominium corporations — will have to wait to see if aggregators emerge and what they’ll offer. Detta Colli suggests they’ll likely be focused on buildings with “really inefficient boilers” since that will present the most straightforward opportunity to achieve required GHG reductions through offsetting energy used for heating, domestic hot water and warming up outdoor air intake. ❚❚ For more information about Canada Infrastructure Bank’s commercial and public building retrofits initiative, see https://cib-bic. ca/en/partner-with-us/growth-plan/greeninfrastructure. Canadian Property Management | July 2021 7
retrofitspending
COMMUNITY
POTENTIAL
Programs Promise $1.67 billion for GHG Reduction Projects
TWO DISTINCT, BUT complementary new federal programs are promising funds for community buildings. The Green and Inclusive Community Buildings program will provide $1.5 billion over five years for capital upgrades, major retrofits or new construction of buildings that provide noncommercial services to the public. The Community Buildings Retrofit initiative will be administered through the Federation of Canadian Municipalities’ (FCM) Green Municipal Fund, and will make up to $167 million available over six years to improve energy performance and reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions in recreational and cultural facilities owned by local governments or not-for-profit operators. Together, the programs offer varied project streams for somewhat different but often overlapping proponents, but both are focused on meeting GHG reduction targets and are aligned with the government’s pledge to invest $15 billion in measures to address climate change and boost the green economy. They are also framed as a 8 July 2021 | Canadian Property Management
counterpart to the $2-billion commitment for large-scale commercial building retrofits announced last fall. “Our community buildings, like arenas, libraries and recreation centres, are important parts of our towns and cities across the country. Upgrading our existing community buildings and building new green centres will help Canadians create healthier and more vibrant communities,” says Jonathan Wilkinson, Canada’s Minister of Environment and Climate Change. “By working together, we can cut pollution, help communities save on energy costs and create good jobs.” GREEN AND INCLUSIVE BUILDINGS The $1.5 billion fund for green and inclusive community buildings will be dispersed through two streams: a competitive process for el igible applicants with project costs in the range of $3 million to $25 million; and funds for smaller and medium-sized retrofit projects in the range of $100,000 to $3
million, which will be allocated to eligible recipients on a first-come, firstserved basis until depleted. Both streams are open to provincial/ territorial and local governments, their associated agencies and incorporated notfor-profit organizations, while $150 million is specifically targeted for Indigenous project proponents. Candidate buildings must be publicly accessible and host services that “play a meaningful role in fostering inclusion in society and combatting systemic inequities”. That includes community culture, recreation, health and wellness facilities, mobile structures such as mobile libraries and health clinics, and Indigenous health, social and education facilities. New construction typically must be netzero-carbon or net-zero-carbon-ready, but building proponents in remote or Northern communities will also have the option of exceeding requirements of the 2017 National Energy Code if it is too onerous to achieve net-zero-carbon.
retrofitspending The largest share of the funding — up to $860 million — will be directed to retrofits in the categories of small ($100,000 to $250,000), medium ($250,000 to $3 million) and large ($3 to $25 million) projects. To qualify, projects must meet a prescr ibed th reshold for energy performance, and retrofits must be completed during the period between April 1, 2021 and March 31, 2026. Generally, a 25% improvement over baseline energy use is expected, although that requirement could be waived in select cases. Proposed projects that can deliver a higher level of energy efficiency and greater GHG reductions through minimization of embodied carbon will have an edge, as will projects that incorporate climate change resilience. “Making every building greener is critical for Canada’s sustainable development and net-zero emissions future,” submits Thomas Mueller, President and Chief Executive Officer of the Canada Green Building Council. “In addition to the positive environmental outcomes, green building has the power to improve occupant health, promote well-being and support learning outcomes — benefits that all Canadians should enjoy.” Funding can also cover various accessibility and health and safety upgrades, provided the project also meets energy and sustainability prerequisites. All accessibility measures must meet or surpass the highest published standard within the jurisdiction to qualify. Underserved or high-needs communities will get preference in allocations for new construction projects. New construction automatically falls into the large project category, along with major retrofits valued at $3 million to $25 million, with funds to be awarded through a competitive process. FCM RETROFIT INITIATIVE The FCM retrofit program will provide grants and grant-loan combos for energyuse monitoring, recommissioning and ret ro - com m ission ing, pre-project feasibility studies and capital projects — limited to one per municipality for each program category. That ranges from a maximum of $25,000 to cover up to 80% of the eligible costs of implementing energy-use monitoring to a maximum of $5 million to cover up to 80% of eligible costs of capital projects. “With community buildings like arenas, pools and recreation centres emitting some of the highest levels of municipal GHGs,
ENERGY TRAINING EXPERTISE REQUIRED Public agencies, not-for-profit organizations and private sector energy services providers are all expected to play a role in developing the workforce that will underpin Canada’s promised home retrofit program, slated to launch in the fall of 2021. The program, announced in the 2020 fall economic statement, aims to reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, stimulate postpandemic economic recovery and create green employment through up to 700,000 grants of $5,000 for home energy improvements. An associated $10-million fund will underwrite training and recruitment of approximately 2,000 energy advisors, who will be tasked with performing up to 1 million home energy audits and recommending effective retrofit measures. The Canadian government is outsourcing to find the expertise and resources to help build that nationwide team, and is providing grants of up to $100,000 to $200,000 per year to delivery agents of a range of required services. “There are currently 936 energy advisors in the country who are qualified to use the EnerGuide Rating System v15 to assess home energy performance and make recommendations,” observes Brendan Haley, Policy Director with the research and advocacy organization, Efficiency Canada. “So this will be a big ramp-up.” Grants are available in five categories: up to $200,000 per year to train new recruits for energy advisor positions; up to $150,000 per year for mentoring programs; and up to $100,000 per year for professional development/upskilling support, recruitment of under-represented groups in the energy management sector, and capacity building in underserved or remote communities. All proposed work must occur between September 2021 and March 31, 2024. Provincial/territorial, local and Indigenous governments, Indigenous and other and not-forprofit organizations can receive funding for 100% of eligible costs, while for-profit organizations qualify for coverage of up to 75% of eligible costs. Applicants from or on behalf of underrepresented groups will be prioritized, as will proposals that specifically entail recruiting and developing energy advisors from under-represented groups of the population or in underserved locales of the country. “I am proud of the impact that this investment will have in getting more women, Indigenous Peoples, persons with disabilities and racialized Canadians into the workforce,” says Carla Qualtrough, Canada’s Minister of Employment, Workforce Development and Disability Inclusion. “This investment takes an inclusive approach in helping us get closer to our climate goals and ensuring that all Canadians have access to the skills training they need to succeed in the labour market.”
successful retrofit projects can have a significant impact on climate change efforts,” maintains Garth Frizzell, President of the Federation of Canadian Municipalities. Two types of capital undertakings will be funded: GHG impact projects involving retrofits that reduce emissions by at least 30% compared to the initial baseline; and GHG reduction pathway projects enabling a phased process toward achieving near-netzero emissions. Proponents can attain a combined grant and loan of up to $5 million to cover 80% of eligible costs, with a maximum of 25% or $1.25 million in the form of a grant. Recipients of GHG reduction pathway funding must first complete a feasibility study, for which they can also receive grants of up to $65,000 for one building or $200,000 for a portfolio of buildings. Re c o m m i s sio n i ng a n d r e t r o commissioning grants max out at $55,000 or up to 60% of eligible costs. This could be applied to a single building or a portfolio of buildings. Seven of Canada’s largest municipalities — Vancouver, Edmonton, Calgary, Toronto, Ottawa, Montreal and Halifax — which
have access to a $183-million federal fund through their participation in the Low Carbon Cities Canada initiative, are not eligible this program. For now, Quebec municipalities are also on hold until an agreement between FCM and the Quebec government is finalized, but it is expected they will be invited to apply in the future. Otherwise, Canadian municipalities and municipal partners — which might include municipally owned corporations, other agencies delivering municipal services, nongover n ment a l a nd not-for-prof it organizations, private-sector entities, Indigenous communities or research institutes — can apply. Typically, FCM accepts and processes application yearround until annual fund allocations are depleted. After that, incoming applications will be deferred until the next fiscal year. ❚❚ For more information about the Green and Inclusive Buildings Program, see www. infrastructure.gc.ca/gicb-bcvi/index-eng.html. For more information about the Community Buildings Retrofit initiative, see https://fcm.ca/ e n / p ro g r a m s / g re e n - m u n i c i p a l - f u n d / community-buildings-retrofit-initiative. Canadian Property Management | July 2021 9
SPONSORED CONTENT
Ian (far left) and Bruce McDonald (far right) have been Co-Presidents & CEOs of Black & McDonald since 1997. Here they are pictured with their dad and uncle,W.L. and H.J. McDonald.
A CENTURY OF SUCCESS Celebrating Black & McDonald’s 100-Year Legacy
F
rom its origin in 1921 as a Toronto-based electrical contractor, Black & McDonald has evolved into a multi-trade service provider with 30+ offices operating throughout North America. Built on the founding principles to “Do Things Right” and “Deliver Lasting Value,” the familyowned company now completes over $1.5 billion in sales per year and employs more than 5,000 people from coast to coast. Reaching the 100-year mark is a great achievement for any business, and for Black & McDonald, it is a testament to the people, partnerships and meaningful moments that continue to shape its legacy — one that began as a two-man operation in 1921 when founding partners William R. Black and William J. McDonald launched their electrical wiring service. “So many people have contributed to make this achievement possible,” said Ian McDonald, Co-President & CEO. “For the past 100 years, the support from our employee group, our client base, our suppliers, and the communities in which we operate, has been incredible. We are very appreciative of this support and we will strive to continue to be worthy of it going forward.” Rapid growth through the decades For two decades, World War I veterans William R. Black and William J. (W.J.) McDonald enjoyed success together as electrical contractors serving small businesses and households in the Toronto area. When Black passed away
in 1946, W.J. took over sole proprietorship and was later joined by his sons, John and Bill, in the 1950s. By the early 70s, Black & McDonald had grown out of its humble roots into a national network of Canadian offices offering a range of services that included electrical and mechanical contracting, sheet metal fabrication, HVAC and refrigeration maintenance and repair, and utility contracting. This expansion continued through the 80s with the addition of design engineering and facility management and operations capabilities. By the mid90s, Black & McDonald had entered the U.S. market with utility construction and asset management services. Today, the multi-trade company fulfils all building lifecycle needs and holds facility management contracts for multiple operations, including hospitals, museums, airports, industrial plants, office complexes and military bases. Led by third generation family members Ian and Bruce McDonald, it continues to adhere to the same core values that steered it so successfully in the beginning: to provide a quality service at a fair price and to treat people respectfully. Looking ahead, Black & McDonald envisions a continued path of planned growth and profitability guided by a promise to put customer satisfaction and quality first; to remain true to its longstanding code of business while honouring a commitment to health, safety and environmental responsibility into the next century and beyond.
SPONSORED CONTENT
100 YEARS OF MILESTONES 1921: W.R. Black and W.J. McDonald form partnership in Toronto. 1946: W.J. McDonald acquires 100% ownership in Black & McDonald. 1950: Black & McDonald enters the ventilation and A/C markets. 1955: Corporate headquarters opens at 101 Parliament St. in Toronto. 1955: Quebec office opens. 1957: H.J. and W.L. McDonald assume leadership. 1958: Black & McDonald enters the plumbing and heating markets. 1971:
Atlantic region business activity begins.
1973: B&M enters the utility market. 1973: Operations begin in Western Canada. Black & McDonald’s first corporate headquarters at 101 Parliament Street.
Success driven by adaptability, innovation and staying true to its founding principles
1977: Vancouver and Dartmouth offices open, establishing coast to coast presence. 1984: B&M secures its first Facilities Management contract at Commerce Court in Toronto.
Black & McDonald has experienced continued change in its 100-year history, surviving the Great Depression, WWII, several recessions, and now a pandemic. The ability to adapt quickly, develop new services effectively, and remain on the cusp of new technology has been central to its success. Today, Black & McDonald proudly offers multiple products and services in the following core areas:
1990: Offshore energy business begins operations in Atlantic Canada.
• Electrical and Mechanical construction services – Black & McDonald provides turnkey solutions for a wide range of applications including commercial buildings, institutional facilities, airports, mission critical data centres, hospitals, pharmaceutical, transit & transportation, water & wastewater treatment, oil & gas, mining, manufacturing, utilities, power generation and renewable energy across North America.
2013: Women’s College Hospital redevelopment begins; B&M awarded 30-year FMO contract.
• Utility Construction – Serving both private and public sector clients, Black & McDonald has extensive experience in substation design, construction, retrofit, repair and maintenance, including testing and commissioning. We provide construction services for overhead and underground transmission systems, fibre optic cabling, construction of stations, municipal installations, and their related civil construction. • Facility Services – Black & McDonald has extensive experience in operating and maintaining a diverse portfolio of facilities across both the public and private sectors. B&M’s experience covers a varied cross-section of facility types, including commercial offices, healthcare environments, major transportation hubs and airports, cultural facilities, life sciences laboratories, municipal government properties, educational institutions, data centres, utilities infrastructure, and major manufacturing and distribution plants.
1997: Ian and Bruce McDonald assume leadership. 1997: B&M begins operations in Kansas City, U.S. 2008: B&M begins first public-private partnership project at the Kelowna Vernon Hospitals in B.C.
2019: B&M awarded major public-private partnership (P3) contract in Ottawa as part of the Innovate Energy Consortium under the Government of Canada’s Energy Services Acquisition Program (ESAP). 2021: B&M celebrates 100 years of excellence.
For more information on how Black & McDonald can serve you, please visit: www.blackandmcdonald.com.
GREEN BUILDING
STIMULUS
Economic Injection Projected to Create Jobs and Curb Emissions A report from the Canada Green Building Council (CaGBC) estimates Canada’s green building workforce could reach nearly 1.5 million over the next nine years if governments invest in net-zero-carbon new construction and deep building retrofits. In turn, that’s calculated to cut greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions by 53 megatonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent (CO2e) relative to 2018 levels and equate to nearly $150 billion in direct GDP. In the following excerpt, the CaGBC further outlines the case for what it calls a Climate Forward scenario – Editor. GIVEN THE COVID-19-triggered economic slowdown, costs loom large for commercial developers and residential homebuilders. This challenges the green building industry to redouble its efforts to communicate the importance of rigorous standards. However, the crisis also offers Canada’s governments a unique opportunity to shape the future direction of the construction sector and the economy at large. Should governments take targeted action to support green building efforts and directly link stimulus spending to climate change mitigation and adaptation, they will 12 July 2021 | Canadian Property Management
lead the country to a green recovery. Not only could such an approach reboot the economy, it could help ensure that Canada meets its 2030 climate target. That is a 30% reduction in greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions compared to the 2005 baseline. The construction and infrastructure development sectors are positioned to be at the forefront of the low-carbon transition, as the sectors account for more than 7% of GDP and almost 30% of GHG emissions. The green building sector has already been growing within the Canadian economy. As of 2018, the most recent year for which complete data is available, the
industry employed 462,150 direct full-time workers, or almost 200,000 more earners than the oil and gas extraction, mining and forestry sectors combined. CaGBC-commissioned modelling calculates that even in the pre-pandemic era, the green building sector was projected to grow 6.3% annually on average between 2018 and 2030 — expanding its workforce to more than 960,000 direct jobs. Meanwhile, factoring in COVID-19’s impact, that growth rate could be expected to slip slightly, to 6.1% annually, resulting in about 940,000 direct jobs by 2030 in the absence of other interventions.
retrofitspending CLIMATE FORWARD MODELLING Alternatively, CaGBC’s Climate Forward scenario assumes federal and provincial governments adopt a green-buildingfocused green recovery stimulus program that reboots the economy, while ensuring the nation meets its 2030 climate target. It includes increased investments in net-zerocarbon new construction and increased investment in green building retrofits to more closely align with zero-carbon construction goals overall. The scenario also assumes that governments will focus future pandemic response stimulus packages on green building, while making significant investments in climate mitigation and adaptation. Finally, it assumes that by 2030, 30% of all retrofits will be green and low-carbon and approximately 90% of all new construction countrywide will be net-zero-carbon. Should governments pursue the Climate Forward scenario, the green building industry would not only help ensure Canada meets its 2030 GHG target, but it would also provide 1,470,032 jobs by that year — more than triple the green building industry’s jobs in 2018. This would yield an annual average growth rate of 10% between 2018 and 2030 and a GDP of $150 billion — compared with the $95 billion that the economy would see without any green recovery measures. Canada would also cut GHG emissions 51% in 2030 compared with 2018, representing a decline of 53 megatonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent (Mt CO2e). Without that concerted effort, those reductions would be 22.5 Mt CO2e, or less than half of the projected potential. SHOVEL-WORTHY PRIORITIES The construction sector is an expedient focus for an economic stimulus plan because it currently provides a livelihood for 6.5% of all employed Canadians. Although 17% of these jobs meet the criteria for “green” right now, it’s estimated that the green quotient could grow to 57% by 2030. Construction provides a wide spectrum of jobs, including positions for unskilled workers needing low-barrier employment, and it is a domestic industry. A significant proportion of the supply chain — for example, concrete, windows, plumbing materials, metal cladding — are either produced in Canada or easily could be. Sectors eligible to participate in an economic stimulus program will need to be in a position to deliver so-called shovelworthy projects, which can both launch
quickly and advance additional goals, such as emissions reductions. A first step would be to develop an investment pipeline of projects that are not only shovel-ready — i.e. quick to deploy — but also shovelworthy. Evaluation criteria for the latter might include: • jobs created per dollar invested, and the extent to which those jobs are secure and in sunrise industries; • the long-term economic impact of projects that boost Canadian innovation and competitiveness, drive domestic supply chains and mobilize private investment; and, • the capacity of a project to encourage cleaner energy and energy efficiency, and support climate targets. New green building construction alone will not deliver Canada’s 2030 GHG emission reduction target. That goal will only be reached if Canada reduces the emissions of its billions of square feet of existing institutional, commercial and residential space. There are two main reasons the modelling points to a significant growth of green building jobs and GDP in 2030 versus 2018: • The amount of activity dedicated to retrofits will have increased significantly to 65% of total construction activity, whereas in 2018 the majority was new construction. • By 2030, green building retrofits increase significantly with the Climate Forward scenario exhibiting the greatest impact. That’s also based on the assumption that 60% of all residential buildings would receive a deep retrofit between 2020 and 2030. For retrofit calculations, a blended direct jobs multiplier of 4.5 direct jobs per $1 million of spending was applied. The Climate Forward scenario assumes that by 2030, 30% of all retrofits nationwide would be green retrofits and 65% of all Canadian construction activity would relate to improving existing buildings, and anticipates incremental investment in deeper retrofit and electrification. MARKET PROMPTS The majority of Canada’s building stock will still be in operation in 2030, and much of it does not meet contemporary energyefficient or other sustainability standards. The process and practice of retrofitting existing buildings offers the sector a costeffective opportunity to reduce energy costs
while improving occupant health and wellness. It is also a critical path to achieving Canada’s climate change targets. While many building owners still pursue single-technology improvements, some market leaders are bundling energy-saving and low-carbon technologies to capture deeper savings. This can: lower operating costs and enhance property values; improve occupant living, working, and learning conditions; create jobs, and develop new expertise and capacity in the real estate sector. It can also generate attractive returns for lenders and investors. To date, governments have focused their interventions on retrofit grants and rebates. While important, such incentives should also establish the appropriate market infrastructure to create a self-sustaining retrofit economy. In particular, limited access to financing remains a barrier to building owners. Private sector lenders need to consider energy efficiency and GHG reductions as part of their underwriting criteria. Factoring monetary savings into the borrower’s cash flow calculations helps shield financial risk should an asset fall short of regulatory requirements. For example, a building may be less valuable if it does not meet minimum energy efficiency or GHG standards, or if it is vulnerable to carbon price increases. Industry-trustedstandards,methodologies and certifications — similar to those that credit rating agencies provide to debtsecurity investors — are needed. That could help address the challenge of institutional investors having little appetite for the modest returns generated from energy savings of individual buildings. Policy makers could lower this barrier by backstopping retrofit loans and pooling retrofit projects into bundles that would more likely catch investor attention. The coming year is expected to bring federal and provincial retrofit codes, and retrofit development standards. Along with carbon pricing, this could help make a stronger business case for electrification. Rather than just swapping like-for-like with mechanical systems, owners will increasingly see these as opportunities for fuel-switching, recladding, adding renewable generation and improving operations. ❚❚ The complete text of Canada’s Green Building Engine, Market Impacts and Opportunities in a Critical Decade can be found at: www.cagbc.org/CAGBC/ Advocacy/market_impact_report.aspx Canadian Property Management | July 2021 13
REFRAMING RETROFITS Climate Crisis Lens Urged to Broaden Perspective on Costs and Paybacks CANADA’S COMMERCIAL building sector will need innovative retrofit options, centralized project management and more ambitious policy drivers to realize its emissions reduction potential, concludes a recently released report from the research and advocacy group, Efficiency Canada. Entitled Canada’s Climate Retrofit Mission, it outlines scenarios for achieving net-zero emissions in the existing building stock within the next 15 to 30 years through fuel-switching and associated deep retrofit measures, and contrasts that to an estimated 70-year timetable at the current pace of capital investment. Co-authors Brendan Haley and Ralph Torrie model costs and benefits for retrofit schedules that would see Canada’s existing building inventory achieve netzero status by 2035 or 2050 then explore 14 July 2021 | Canadian Property Management
why neither scenario is likely to unfold through prevailing approaches for incentivizing, financing and implementing retrofit projects. In turn, they call for a climate crisis lens and a resulting perspective that entrenches net-zero emissions as a societal priority and primes the conditions for the market to respond. “Rather than making each retrofit a single project and the responsibility of individual building owners, policymakers must understand the energy efficiency and GHG savings potential from treating buildings as public infrastructure. This perspective invites us to value the national level systemic and societal benefits of retrofitting buildings on a scale and at a pace that is responsive to the climate emergency,” Haley and Torrie submit. “These solutions will require reshaping the structure of existing retrofit markets to
create economies of scale and learning. They will involve the use of new technologies. However, new business models and organizational systems are likely to be most important.” MARKET DEVELOPMENT GAP They point to a program originating in the Netherlands, dubbed energiesprong, as one such example of a transformative mass retrofit rollout. It brings several buildings under the umbrella of one project to create an effective scale for purchasing and coordinating the installation of standardized high-efficiency wall assemblies and mechanical pods. Participating building owners simultaneously qualify for long-term financing and performance guarantees. “There are a variety of innovation pathways that could increase the
emissionstargets performance of building retrofits. These include the use of integrated design and project delivery, prefabrication of building facades and HVAC systems, mass customization tools that manage distinct building characteristics with greater ease, aggregation of retrofit projects into single portfolios, the increased use of digital technologies and better ways to meet building user needs,” Haley and Torrie urge. However, they identify a “market development gap” hindering the uptake of these retrofit options and the further spinoff innovations they might engender. In response, they recommend a dedicated national agency to help set and promote a climate retrofit agenda, along with an a c compa ny i ng t ro op of m a rket development teams to facilitate, troubleshoot and watch for processes and results that could be replicated in still more projects. LOW-HANGING FRUIT HANGOVER While much of Haley and Torrie’s treatise is focused on existing residential stock, which has been advancing to the net-zero target even more languidly than the commercial and institutional sector, their critique of the current compartmentalized approach to energy upgrades — with its the dominant focus on “low-hanging fruit”, quick returns and incentives tied to prescriptive measures — applies across the board. That’s not to say that they are disdainful of what energy efficiency programs and incentives have achieved thus far. Rather, they argue it’s now critical to stretch the scope beyond conservation and demand management (CDM) and reframe the purpose of lowering energy-use intensity. “In North America, the bulk of building retrofit funding is provided by energy efficiency or demand side management programs, where energy savings are considered as a resource for electricity and natural gas utility system planning and operation. T hese regulator y institutional environments fail to consider many important benefits of energy efficiency, such as improved indoor envi ron ment a l qua l it y, bu i ld i ng durability, resilience against extreme weather, energy poverty reduction and GHG reductions,” Haley and Torrie state. “This situation produces a bias towards traditional techniques, short-term, measurable results over dynamic efficiencies, and risk aversion under a
INNOVATIVE BUSINESS PLANS WELCOMED Canada Infrastructure Bank is pledging openness to innovative co-investors in its $2-billion commercial buildings retrofit program. (See story, pg. 6) Under the program model, retrofit proponents prepared to invest 20% equity capital can secure low-cost loans of $25-, $50- or $100-million to carry out a business plan for reducing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions by at least 30% across a portfolio of buildings. “We’re providing the financing; you provide the ideas and the business plan.
regulatory mandate to prudently use ratepayer funds. Within existing energy efficiency portfolios there is little room for experimentation with systemchanging innovations, other than limited budget carve-outs for small pilot projects.” They warn that a continued focus on incremental or shallow improvements could actually undermine Canada’s goal to reduce GHG emissions to 30% below 2005 levels by 2030 and its even more aggressive pledge to attain net-zero emissions by 2050 if it delays project t i m i ng a nd /or ero des t he costeffectiveness of the deep retrofit measures that will be required. “Given the need to retrofit nearly the entire building stock in the next 15-30 years, each retrofit must be consistent with climate policy objectives,” Haley and Torrie assert. UNPRECEDENTED COSTING EXERCISE Looking to the potential energy savings and greater benefits, the report’s modelling indicates that deep retrofits to achieve net-zero emissions would slash fuel and electricity consumption in the existing commercial building inventory from the current 1,000 petajoules (PJ) or 1 billion gigajoules annually to about 400 PJ by 2050. That includes, of course, a complete elimination of the natural gas fuel load that currently accounts for about 600 PJ of consumption annually. Even so, projected gains in efficiency would reduce electricity consumption in provinces like Quebec, Manitoba and British Columbia that are already more reliant on electric heat. The costs and paybacks of that outcome would depend on the speed of the retrofit
I’ll do due diligence, of course. There are limits to what we can do, but there is no prescription as to what is the right business plan because you need different business plans for such a fragmented market,” Frederic Bettez, Managing Director, Investments, with Canada Infrastructure Bank, told a recent webinar sponsored by the Building Owners and Managers Association (BOMA) of Canada. “We start from the basis that we’re interested in new ideas.”
rollout, translating into higher upfront costs but more expeditious paybacks with the accelerated 15-year timetable. Using low- and high-cost assumptions, t he repor t pegs re qu i red capit a l investment in the range of $250 to $350 per square metre ($23.23 to $32.52 per square foot) at the low end a nd $40 0 to $50 0/m 2 ($37.16 to $46.45/ft 2) at the high end for most types of com mercial /institutional b u i l d i n g s . C o s t s i n h e a lt h c a r e facilities would be higher. “There is a wide variation in the literature on the capital costs of commercial building retrofits, partly because they are very often done simultaneously with other building improvements, making it difficult to isolate those costs uniquely associated with energy efficiency improvements,” Haley and Torrie note. “A retrofit program of this magnitude, proceeding at this pace, has never been undertaken, and there is no precedent for estimating what it would cost. Similarly, while some of the benefits can be quantified (e.g. fuel and electricity cost savings, avoided carbon costs), there are many intangible or difficult-to-quantify benefits from making buildings more comfortable, productive and healthier environments. Finally, notwithstanding the pricing of GHG emissions, the value of maintaining a healthy global atmosphere is too big to measure.” ❚❚ The complete text of Canada’s Climate Retrofit Mission, Why the climate emergency demands an innovation-oriented policy for building retrofits can be found at www.efficiencycanada.org/retrofit-mission. Canadian Property Management | July 2021 15
GOAL ORIENTED Hockey Facility Pursues Carbon Shutout By Kevin Spencer A FACILITY FOR elite athletic training now stands out for its own high-calibre performance. The AMPED Sports Lab and Ice Complex in Ottawa recently became the first arena certified through the Zero Carbon Building Performance Standard — achieved in the Canada Green Building Council’s (CaGBC) Zero Carbon Building Program. In addition to a 120-foot by 65-foot ice rink, the facility houses a physiotherapy 16 July 2021 | Canadian Property Management
clinic and a 4,000-square-foot gym, and draws a clientele recovering from injuries and/or receiving treatment for chronic problems. Contractors leading the deep retrofit project were likewise intent on healing strategies and curbing the building’s impact on the environment. To help fulfill the objective while limiting costs, the project has qualified for two sources of funding from the Canadian and Ontario governments —
the Climate Action Incentive Fund and Save On Energy — with a combined value of up to $265,000. The initial goal to reduce the overall energy consumption in the building by at least 40% drove the strategy for designing the building’s mechanical, electrical and building technology systems. A project timeline was established to account for benchmarking, design, installation and measurement.
emissionstargets BENCHMARKING AND BRAINSTORMING To benchmark the building’s energy use, detect faults and collect energy-use data over time, the team installed an electric metering system, implemented a cloud-based, realtime data monitoring solution and upgraded the building automation system. In parallel, the team began to brainstorm and weigh the costs and benefits of a variety of energy conservation measures that would shape the design of the new building systems. The options that were initially brought forward to help achieve the goal included: installing a combined heat and power (CHP) system; reclaiming heat from the ice plant; retrofitting the lighting; and installing rooftop solar panels with battery storage. To ensure that the ideas put forward would result in a 40% reduction in energy consumption, engineering specialists in renewable power generation and energy storage escorted the team through a technical deep dive. From their insights, it was determined that batteries are expensive and would only be useful in the event of a loss of power at the scale and costs contemplated for the project. For a facility of this type, the most beneficial strategy was to tie into the existing electricity grid via a net metering connection. That would enable the grid itself to serve as the battery for storing excess energy at the times when the building does not need the volume of energy the solar panels are producing. Thus, the CHP system was rejected as incompatible with the project goals, and it was concluded that the initial design’s costs and prolonged timeline far outweighed its benefits. CURBING NATURAL GAS CONSUMPTION The team explored other ways to limit the building’s impact on the environment and set a new goal: to eliminate as much carbonbased energy consumption as possible and move towards a zero-carbon facility. This could be accomplished by targeting the areas of the building that consume natural gas at the facility. T hose a reas a re: the ice r in k dehumidifier; the domestic hot water heater; and the rooftop air handling units (AHUs). As part of the new solution, custom AHUs were manufactured through a design process involving the VRF (variable refrigerant flow) supplier. In the meantime, the existing dehumidifier was switched from a desiccant wheel made up of a corrugated solid material that absorbs
VANCOUVER STEERS NEW CONSTRUCTION By Cheryl Mah By 2030, all new construction in Vancouver will be zero-emissions buildings. To achieve this ambitious goal, the City introduced the Zero Emissions Building Plan (ZEB) and, most recently, the Climate Emergency Action Plan. Both have specific targets and actions that will be phased in, changing construction standards of all new buildings. “All heating and hot water systems in new buildings should be zero-emissions by 2025,” Sean Pander, Green Building Manager for the City of Vancouver, noted during a climate policy webinar organized by the Vancouver Economic Commission, Vancouver Regional Construction Association and the Zero Emissions Building Exchange. “The other thing that is going to really start impacting the construction industry is moving towards low-carbon materials and construction practices.” Both ZEB and British Columbia’s energy code start by focusing on reducing net heat loss through the envelope and ventilation, which reliably reduce energy use at the time of construction. Phase 1 of the ZEB plan established greenhouse gas (GHG) limits and thermal energy demand intensity (TEDI) along with window/wall ratio, envelope and mechanical requirements. This prompted a design and construction focus on more efficient heat recovery ventilation, electric space heating or air source heat pumps, and more attention to glazing transitions and moving insulation outboard of the slab edge. “What we’re seeing is the glazing industry, locally especially, is leading the way within North America and really coming up with these improved glazing systems for window wall and curtain wall assemblies,” Pander reported. The ZEB plan requirements are now the minimum in the City’s building bylaw effective June 2021. These requirements apply to multifamily, high-rise office, retail, hotel and midrise MURBs. As of January 1, 2022, the building bylaw will require zero emissions equipment for space and hot water heating in new low-rise residential buildings. Looking ahead at Phase 2, the focus is moving to zero emissions heating and hot water, which targets 3 kilograms of carbon per square metre per year. “It allows gas use for peaking, allows some gas use for cooking, but really what it starts to do is drive to the electrification of domestic hot water and make-up air unit systems,” said Pander. Improving climate resilience and reducing overheating limits will require an even greater focus on fixed shading to address solar heat gain in the summer, operational windows for natural ventilation and lower solar heat gain coefficients and more mechanical cooling solutions. “The climate is getting warmer so we’ve had a history of overheating in the buildings as the envelopes get tighter. It could be exacerbated without better passive design measures,” Pander predicted. “We know the temperature is going to increase and we want to make sure that these buildings remain desirable places to live and work into the future.” Moving from reporting embodied carbon to meeting embodied carbon reduction targets (currently under consultation) will entail significant change. Pander suggested embodied carbon goals can be met by measures such as low-carbon concrete mixes, mass timber, using off-site assembly and reducing the use of spray foam and foam plastic insulation materials. Other areas of opportunity include reducing concrete parkade spaces, and to not just reuse buildings and preserve buildings, but also to reuse the materials to facilitate deconstructability. By 2030, Vancouver expects to reduce the embodied emissions from new buildings and construction projects by 40% compared to a 2018 baseline. Cheryl Mah is based in Vancouver as Managing Editor of Construction Business.
moisture to a liquid desiccant in the form of a counterflow of air blown through a waterfall over a media material. As the work begins to take shape, data on energy use throughout the building continues to be collected and evaluated, with the overall goal to eliminate natural gas consumption and ultimately limit the building’s impact on the environment. ❚❚ Kevin Spencer is Vice President of Energy Solutions at Modern Niagara, the mechanical contractor overseeing the retrofits at AMPED Sports Lab and Ice Complex. For more information, see the website at https://modernniagara.com. Canadian Property Management | July 2021 17
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leanliness and safety have long been priorities for real estate landlords and facility managers. In recent years, environmental consciousness and sustainability have also taken on increased importance. Now, accelerated by the COVID-19 pandemic, the spotlight has shifted towards health and wellness within facilities and communicating the steps being taken to secure a healthier building. BentallGreenOak (BGO), a leading global real estate investment management advisor and real estate services provider, is helping to blaze the trail. With expertise in the asset management of office, industrial, multi-residential, retail, and hospitality properties across the globe, BGO has set out its stall as a primary proponent of the social aspect of environmental social governance (ESG) considerations. To realize this goal, BGO invests in and manages sustainable spaces that deliver positive health impacts to clients, tenants, and employees, and the communities it serves.
A FITWEL CHAMPION One of the ways it achieves this mandate is through a collaboration with the Center for Active Design (CfAD) and its Fitwel certification, the world’s leading certification system committed to building health for all. Launched in 2017, Fitwel’s core focus is to ensure that health is a priority in the real estate sector, validated by measurable results supported by research and evidencebased strategies. The certification has a significant and expanding footprint in Canada and beyond. Between 2019 and 2020, its overall global use rose 190 per cent year on year; in Q4 2020, it soared by 640 per cent. In Canada, there was 144 per cent growth between 2019 and 2020, a demand being driven largely by tenants. BGO are big believers in the benefits that the certification can offer. In 2017, it signed on as a Fitwel Champion, a program for leading companies that own, occupy, or manage commercial and residential properties and that commit to using Fitwel at scale across their portfolios. BGO achieved Fitwel certification across three projects as a pilot, one of which was Two St. Thomas in Toronto, Canada’s first Fitwel-certified multifamily residential building. BGO re-signed on as a Fitwel Champion in fall 2020 with a commitment to expanding the certification across its portfolio and has since achieved certification of a number of office and multifamily residential projects, among others.
Over the years of collaboration, BGO’s Fitwel Champion leadership status has grown to the point that the real estate provider was awarded a record number of Fitwel Best In Building Health Awards in 2021. Those included the prestigious Industry Leadership Award for co-authoring the “A New Investor Consensus: The Rising Demand for Healthy Buildings” Report and applying Fitwel’s Viral Response Module (VRM) at scale across its U.S. office portfolio. SHAPING VIRAL RESPONSE BGO is not only a practical proponent of Fitwel certification via its Champion status, it also plays a decisive role as Industry Advisor for the Fitwel Viral Response Module (VRM), which collates the best public health science and literature about how to mitigate the risk of contagious disease spread within buildings. In short, the Fitwel VRM provides a framework that asset and property managers can use to optimize buildings in response to the broad health impacts of infectious respiratory diseases and outlines best practices on how to promote occupant health. A key emphasis is building trust by communicating that information widely and transparently during a time when tenants are experiencing greatly increased levels of stress and anxiety. The VRM is applicable not only to the present and imminent threats of COVID-19 but, by looking at other viruses like SARS, H1N1, and influenza, also addresses the possibility of future viral outbreaks or health issues that may come down the line. In its role as Industry Advisor, BGO provided feedback and perspective on development of the module, and its U.S. asset management team was very supportive of it as a tool to help promote occupant health and safety and build trust. BGO achieved VRM Approval for 17 U.S. portfolio properties in fall 2020, including the first certified office buildings in nine U.S. cities. It is the largest commercial real estate portfolio in the United States to achieve the distinction in 2020 and was recognized with the Most Approved Assets Award at Fitwel’s Best in Building Health event. Zach Flora, Director of Market Growth for CfAD, explains that when the world changed in 2020 in light of COVID-19, BGO “stepped up to the plate” by joining the Industry Advisory Group. “They have always been instrumental in helping to inform the Fitwel standard and platform to meet the needs of the real estate and design community and
SPONSORED CONTENT continue to collaborate and build off the research to drive those unique features,” he adds. “It’s a true testament to the strength of the partnership.” STRIKING THE PERFECT BALANCE Several factors attracted BGO to the Fitwel VRM – primarily the fact that it strikes what BGO’s Head of Real Estate Management in Canada, Keith Major, calls “a perfect balance.” Major notes that BGO focuses on four key pillars of internal best practices, finding the recognized and trusted certifications within the industry, independent validation, and practicality of implementation. While many certifications give you some combination of those things, Major says, the VRM finds equilibrium between those goals and helps to breed confidence with tenants and employees, who can be reassured that their landlord has made a commitment to following these best practices in a verified manner. “Some people can get fearful of communicating these things to tenants given the difficulties of sorting information and misinformation in times like these,” notes Major. “But this collaboration and certification allows us to not only take these steps behind the scenes but tell people that we have done it. It offers a different level of accountability if you’re forced to communicate that back out and certification gives you a structure and a guardrail around that.” Another component is consistency. Different cities, organizations, and facilities have introduced different measures and processes in response to COVID-19. Certifications like Fitwel and its VRM allow real estate providers like BGO to implement a relatively homogenous response, and across widely ranging portfolios. Whether your building is 100 years old or 18 months old – and BGO has examples of both – Fitwel certification can be achieved. “That’s an important piece to not lose sight of,” emphasizes Major. “It has a broad range of appeal, and you know that all managers will be professionally adhering to an agreed standard. The more confidence we can build, the quicker we can all get ourselves back to some form of normal.” EMPHASIZING SOCIAL GOVERNANCE Another element that drew BGO to Fitwel and its VRM was the importance placed on the social factor in ESG. One of the many changes that COVID-19 has accelerated within real estate and facility management is the increased recognition of the need for landlords to address social issues in their buildings
and for their tenants, whether that is mental health, physical health, or other factors. Even prior to implementing VRM, BGO was already responding to that shifting demand through measures such as social support groups, quarantine fitness programs, and virtual meditation, explains Ailey Roberts, Vice President of Sustainable Investing at BGO. This was all done outside of the prompting of the VRM, she says, so that when BGO went to apply it within its portfolio, the company was able to leverage many of those initiatives that had already been implemented. “We knew that all the things our team had done organically really fit the mould of the Fitwel VRM, and it’s all absolutely supported by science-based evidence,” Roberts adds. BGO’s Canadian portfolio was able to achieve entity-level certification with distinction with a score of 93 per cent. “A lot of that went back to those social initiatives that started within the company.” BGO has also introduced or ramped up various equity, diversity, and inclusion initiatives since 2020. “So the VRM really helped to tie together our focus on the social element,” notes Roberts. MAKING PROGRESS BGO’s primary aim is increased adoption of Fitwel certification across its portfolio, and plans are already afoot in Canada to replicate the steps taken in the United States. Following its Fitwel Viral Response entity-level certification, BGO is pursuing asset-level approval for a number of its office and enclosed retail properties across Canada over the summer. It is also looking at re-signing as a Fitwel Champion for a two-year commitment of 10 certified projects and 20 properties to be benchmarked. In Canada, specifically, BGO intends to certify one of its recent multifamily developments in Toronto as well as large office buildings in Vancouver.
“Our initial scan of our tenant base in our U.S. office portfolio proved to be very favourable,” notes Roberts. “It’s really about those tenants then communicating their confidence in returning to the office back to their employees, who are really the biggest stakeholders in all of this. In Canada, we’re just embarking on this.” Major adds that while the response from BGO’s tenants and stakeholders has been positive or neutral, the neutral responses were born out of primarily a lack of education or recognition about the program. Those things will come with time and understanding – indeed, there is already significant interest across BGO’s North American portfolio, with investors increasingly asking about the program. Ultimately, Fitwel has a primary goal of achieving greater adoption and impact in the Canadian market and wants to be the leading source of information on health and wellness for the Canadian real estate industry. BGO is there to work with it every step of the way.
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FOSSIL FUEL
UNDER FIRE Cogeneration Systems to Lose Tax Enticement FOSSIL-FUEL-FIRED cogeneration systems are losing their status as clean energy equipment for the purpose of Canada’s accelerated capital cost allowance (CCA) tax incentive. While the 2021 federal budget commits $142 million over five years to immediately expand the list of capital investments that qualify for the special tax measures, it also names various combined heat and power (CHP) applications that will be delisted after 2023. “Reforming eligibility for this tax incentive will help reduce pollution and greenhouse gas emissions in Canada,” the budget document states. Under current rules, 19 categories of property defined as “clean energy” or “energy conserving” are designated for accelerated CCA, allowing acquiring businesses to deduct either 30 or 50% of its value, depending on its energy efficiency rating. An enhanced time-limited condition also gives businesses purchasing such items between November 20, 2018 and December 31, 2023 the option of deducting the full value in the first year of ownership. “Providing accelerated CCA is an exception to the general practice of setting CCA rates based on the useful life of assets. Accelerated CCA provides a financial benefit by deferring taxation,” the budget document notes. “In addition, certain intangible project start-up expenses (e.g. engineering and design work, and feasibility studies) are treated as Canadian Renewable and Conservation Expenses. These expenses can be deducted in full in the year incurred, carried forward indefinitely for use in future years, or transferred to investors using flowthrough shares.” Some of the qualifying equipment with potential applications in commercial buildings includes: cogenerations systems; active solar heating equipment and groundsource heat pump systems; heat recovery equipment; photovoltaic electrical generation equipment; geothermal energy equipment;
equipment related to district energy systems; electrical energy storage equipment; and electric vehicle charging equipment. As of budget day, April 19, six new categories of equipment will be added to the list. However, only one is likely to be pertinent for building owners or facilities managers: active solar heating systems, ground source heat pump systems and geothermal energy systems that are used to heat water for a swimming pool. Similarly, with the exception of cogeneration systems, the equipment slated to lose eligibility for accelerated CCA after 2023 is predominantly found in industrial or public works operations. These include: combined gas and steam turbines; wastefueled electricity generating systems with capacity to produce upwards of 3 megawatts of electricity; and waste-fuelled heat production equipment or gas generating equipment that relies on fossil fuels for more than 25% of energy input. Although cogeneration is credited for using heat that would otherwise be wasted, systems that rely on fossil fuels are now afoul of the federal government’s target to achieve net-zero energy emissions. Meanwhile, technologies not yet common when the tax incentive was first introduced have since emerged as alternatives. “The eligibility criteria for these systems have not been modified since they were first set approximately 25 and 15 years ago,” the budget document advises. NEW TAX CREDITS Along with changes to the accelerated CCA incentive, the 2021 budget introduces new tax credits for the manufacturers of zeroemissions technology, some of which is expected to become increasingly prevalent in commercial buildings. Beginning in the 2022 tax year, these businesses will be eligible for a 50% reduction in the general corporate tax rate and/or small business tax rate on income derived from qualifying
manufacturing or processing activities until 2028, followed by a gradually decreasing phase-out of the benefit over the next three year tax years until the close of 2031. It’s projected the federal government will forego $45 million in tax revenue due to this measure over the next five years. “These proposed tax rate reductions will enhance Canada’s competitiveness in attracting investment in zero-emission technology manufacturing, while also supporting existing businesses in the sector,” the budget document submits. “In addition, the government will undertake an analysis to ensure that Canada keeps pace with the U.S. and other jurisdictions in providing the appropriate tax structures and incentives to encourage clean economy businesses to invest, grow and deploy solutions here in Canada.” For now, 12 business activities are identified, including manufacture of solar, wind, hydroelectric and geothermal equipment, as well as equipment related to ground-source heat pumps, electrical storage of renewable energy, and electric vehicle charging systems. Other emerging technologies may be added in the future. Commercial building owners/managers are also potential stakeholders in another budget allocation related to electric vehicle charging stations. That will provide $56 million to Measurement Canada over the next five years to develop codes and standards for retail zero-emissions vehicles (ZEV) charging and fueling stations. “While charging ports are now available in more and more places — from shopping centres, to office buildings, to curbside parking — the measurement and pricing of the energy being sold is not always clear to drivers,” the budget document observes. “This measure would provide regulatory certainty to providers of charging services and facilitate the development of the charging network.” ❚❚ Canadian Property Management | July 2021 21
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INSTRUCTIVE COPY Digital Twin Simulates the Way Forward By Jiri Skopek THE BUILT environment currently accounts for 40% of the world’s energy use, meaning buildings and cities have the potential to make the biggest impact in reducing carbon emissions globally. Digital twin offers simulation capabilities to turn carbon reduction commitments into reality, while, at the same time, supporting two priorities for buildings: creating an experience for building occupants; and satisfying the bottom line for owners. Digital twin is a technological concept defined as: “a virtual representation of realworld entities and processes, synchronized at a specified frequency and fidelity”. In essence, it’s an exact, real-time virtual copy of an asset that enables users to visualize how it is performing and where problems may be developing, and to pull up additional data beyond just sensor data. This increased situational awareness can then be leveraged to optimize performance and yield intelligent suggestions how to make data actionable. BUILDING CONTROL INNOVATIONS To grasp what digital twin means for 22 July 2021 | Canadian Property Management
building operations, it helps to review what building control innovations — such as connected thermostats, wired and wireless sensors, whole-building sub-metering, automated fault detection and diagnosis (AFDD), and building energy management systems (BEMS) — have done to lower the demand for end-use energy services such as space heating, space cooling, ventilation, and lighting in buildings and subsequent reduction in carbon emissions. • AFDD can identify issues with specific system, equipment and device performance in a building then send automated alerts and/or correct the problem. • BEMS offer a graphical interface to help users understand what is going on, and can assist with automated controls of the equipment. They can provide predictive maintenance and advisory optimization using historical data collected on building equipment conditions directly from the building equipment or building automation systems (BAS) to predict future performance. The more
sophisticated BEMS can optimize automated demand response, dynamic energy procurement or peak demand management. A smart building typically consolidates the BEMS and AFDD into one platform for enhanced functionality and control of building operating systems. However, much of the building performance, particularly now highlighted in the time of COVID, depends on occupants’ behaviour. While existing building management systems are capable of monitoring the performance of the building operating systems, they are unable to offer an integrated view of how occupants and operating systems are engaging with one another in real-time. Think of it as two layers of a cake. Without the integration, you can eat only one layer of cake at a time. A digital twin integrates and augments these capabilities and provides comparison of the building’s theoretical performance to how it actually behaves. This information can help to better identify any anomalies in
smartbuildings
In essence, it’s an exact, real-time virtual copy of an asset that enables users to visualize how it is performing and where problems may be developing. the behaviour of the building, predict maintenance needs, increase costeffectiveness and allow better operational oversight. For example, by simulating the building system and the environment around the building, a digital twin can optimize the indoor climate by predicting and acting on data. This way, a building can predict the heating load coming through the windows in advance, and adjust the cooling accordingly. OPERATIONAL APPLICATIONS At the operational stage, a digital twin can execute simulations that further clarify causeand-effect of which systems are not performing optimally, and throw light on indirect and dynamic relationships that would not be otherwise obvious. Where artificial intelligence and machine learning have been integrated, a digital twin can analyze predictions, transition away from preprogram med controls and execute instructions to operate the building more intelligently in real time, accurately and faster than a human. Digital twins can also be used to train building operators before they even set foot in the building. The origin of the digital twin is usually associated with its beginning as a 3D model of a building’s physical features with static information including things like specifications, O&M (operations and maintenance) manuals, warranties and contracts produced at a design stage. This has primarily occurred with major capitalintensive projects, perhaps contributing to its slower percolation down to the building operation level. A workplace digital twin for occupants can improve their enterprise operations and make data-based decisions, regarding thei r use of space a nd employee management. As Dean Hopkins, Chief Operating Officer with Oxford Properties, points out, the future is already here, where building occupiers each have their own twin. There already are and will be situations where an occupiers’ twin and a building's
twin have to talk to one another. In the not too distant future, a building without a digital twin will be worth less, because the occupiers won't want to go into a building where their twin can't talk to the building operator’s twin. ADDRESSING CLIMATE CHANGE Digital twin technology that integrates an unlimited array of data sources will help to meet energy reduction goals, not only in buildings, but also on a much larger district or urban scale. At the city level, current top-down building energy benchmarking may serve to identify efficient or poor performers, yet fail to provide a c t io n a ble i n sig ht s r ega r d i ng efficiency opportunities.
A digital twin–enabled urban energy management platform makes it possible to: investigate built environments by simulating entire building portfolios; run simulations to see the effects of a wide range of scenarios; and drive engagement. An example is the IES digital twin interactive 3D visualisation and master planning model for Nanyang Technological University in Singapore, which uncovered campus-wide energy savings of 31% and USD $4.7 million cost savings. The European Union has even greater plans to use the digital twin to fight climate change with a digital model of the Earth to monitor and simulate natural and human activity, and test scenarios to support European environmental policies. Destination Earth is expected to unlock the potential of digital modelling of the Earth’s physical resources and related phenomena such as climate change, fresh water and marine environments, polar areas and more on a global scale to speed up the green transition and help plan for major environmental degradation and disasters. ❚❚ Jiri Skopek is an architect, planner and specialist in smart, green buildings and communities. For more information about the Digital Twin Consortium, see www.digitaltwinconsortium.org.
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together for inspiration and engagement. This year, we’re going to hear Nick Nurse talk about how mental health can have a dramatic impact on your elite team. If we have learned anything over the past 18 months, it’s that mental health impacts everyone, regardless of age,
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CLEARING A SPACE FOR CLEAN BUILDING TECHNOLOGIES BEIC's innovation mission
BEIC MISSION: CHAMPIONING CLEAN BUILDING TECHNOLOGIES TAKING ENERGY SAVINGS INTO ACCOUNT INSPIRING INNOVATIONS AT PSPC THE WELL: TORONTO'S SHOWPIECE TAKES SHAPE
BEIC Message from the Chair The Building Energy Innovators Council (BEIC) was founded in 2016 by a group of Corporate leaders representing a variety of business sectors. This is an industry-driven initiative established to accelerate the collaboration, innovation, and adoption of clean building technologies, including energy efficiency and renewable power solutions that will transform the built environment, while developing world-class cleantech companies, creating jobs, and enabling economic prosperity in a future low carbon era. The relevance of the BEIC has never been greater, given the pivotal role the real estate sector can play in Canada's COVID economic recovery. The BEIC is encouraging all levels of Government to recognize this opportunity by creating "Green Building" stimulus funding and incentive programs. Canadians would benefit in the following four ways from this support: 1. Building energy retrofit stimulus project funding would incentivize building owners to prioritize capital for energy retrofits across their real estate portfolios. This would reduce their operating costs, reduce their carbon footprint enhancing their brand and image, and enhance the resiliency of their building operations through upgrading to more reliable and efficient mechanical and electrical equipment and building systems, ultimately enhancing their tenant and occupant experience. These investments contribute to making Canadian businesses more competitive and contributing to their growth. 2. Job creation would result from the energy retrofit investments due to the labour intensity of this kind of work. It is estimated that there are tens of billions of dollars of energy efficiency retrofit opportunities in Canada over the next five years, which would create hundreds of thousands of jobs. Further, for every $1 of investment in energy retrofits, there is an estimated $4 to $5 of GDP growth. 3. Creating demand for Canadian clean technologies by providing an opportunity to develop and implement these innovative energy conservation and renewable solutions, and establish referral projects and business cases to support the expansion of these companies in Canada and globally. Becoming a leader in this industry will position these Canadian Clean Techs to effectively compete in what will likely become a multi-trillion-dollar global market over the next ten years. 4. Reducing our carbon footprint will be made possible through encouraging and accelerating investment in this sector. Buildings generate 35% of the GHG emissions, making them one of the largest contributors to global warming and climate change. Further, by reducing energy consumption in the building sector, additional capacity will be freed up on the existing electricity grids enabling the transformation of the transportation sector to Electric Vehicles. This will result in even greater emission reductions and create opportunities for infrastructure investment that will create more jobs and further support our economic recovery. The BEIC is committed to moving this agenda forward and building an economically prosperous and environmentally sustainable future for all Canadians. I hope you will consider joining the BEIC so your business can take advantage of its access to knowledgeable leaders, supportive marketing capabilities, and BEIC's ability to amplify your voice as a member of a growing reputable body within the real estate and building clean technology sectors. Gordon Hicks | BEIC Chair & CEO of BGIS
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Championing Clean Building Technologies
The Building Energy Innovators Council (BEIC) was conceived with a singular ambition: accelerating the development and adoption of clean building technologies across Canada. And since its foundation by Brookfield Integrated Global Services (BGIS) CEO Gordon Hicks in 2016, the Council has united real estate leaders, energy innovators, industry specialists, and partners from around the world to make good on this founding mission.
Collaboration is the cornerstone of BEIC’s vision. Alongside its members, the Council provides input to the utility sector and government partners on the incentives and initiatives needed to drive the adoption of low-carbon technologies and spark building energy retrofits throughout Canada’s built environment. Moreover, the Council works with local and global organizations (e.g., the TIR
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BEIC has been tremendous in enabling Red Deer College (soon to be a University) to advance its green energy master plan. Through partnerships developed with BEIC members, RDC has showcased the latest solar and biomass technologies to small and medium enterprises in central Alberta. With over 3600 solar panels installed, RDC has the largest solar array of any institution in Canada and has reduced its heat and power costs by 40%. This would not have been possible without the networking provided by being a member of BEIC.
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Joel Ward, President & CEO of Red Deer College (RDC)
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BEIC Membership has helped open new Strategic Partnership doors for Eco-Growth's new waste-derived biomass energy systems. We have been introduced to leading companies and institutions that are likeminded and have a genuine desire to make a difference when it comes to reducing greenhouse gas emissions. The exposure BEIC Membership has brought has been instrumental in Eco-Growth expanding from a regional to a national “Green Technology” Company. I highly recommend BEIC Membership to any company wishing to become a voice for growth in the rapidly expanding “Green Economy.
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Kim Caron, CEO of Eco-Growth Environmental
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Consulting Group, USGBC, CaGBC) to share best practices and champion energy efficiency programs. BEIC’s strategy also includes supporting and promoting clean building innovations among its members. This is achieved by providing a forum through which BEIC partners and members can share their energy technologies and programs, and access opportunities for piloting and expediting commercialization. Beyond these aims, BEIC endeavours to support the adoption of clean building technologies by generating awareness for its members’ innovations, both in the
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private and public realm. Furthermore, it seeks opportunities to partner with financial services companies and manufacturers to develop innovative funding solutions for building owners that enable the broadscale implementation of energy efficiency retrofits and renewable power and storage solutions. Every component of BEIC’s multi-pronged strategy is critical to its progress. And moving ahead, its success is dependent on a growing roster of members representing the real estate, suppliers association, government, academia, and beyond. Learn more about BEIC at beic.ca.
Since we joined, membership has been an invaluable platform to connect, collaborate, and develop new relationships and solutions that nationally drive highperformance building value.
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Bill MacGowan, Director, Smart Connected Real Estate, Cisco Systems Canada
Taking Energy Savings into Account sustainable technologies and strategies that will have the greatest impact on energysavings and occupant experience. “And it’s not all about reducing energy costs,” DeBenedictis adds. “Sure, that’s a plus for the organization and our stakeholders, but the larger goal is to create more comfortable, adaptable, and cleaner environments for our staff and their customers, which creates a stronger overall facility management experience for everyone.”
Bright ideas
Energy-saving initiatives are taking shape across TD’s network. One highlight includes a complete LED lighting retrofit of all interior and exterior lighting at the bank’s managed locations. The initiative launched in 2017 and has seen over 800 of TD’s managed locations upgraded with high-efficiency LED lighting. Next, the team aims to upgrade the remaining branches by the end of 2020.
It has been a decade since TD Bank Group (TD) achieved carbon neutrality across its global operations. And today, as part of its longstanding commitment to supporting the transition to a low-carbon economy, the Bank recently announced a bold and ambitious climate action plan which includes a target to achieve net-zero emissions associated with its operating and financing activities by 2050.
This commitment builds on TD’s 2018 pledge to target CAD $100 billion in low-carbon lending, financing, asset management and other programs by 2030. In recent years, the bank has also taken a focus on blending smart tech and energy innovations to bolster its ecostewardship. This is all part of its global corporate citizenship approach, the TD Ready Commitment, with the aspiration to help build an inclusive and sustainable tomorrow.
“We’ve been a carbon-neutral organization for many years; it’s in our DNA and informs everything we do,” says John DeBenedictis, Canadian Facilities Director at TD. Its strategy is multifaceted. In addition to buying carbon offsets, the financial institution continually pursues solutions to reduce the carbon footprints of all its owned and leased locations. That includes working with energy innovators and building technology specialists to embed
“We’re seeing a lot of benefits in terms of cost savings; but in addition to that, we’re observing more consistency in lighting, longer-lasting lights, and a reduction in overall maintenance and repair costs too," reports DeBenedictis. “We’ve made a sizable impact with a relatively simple initiative,” he adds. Smart retail controls have also been key to TD’s sustainability strategy. In 2017, the bank launched a pilot program to install smart retail controls at several branches that now enable the bank to remotely access and monitor their respective HVAC systems. As a result, TD can now right-size heating and cooling schedules according to each location’s operating hours and unique circumstances (e.g., market conditions, seasonal temperatures, local events, etc.). In addition to saving energy, this reduces the time and costs associated with relying on in-person HVAC technician visits.
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Another benefit of smart controls is their ability to optimize HVAC system operations and leverage the synergies between them. By enabling two pieces of equipment to communicate the bank can prevent simultaneous heating and cooling, which goes a long way towards increasing equipment efficiencies and lifespans, and avoiding energy wastes. By the end of 2020, the bank hopes to equip half of its retail network in Canada and the US with smart controls.
Remote control
TD’s staff and customers are reaping the benefits of the bank’s energy innovations. The combination of smart controls and remote operability has enabled TD and its technology integration partners at BGIS to respond faster to on-site occupant requests. “Because we are plugged into this platform, we’re able to make adjustments and operational changes remotely,” notes Blair Astle, North American Director of Energy and Sustainability with BGIS. "Now, when a staff member at one of the TD branches calls, they can tell us if they’re too hot or too cold and we can make the appropriate adjustments in near real-time. Then, since we’re able to monitor conditions remotely, we can call back in a half-hour to make sure they’re comfortable and go from there.”
No doubt, faster feedback times are an advantage for branch occupants, as is the benefit of avoiding timely and costly visits from technicians. And with the ability to give branch occupants temporary control over their heating and cooling systems, TD is better equipped to balance its branch occupants’ needs against its zerocarbon goals. “Now, not only does TD have more robust controls on its end, but we’re actively engaging occupants in their respective environments,” DeBenedictis adds. “It’s a win-win.”
Building momentum
With several short and long-term sustainability initiatives projects under its belt, TD is eager to expand its scope. Fortunately, the open-ended nature of its new “smart” systems allows the team to ‘bolt-on’ additional technologies and value as it progresses. TD aims to leverage this adaptability by incorporating sensors within its owned locations to obtain even greater real-time insights into individual branch activity. The idea is to help the bank right-size
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its janitorial requirements, create more effective synergies between systems, finetune its HVAC system scheduling, and establish benchmarks that can be used to improve operations throughout its portfolio. With the ability to combine and analyze operational data from across TD’s portfolio comes the potential to identify future opportunities. Herein, the bank also plans to leverage its smart technologies to better understand how their respective systems heat, cool, and condition their environments, and use that insight to create a more efficient operating strategy. In the meantime, TD’s ongoing objective is to equip its branches with the energy innovations it needs to boost occupant comfort and take its net-zero ambitions to the next stage. “For us, the key has been to start small, test these technologies in live scenarios, and take time to understand the benefits and value that we’re adding,” says DeBenedictis. “Now that we’ve seen these technologies make a tangible impact, we’re looking forward to embracing them on a larger scale throughout our network.”
Inspiring Innovations at PSPC
“PSPC’s commitments and actions help advance Government of Canada greening priorities and provide significant longterm socio-economic value for the health and wellbeing of our employees, our communities and the environment,” says a spokesperson with PSPC. PSPC’s affinity for cleaner, more efficient asset operations is evident in initiatives throughout its portfolio. Among the more recent is the creation of an Innovation Hub initiative at the C.D. Howe Building in Ottawa. Here, PSPC is collaborating with Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada (ISED) to, “ascertain the feasibility of emerging Canadian technologies within Canadian public sector environment, and to evaluate their positive impact, as well as derive performance-based specifications for future competitive large scale implementation within this sector.” It’s an ambitious plan, to say the least. Highlights of the program include introducing advanced waste management programs, creating a zero-waste food court, implementing central recycling station AI technology, and establishing “smarter” sustainability reporting within its assets – all made possible with the implementation of home-grown Canadian technologies.
Canada’s public sector plays a critical role in driving sustainable asset management. Public Services and Procurement Canada (PSPC) is among the departments taking this mandate to heart by leading eco-forward initiatives throughout the buildings it oversees.
“Waste materials can have harmful impacts on communities worldwide by contributing to landfills, contaminating water, air and soil, increasing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, and by creating increased demands for
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resources,” notes PSPC. “Responsibly managing the materials that enter, circulate and leave our buildings and construction sites is fundamental to limiting our impact on the environment and requires a net-zero, circular economy mindset considering lifecycle assessment principles.” Ultimately, the aim of the Innovation Hub is to leverage CD Howe as a launching pad for energy innovations that will help PSPC meet its nation-wide goal of reducing GHG emissions within public-owned buildings by 40% by 2030, as well as diverting 75% of waste from landfills by 2030 and using 100% clean energy by 2025.
Expanding the scope
PSPC’s sustainability goals extend beyond the CD Howe Building. In 2015, the department piloted leak control technologies at NRCan’s complex on Booth Street, Ottawa. Their search led the team to the Canadian tech firm Alert Labs and its suite of smart building sensors for water and HVAC systems. They include Flowie, a leakdetecting sensor that attaches to existing water meters and tracks consumption, identifies abnormal trends and potential leaks and reports potential issues to connected devices. Added to this are Alert Lab’s flood-detection sensor, Floodie, and Shuttie, a shut-off valve that can be installed to automatically shut off the water when the Flowie or Floodie water sensors alert to a high volume of water flow. “To date, three major floods and two minor water losses have been averted due to this early detection system, resulting in savings of nearly $175k in only three months,” reports Lisa Jerome, Portfolio Manager, NCR5. “Moreover, the property team no longer has to hire a commissionaire guard to patrol the buildings at night looking for leaks, who then had to call the Ops Centre which, in turn, called the on-call tech who cannot turn off the water until he is onsite.” Indeed, the leak and flood-mitigation technologies among NRCan’s buildings
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have spoken for themselves. Moreover, the pilot projects have lent strength to PSPC’s technology integration approach, with the Flowie project demonstrating the value of taking a potential innovation, testing it on a small scale, and using those tangible results to expand further initiatives. PSPC has experienced similar successes across the country. These include supporting the implementation of sustainable technology elements during a rebuilding project at Lester B Pearson airport, working with the University of Manitoba to improve energy efficiencies at The Freshwater Institute, optimizing building automation systems at several assets, and exploring energy innovations throughout its portfolio.
A place to thrive
There’s no simple guide for spearheading energy innovations. And for PSPC, the journey has relied on partnering with energy innovators, trailblazers, and implementation specialists throughout the country. Moreover, it’s meant working in close collaboration with
its asset tenants to ensure their technology investments aren’t only driving energy savings and eco-benefits, but enhancing their occupants’ quality of life. “PSPC recognizes that innovative technology is successful in achieving occupant wellbeing, when there is collaboration between asset owners, facility management service providers and tenants,” adds the agency’s spokesperson. From zero-carbon upgrades to floodprevention tools, and sustainable materials to BAS advancements, PSPC’s affinity for sustainable operations can be seen throughout its portfolio. And with success stories mounting, the agency is playing a pivotal role in shaping Canada’s zerocarbon goals. Says PSPC, “[We] are committed to greening its operations and achieving a carbon-neutral portfolio by 2050, notably by implementing technology innovations and using cleaner sources of energy to power, heat, and cool its buildings.”
The Well: Toronto's Building Innovation Showpiece
Located in the heart of downtown Toronto, The Well is on track to becoming the most ambitious mixeduse development in Canada. A showcase for construction and innovation, the project is already drawing praise for its ambitious design and unparalleled occupant experience, delivered through the use of the latest technology.
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“With approximately 11,000 people who will live and work at The Well, we wanted to ensure that we provided them with a worldclass connected experience. Additionally, as we integrate new technologies aimed at helping us deliver our ESG strategy, we needed to ensure that we developed a robust network infrastructure to support these technologies.” says George Ho, Vice President, Information Technology of RioCan. Rogers is working with the team to weave in numerous technologies and systems that will make life safer, more comfortable, and more productive for the people living, working, and shopping at The Well. “A lot of these technologies will run behind the scenes and be less noticeable, but they’re going to play a huge role in making this project stand out,” adds Stephan Foster, Director of Information Communication Technology with Rogers Communications.
A connected experience
A host of cutting-edge systems and communications tools are slated for The Well. For one, Rogers has been entrusted with installing top-performance Wi-Fi reception throughout its retail, office, and condo spaces; while also making the buildings future-ready for 5G advancements. “From day one, the whole complex will be ready to accommodate 5G service so that when these capabilities come down the pipe over the next few years, there’s not going to be a need for any upgrades or service disruptions,” says Foster, adding, “It’s just going to work.” That said, occupants and guests won’t need to wait years for industry-leading Wi-Fi when they first arrive. Rogers is augmenting its Wi-Fi technologies with distributed antenna systems (DAS) that will ensure uninterrupted online connectivity within every corridor, corner, and sub-level location in The Well.
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“Typically, when you walk into a building and your device doesn’t connect, it’s because the signal can’t get in from the outside due to building materials or the density of the concrete. What DAS does is takes that external signal and distributes it throughout the indoor environment so that occupants receive the same quality of service as they would if they’re outside,” Foster explains. Enhanced connectivity has ample applications. With DAS systems installed in typical “problem spots” throughout The Well (e.g., parking garages, elevators, basements, etc.), individuals will have access to reliable cellular service in cases of emergency. And in addition to greater security and peace of mind, enhanced connectivity will do away with everyday annoyances and business slow-downs such as dropped calls and Wi-Fi outages. “These days, you need that kind of connectivity wherever you are. It should be an expected way to do business now and into the future,” adds Foster.
IP upgrades
Rogers isn’t alone in bringing enhanced connectivity to The Well. The communications firm has partnered with Symtech Innovations Ltd. to carry out all electrical work on the tower (e.g., power distribution, fire alarms, security systems, lightning protection, mechanical wiring, etc.). This includes embedding an integrated building network system comprised of fiber-optic cables, ethernet switches, and a host of active components that link all building systems to a centralized platform. “Essentially, this system centralizes everything from security monitoring, lighting controls, building management, and other critical functions,” says Mario Herce, Director of Construction for Symtech. “What that means is building managers and operators will have one point of contact from which they can see how certain equipment is running, control or schedule lighting, and monitor building performance.”
Symtech is overseeing the implementation of Enwave’s thermal storage facility underneath the development to provide district heating and cooling. The cuttingedge system includes a 150-foot, temperature-controlled tank that can hold up to 7.6 million liters of water provided by Enwave’s deep lake water cooling (DLWC system). The system will provide heating and cooling to The Well and “feed” other buildings in its proximity. Moreover, the system acts as a “thermal battery” that can store energy during off-peak periods (e.g., night) for energy savings. Symtech is also responsible for implementing a tech-savvy snow melting system for the purposes of enhancing occupant safety and protecting key building assets. “The owners are very conscious of the risks of falling ice and snow, so they asked us to develop an intricate snow melting system,” says Herce, explaining, “It is made up of decorative cubes on the north and south elevations which are heat traced, so that they actually melt the snow and avoid it accumulating.”
Bringing it all together
The days of disparate systems and siloed operations are numbered. Today, the road to peak building efficiencies and occupant comfort is being paved with interconnected systems that can “read” their environments, assess occupant demands, and adjust their operations in real-time. To that end, Rogers is embedding base building networks within The Well with the intent to link key systems such as lighting, security, audio/visual, and metering together onto one responsive network. “Instead of having all these systems operating individually, we’re putting all the buildings onto the same virtual network, or VLAN,” says Foster. “The beauty of doing this is that we’ll be enabling the systems to talk to each other and operate in unison.”
One way this technology can be used is by embedding “people counters” within the system that can count occupants arriving and departing a room and right-size lighting or HVAC requirements accordingly. Sensors can also be linked to the VLAN that will allow the buildings to be more efficient in their usage of heating and cooling, thereby driving energy savings and efficiencies. “And then there’s the security benefit again,” adds Foster. “With base building networks, you can set it up so that when a button is pushed at a duress station, the lights that were previously being dimmed to save energy pop on, the right people are automatically notified, and the security cameras are instantly repositioned to capture what’s going on.” The ability to assess and respond to building activities in real-time will also drive day-to-day maintenance. Assessing the volume of foot traffic during a muddy day, for example, will help teams mobilize additional cleaners; whereas floors with larger crowds than usual can be prioritized for extra attention.
“You unlock a lot of efficiencies and functionality when you bring systems onto the same network, and for us, the driving factor is that we can use that to best serve our clients and visitors,” adds Foster. Speaking to the IT strategy as a whole, Ho notes: “With the connected technologies, The Well will also utilize a number of leading cybersecurity measures. Protecting the cybersecurity of our technologies and the connected experience they deliver is of utmost importance to all of us on the project.”
Leading the way
Working on The Well has been a source of pride for all involved. As progress continues at the corner of Front and Spadina in downtown Toronto, it’s clear their combined efforts will contribute to a one-of-a-kind downtown experience. “For a lot of contractors on site, it’s probably one of the largest projects we’ve been involved in, and definitely one the most innovative in terms of energyefficiency, metering, building controls, and communications technologies,” adds
Herce. “Every team member, whether it’s a consultant, owner, contractor, has put their ‘A-team’ on this project. Everybody is very competent, experienced, and committed to getting the job done efficiently, which actually makes this a bit easier than in a smaller job.” “We have great promise for this project,” adds Foster. “Breaking new ground is never easy, but we’ve had great communication and cooperation from client stakeholders, consultants, and contractors who share the same vision.” Reflecting on Rogers’ role in bringing The Well’s cutting-edge vision to life, he adds, “What we’re trying to do is bring together the best of breed people and best of breed solutions on one common infrastructure to provide our clients with the best value.” Anticipations are building as The Well takes shape. While the outward construction is drawing attention, the systems and technologies taking shape within its walls will be an important part of building an experience that makes The Well a premier landmark among Toronto’s skyline.
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BEIC Member Roster
AINSWORTH Steve Horwood, Vice President Business Development 416-799-9768 | Steve.Horwood@ainsworth.com www.ainsworth.com
ALEC SMARTLIGHTING (BY TRIANGLE RESEARCH INT'L, INC.) Shaun Derrick, Applications Engrg Manager 877-874-7527 | shaun@triplc.com www.aleccontrol.com
ALPINE BUILDING MAINTENANCE Alexander Kennard, Marketing Manager 604-821-1541 | akennard@alpineservices.ca www.alpineservices.ca/
AMERESCO Joe Valente, Vice President, Business Development 647-788-6037 | jvalente@ameresco.com www.ameresco.com
ARMSTRONG FLUID TECHNOLOGY Paul Scarafile, Director, Canada Sales 647-794-4058 | pscarafile@ armstrongfluidtechnology.com www.armstrongfluidtechnology.com
BEE-CLEAN BUILDING MAINTENANCE Philippe D. Mack, Canadian Sr. Vice President, Customer Experience 204-668-4420 | pmack@bee-clean.com www.bee-clean.com
BELL Brian Ferris, Director Real Estate Operations 416-819-4574 | brian.ferris@bell.ca www.bce.ca
BGIS Gord Hicks, CEO 905-415-3248 | gordon.hicks@bgis.com www.bgis.com BGIS is a leading provider of real estate management services, including facilities management, project delivery services, energy and sustainability solutions, building performance
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management, workplace advisory and management, and real estate services. With a combined team of over 7,000 team members globally, BGIS inspires better business performance across its client’s real estate portfolios by developing and implementing real estate and facilities management strategies. Globally, BGIS manages over 300 million square feet of client portfolios across 30,000+ locations in North America, Europe, Middle East, Australia and Asia. BGIS is a subsidiary of Brookfield Business Partners, a business services and industrial company focused on owning and operating high-quality businesses that benefit from barriers to entry and/or low cost production. Brookfield Business Partners is listed on the New York and Toronto stock exchanges (NYSE:BBU) (TSX:BBU.UN).
BLACK & MCDONALD Erica Brabon, Director, Energy & Sustainability 647-497-8295 | ebrabon@blackandmcdonald.com www.blackandmcdonald.com
CAGBC Thomas Mueller, President & CEO 604-282-7811 | tmueller@cagbc.org www.cagbc.org CaGBC is the leading national organization dedicated to advancing green building, building retrofit, and sustainable community development practices. As the voice of green building in Canada, CaGBC works with industry and all levels of government to make every building greener. CaGBC focuses on reducing carbon emissions and the overall environmental impacts of buildings while improving occupant health and contributing to a vibrant low-carbon economy. To accomplish this, CaGBC sets and verifies advanced green building standards, conducts government advocacy and market research, and provides education and training that has reached over 45,000 Canadian professionals since 2002. In 2004, CaGBC established the LEED® green building rating system in Canada and developed the first Zero Carbon Building Standard in 2017. CaGBC is a member of the World Green Building Council, supporting international efforts to reduce environmental impacts and enhance global health in buildings and communities. For more information, visit cagbc.org.
CARLETON UNIVERSITY Liam O'Brien, Associate Professor in Architectural Conservation and Sustainability Engineering 613-520-2600 | Liam.OBrien@carleton.ca www.carleton.ca
CARMICHAEL ENGINEERING LTD. Daniel Gardiman, Carmichael Engineering – National Accounts Director 416-717-2808 | dgardiman@carmichael-eng.ca www.carmichael-eng.ca
CARRIER ENTERPRISE Mike Gonsalves, President 905-405-3238 | mike.gonsalves@carrierenterprise.com www.carrierenterprise.ca Carrier Enterprise is the one stop location for the best HVACR equipment brands, aftermarket parts & supplies, service, expertise and technology in the industry. CE is part of the largest HVACR Distribution network in North America.Our network of highlytrained HVACR experts are focused on providing technical proficiency, exceptional customer satisfaction and efficient solutions to meet all needs. CE is dedicated to providing Comfort Excellence to the HVACR industry.In 1902, Willis Carrier invented the modern air conditioner, and Carrier has been the premier brand of HVAC equipment ever since. From residential replacement & new construction to high end commercial, CE provides superior availability, competitive pricing, marketing and post-sale consumer support to our valued authorized partners.CE is the premier Aftermarket distributor in the continent. With many locations to serve you coast to coast, we are where you need us. Our sales centers are stocked with the industry’s top brands of parts, supplies, installation accessories and tools.
Making Energy Visible. Making Energy Manageable.
CIRCUITMETER Paul Mertes, President & CEO 647-494-9730 | paul.mertes@circuitmeter.com www.circuitmeter.com/solutions-overview
CISCO SYSTEMS CANADA CO William MacGowan, P.Eng., CEM Director, Digital Buildings 647-205-5307 | bimacgow@cisco.com www.cisco.com/c/en_ca Cisco (NASDAQ:CSCO) is the worldwide leader in IT that helps companies seize the opportunities of tomorrow by proving that amazing things can happen when you connect the previously unconnected. At Cisco, customers come first, and an integral part of our DNA is creating long-lasting customer partnerships and working with them to identify their needs and provide solutions that support their success.The concept of solutions being driven to address specific customer challenges has been with Cisco since its inception. Husband and wife Len Bosack and Sandy Lerner, both working for Stanford University, wanted to email each other from their respective offices located in different buildings but were unable to due to technological shortcomings. A technology had to be invented to deal with disparate local area protocols; and as a result of solving their challenge – the multiprotocol router was born.Since then Cisco has shaped the future of the Internet by creating unprecedented value and opportunity for our customers, employees, investors, and ecosystem partners and has become the worldwide leader in networking – transforming how people connect, communicate, and collaborate.
CLEAN ENERGY CANADA Sarah Petrevan, Policy Director 647-999-2992 | sarah@cleanenergycanada.org www.cleanenergycanada.org
ENGIE logotype_gradient_BLUE_RGB 14/04/2015 24, rue Salomon de Rothschild - 92288 Suresnes - FRANCE Tél. : +33 (0)1 57 32 87 00 / Fax : +33 (0)1 57 32 87 87 Web : www.carrenoir.com
ENGIE SERVICES INC. Joseph Marra, VP Business Development 514-792-2168 | Joseph.Marra@ENGIE.com www.engieservices.ca RÉFÉRENCES COULEUR
Zone de protection 1
R0 G170 B255
Zone de protection 2
F. TROTTIER CONSTRUCTION LTD. Valerie Gougeon, Controller 613-745-8688 | valerie@trottier.ca www.trottier.ca
Zone de protection 3
CONTINENTAL AUTOMATED BUILDINGS ASSOCIATION (CABA) Sashien Godakandae, Business Development Officer 613-686-1814 x229 | godakandae@caba.org www.caba.org
CORPORATE KNIGHTS Toby Heaps, CEO & Co-Founder 416-203-0066 | toby@corporateknights.com www.corporateknights.com
DAIKIN APPLIED CANADA INC. Colin Berry, District Manager 613-277-0346 | Colin.Berry@daikinapplied.com www.daikinapplied.com
ECO-GROWTH ENVIRONMENTAL INC Kim Caron, CEO 403-371-1691 | kim@eco-growth.ca www.eco-growth.ca
EFFICIENCY CANADA Corey Diamond, Executive Director 647-882-7924 | corey.diamond@efficiencycanada.org www.efficiencycanada.org
ELECTRO FEDERATION CANADA Carol McGlogan, President & CEO 416-230-0914 | cmcglogan@electrofed.com www.electrofed.com
ELEVEN-X INC. Dan Mathers, President & CEO 226-887-0011 | dan.mathers@eleven-x.com www.eleven-x.com
ENTOUCH Melissa Parsons, Director of Marketing 214-497-4482 | melissa.parsons@entouchcontrols.com www.entouchcontrols.com
ENWAVE John Peri, President & CEO 416-392-6838 | john.peri@enwave.com www.enwave.com Enwave Energy Corporation is a fully integrated, sustainable energy services provider with operations in Toronto and Windsor. With over thirty years of experience operating one of North America’s largest district energy systems and dealing with a variety of energy needs, Enwave has developed the capabilities to deliver a broad array of services. These include plant operations and management, engineering design and optimization, project management, consulting and peer review. Enwave offers an alternative to conventional, energy-intensive air conditioning with Deep Lake Water Cooling. Clean, well-priced and highly efficient Enwave’s Deep Lake Water Cooling is the world’s largest lakesource cooling system.
ESAC (ENERGY SERVICES ASSOCIATION OF CANADA) Stuart Galloway, CEO 416-357-1198 | stuartgalloway@ energyservicesassociation.ca www.energyservicesassociation.ca
EVRIPOS JANITORIAL SERVICES LTD. Dimitri Sigounas, Director of Development and Strategic Operations 613-232-9069 | dimitri@evripos.ca www.evripos.ca
EXECUTIVE MAT SERVICE LTD. Kim Caron, President 403-371-1691 | kcaron@executivemat.com www.executivemat.com
FIRSTONSITE RESTORATION Krista Lachelt, Director, Sales Operations 416-806-2340 | klachelt@firstonsite.ca www.firstonsite.ca
GOODMANS Richard Corley, Partner 416-597-4197 | rcorley@goodmans.ca www.goodmans.ca Goodmans LLP is internationally recognized as one of Canada’s pre-eminent law firms. Goodmans is a leader in the technology and outsourcing industry, providing comprehensive legal services and strategic advice to our Canadian and international clients. Goodmans works with clients in the technology sector including public and private companies which supply and rely upon technology products (from start-ups to late stage), investors such as angel, venture capital, private equity and institutional, entrepreneurs and technology professionals, lenders and governmental agencies.Goodmans offers clients our expertise in technology licensing, outsourcing, commercial agreements, IP, media, financing, privacy, litigation, telecommunications, tax, human resources, restructuring and administrative law. We also help clients enforce their rights with regard to technology issues and other business disputes.Goodmans is a founder of The SingularityU Canada Summit, sharing the world’s breakthrough technology and inspiring Canadian businesses to lead in the transformation and growth of a globally competitive, clean economy through exponential technologies.
GOVERNMENT OF ALBERTA, PROPERTY MANAGEMENT Leonid Oukrainski, Executive Director, Property Management at Government of Alberta 780 422-4606 | leonid.oukrainski@gov.ab.ca www.alberta.ca/infrastructure.aspx
IESO Robert Edwards Business Manager, Private Sector | Policy, Engagement and Innovation 416-625-3332 | robert.edwards@ieso.ca www.ieso.ca
IFMA Jeffrey Johnson, Director of Government Relations 713-623-4362 | Jeffrey.johnson@ifma.org www.ifma.org
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BEIC Member Roster
J+A CLEANING SOLUTIONS LTD. Dimitri Kourkoutis, Vice President 416-242-4151 | dimitri@jacleaning.ca www.jacleaning.ca
MARS Sasha Sud, Director, Smart Cities 416-673-8100 | ssud@marsdd.com www.marsdd.com MaRS helps innovators change the world. Occupying 1.5 million square feet in downtown Toronto, MaRS is North America’s largest urban innovation hub. We support more than 1,200 fast-growing science and technology ventures across Canada, offering them expert advice and mentorship, as well as vital connections to the talent, customers and capital they need in order to scale globally. The companies we support work in four high-impact sectors, each vital to Canada’s future prosperity: health, cleantech, fintech and enterprise software. They create technologies that meaningfully improve lives both in Canada and in markets around the world. MaRS-supported ventures have raised more than $4.8 billion in capital, generated over $3.1 billion in revenue and directly employ more than 12,000 people
MEDIAEDGE Chuck Nervick, SVP 416-512-8186 | chuckn@mediaedge.ca www.mediaedge.ca For more than 20 years, MediaEdge has been at the forefront of communication solutions for membership-driven organizations within a variety of business sectors. We are a leading provider of nondues revenues for associations offering exceptional no-cost member benefits through a number of innovative products and services. With dedication, commitment and team spirit, we continuously innovate to establish new benchmarks in everything we do. We deliver quality products that complement each other and work together, much the same way that association members do within their industry. Many of our products, such as the magazines we have launched and produced, continue to be recognized as the leading source of engaging, industry-specific content.
METERGY SOLUTIONS Craig Thornton, Chief Revenue Officer 877-513-5133 Craig.Thornton@metergysolutions.com https://www.metergysolutions.com/ As one of North America’s most experienced submetering providers, Metergy Solutions brought turnkey solutions to our clients for over 15 years. Across all building types, retrofit or new construction, we have the knowledge, equipment and staff to deliver all your submetering needs. Our call centre, sales, engineering, commissioning, and billing are all under one roof – we have you covered from design, to implementation to billing.
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MITSUBISHI ELECTRIC Dermot McMorrow, Vice President & GM, HVAC Division 905-475-3197 | dermot.mcmorrow@mesca.ca www.mitsubishielectric.ca Mitsubishi Electric Sales Canada Inc., established in 1979 as a subsidiary of the Mitsubishi Electric Corporation of Japan, is an industry leader in offering an extensive range of high efficiency HVAC products including; Mr. SLIM mini-splits; CITYMULTI variable refrigerant flow systems; Climaveneta air-water heat pump technology and a complete portfolio of energy recovery ventilation product solutions. Mitsubishi Electric Sales Canada HVAC Division continues to be at the forefront of implementing sustainable heating and cooling solutions, engineered specifically for Canadian climates for application across a range of building types. With 100 years of experience in providing reliable, high-quality products to both corporate clients and general consumers all over the world, Mitsubishi Electric Corporation is a recognized world leader in the manufacture, marketing and sales of electrical and electronic equipment used in information processing and communications, consumer electronics, industrial technology, energy, transportation and construction. No matter what you do, or where you live, work or play, chances are a Mitsubishi Electric product touches your life.
MORGAN SOLAR Mike Andrade, CEO 416-203-1655 | mike.andrade@morgansolar.com www.morgansolar.com To make solar energy the most widely used and affordable power source in the world. Our Vision: To develop and take to market new high concentration solar photovoltaic technologies that achieve unprecedented price and performance levels.
NERGICA Cédric Arbez, Manager, Research and Innovation 418-368-6162 | carbez@nergica.com www.nergica.com/en/
OPTIV Shawn Palmer, Client Director 416-570-9609 | shawn.palmer@optiv.com www.optiv.com
PACE SOLUTIONS CORPORATION Will Wilson, Development and Sustainability Manager 604-349-2178 | will@pacesolutions.com www.pacesolutions.com
PEAK POWER Phil Raffi, Sr Director, Sustainability and Business Solutions 647-287-7554 | phil@peakpowerenergy.com www.peakpowerenergy.com
Peak Power transforms older properties into healthy, sustainable, and efficient Smart Buildings. Our Insight solution puts building performance on one simple dashboard. Building Managers get visibility, prescriptions, and reports on their computer, tablet, or smartphone. Insight provides tailored recommendations and alerts to optimize building performance and tenant comfort. Peak Power empowers any building to improve air quality, sustainability, and energy use. Peak Power is a cleantech company that is revolutionizing how buildings interact with the electricity grid. Started in 2015, our team brings together expertise in energy, buildings, and software. We provide out-of-the box building optimization as well as innovative integrations with building and electric vehicle batteries. Our vision is to advance the smart cities of the future.
PRODIGY GROUP Rian Johnson Senior Manager, Business Development 416-675-1591 ext.242 | rjohnson@prodigy-group.com www.prodigy-group.com
PUROLATOR Christopher Simons Senior Director - Head of Real Estate, Facilities and Procurement at Purolator Inc. 905-712-1084 | Chris.Simons@purolator.com www.purolator.com.
QEA TECH Peyvand Melati, CEO 905-947-1114 | Peyvand@qeatech.com www.qeatech.com
QMC SUBMETERING SOLUTIONS Mike Easton, VP of Eastern Sales 877-358-5155 | sales@qmeters.com https://qmeters.com/?utm_source=beic&utm_ medium=partner_website
RED DEER COLLEGE Jim Brinkhurst, VP of College Services 403-342-3233 | Jim.Brinkhurst@rdc.ab.ca www.rdc.ab.ca For over 50 years RDC has been proudly serving our learners and our communities. RDC offers more than 100 different programs (including full degrees, certificates, diplomas and skilled trades programs) to 7,500 full- and part-time credit students and more than 36,000 youth and adult learners in the School of Continuing Education each year. Named by Alberta Venture magazine as one of Alberta’s most innovative organizations for the Centre for Innovation in Manufacturing,
RDC is a key location for applied and industry-led research. Our main campus is strategically situated on 290 acres of Alberta’s natural landscape along Queen Elizabeth II Highway. We have also expanded our learning and performing arts space into the heart of downtown Red Deer through our Welikoklad Event Centre and the Donald School of Business.
ROGERS Mark Bertschmann, Director, Corporate Sales at Rogers Communications 416-637-9267 | Mark.Bertschmann@rci.rogers.com www.rogers.com/business
Smart Tech. Smarter.
RYCOM CORPORATION Casey J Witkowicz, President & CEO 905-264-4801 | casey.witkowicz@rycom.com RYCOM.com
SAIT Brad Boser, Director, Facilities Management 403-210-4004 | brad.boser@sait.ca www.sait.ca
SDTC Zoë Kolbuc, VP Partnerships and Ecosystem, SDTC 613-234-6313 | z.kolbuc@sdtc.ca www.sdtc.ca
SIGNIFY Martin Stephenson, President & CEO 289-928-3761 martin.stephenson@signify.com www.signify.com At Signify, our purpose is to unlock the extraordinary potential of light for brighter lives and a better world. Our energy-efficient lighting products, systems and services enable our customers to enjoy a superior quality of light and make people’s lives safer and comfortable, businesses more productive and cities more livable. Sustainability is at the heart of everything we do. Similar to BEIC’s mandate to “accelerate the collaboration, innovation, and adoption of clean building technologies across Canada”, Signify has set ambitious targets for its own sustainable revenues and operations. We achieved Carbon Neutrality across our Canadian operations in 2018 and for our operations across the world in 2020. Signify uses 100% renewable electricity, and has outperformed its 2020 targets around zero waste to landfill, supplier sustainability and safety, among others
design and certifications, health and wellbeing consulting and certifications, and corporate ESG reporting. Our Carbon Impact Team continues to lead the professional services field in both consulting services and corporate responsibility related to sustainability. Stantec was recently named the fifth most sustainable company in the world and first in North America by Corporate Knights, which released its 2021 Global 100 Most Sustainable Corporations rankings. Companies in the Global 100 represent the top one percent of companies in the world on sustainability performance.
TELUS Julio Villalta, Senior Product Manager – Internet of Things (IoT) 647-654-2678 | julio.villalta1@telus.com www.telus.com
TORONTO HYDRO Kaitlyn Woods, Marketing Consultant 416-542-8000 | kwoods@torontohydro.com www.torontohydro.com
TRANE Guy Bourbonniere, VP and General Manager 416-847-2808 | ghjbourbonniere@trane.com www.trane.com SCHNEIDER ELECTRIC CANADA Hugo Lafontaine, VP of Digital Energy 613-552-7724 | Hugo.Lafontaine@se.com www.se.com Schneider Electric provides energy and automation digital solutions for efficiency and sustainability. With global presence in over 100 countries, Schneider is a leader in Power Management. They combine world-leading energy technologies, real-time automation, software and services into integrated solutions for Homes, Buildings, Data Centers, Infrastructure and Industries. Schneider believes access to energy and digital is a basic human right and empowers all to do more with less, ensuring Life Is On everywhere, for everyone, at every moment. They believe that great people and partners make Schneider a great company, and is committed to unleash the infinite possibilities of an open, global, innovative community.
SCOTT BUILDERS Murray Cunningham, President & CEO 403-391-1166 | MurrayC@scottbuilders.com www.scottbuilders.com
SPECIFIED ROOFING Todd Gouett, President 905-727-0079 | todd@srciprimary.com www.specifiedroofing.com UNIVERSITY OF WATERLOO Paul Parker, Professor and Associate Dean for Strategic Initiatives, Faculty of Environment 519-888-4567 | pparker@uwaterloo.ca www.uwaterloo.ca STANTEC Graham Twyford-Miles, Principal, Carbon Impact Team 778-558-4886 | graham.twyford@stantec.com www.stantec.com We’re designers, engineers, scientists, and project managers, innovating together at the intersection of community, creativity, and client relationships. Balancing these priorities results in projects that advance the quality of life in communities across the globe. Through our Carbon Impact practice, we help clients and communities move toward a carbon neutral, resilient future. Our cross-disciplinary team of specialists applies building science and design solutions to rapidly reduce the generation of carbon emissions in the built environment, increase resilience against climate risks, and have a positive impact on the socio-ecological health of our communities. The Carbon Impact Team comprises experts in climate risk and resiliency, building performance modeling and engineering, energy management and building condition assessments, sustainable
VIEW Guthrie Cox, President, Canada 604-897-6702 | guthrie.cox@view.com www.view.com View is a technology company and the market leader in smart windows. View Smart Windows use artificial intelligence to automatically adjust in response to the sun and increase access to natural light, to improve people’s health and experience in buildings, while simultaneously reducing energy consumption to mitigate the effects of climate change. Every View installation also includes a smart building platform that consists of power, network, and communication infrastructure. For more information, please visit: www.view.com.
BEIC Supplement | 15
JOIN THE CLEAN BUILDING TECHNOLOGY EVOLUTION About the BEIC
The Building Energy Innovators Council (BEIC) was founded in 2016 by a diverse group of Real Estate and Corporate leaders. Our industry driven council was established to accelerate the collaboration, innovation, and adoption of clean building technologies including energy efficiency and renewable power solutions that will transform the built environment, while developing world class clean tech companies, creating jobs and enabling economic prosperity in a future low carbon era.
The BEIC is Welcoming New Members, Join TODAY!
To receive additional information on the BEIC or details on how your organization can become a member, please contact: Brad Moore, BEIC National Manager bradm@beic.ca / 647-467-7708
We look forward to welcoming you and your organization to the BEIC family!
UNSHACKLING
CERS
Commercial Real Estate Organizations Urge More Flexible Rules By Barbara Carss REMOVING LANDLORDS from the application process hasn’t necessarily made the Canada Emergency Rent Subsidy (CERS) more accessible for commercial tenants experiencing pandemic-related financial stress. Canada’s leading commercial real estate organizations are calling for more flexible rules with retroactive eligibility to capture businesses that have either been overlooked or hesitant to enter the program. CERS uptake statistics, posted on the Canadian government’s website, show that 196,640 distinct applicants received support through the program in the roughly nine months between Sept. 27, 2020 and July 2, 2021. That’s an increase from the approximately 130,000 individual businesses subsidized in the six months of the forerunner Canada Emergency Commercial Rent Assistance (CECRA) program, but far off the pace of the 449,250 businesses that had tapped i nto t he Canada Emergency Wage Subsidy (CEWS) since it became available in March 2020. “What we’re hearing from some of our members is their tenants are not going
through the application process because they are not totally comfortable in providing their share of the rent even though it’s highly discounted. They don’t want to be offside with CRA (Canada Revenue Agency) by agreeing to put it forward when they might not have it,” advises Brooks Barnett, Director of Government Relations and Policy with REALPAC, which represents many of Canada’s largest commercial real estate compa n ies, prop er t y f u nds a nd investment managers. “Also, CERS requires historical data to prove revenue loss, and there are a number of businesses that just didn’t have that so they were never admitted into the program.” REALPAC, Canada-wide chapters of the Building Owners and Managers Association (BOMA) and the commercial real estate development organization, NAIOP, recently submitted joint recommendations for program revisions to Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland. They’re also attempting to determine how many tenants have opted to negotiate rent deferrals or abatements directly with their landlords rather than apply for CERS.
SOME DISINCENTIVES TO APPLY The program was devised and introduced when COVID-19’s second wave was strongly hinted, but the severity of that outbreak, a third wave and prolonged lockdowns in some areas of the country were still in the future. Barnett points to retailers, restaurateurs and personal service providers in the Greater Toronto Area effectively closed to walk-in business for seven of the first nine months CERS has been available as examples of those stretched to make the rent contribution that program rules dictate. Nor could landlords choose to simply forego that portion of the rent since both the up to 65% CERS and the 25% top-up for recipients in lockdown situations is calculated on expenses paid, rather than what’s actually owing. Alternatively, the commercial real estate organizations call for the subsidies to be tied to recipients’ contracted rents, which would give more leeway to negotiate other arrangements around the remainder and more assurance of collecting rental income needed to meet property owners’ operational obligations. “There’s no incentive in CERS to provide rent deferrals or abatements because if owners Canadian Property Management | July 2021 41
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Costa advised that he no longer wished to occupy his role as president. The emergency meeting took place at the defendant’s (MTCC 1292’s) premises. At the emergency meeting, the plaintiff and Mr. Da Costa entered into a heated argument, which led Mr. Da Costa to “lose it” and strike the plaintiff on the head with a chair. Mr. Da Costa was charged by the police and received a conditional discharge for assault with a weapon. iff commen The plaintiff commenced a civil action against Mr. Da Costa fo for his use of force TCC 1292 fo as well as MTCC for failing to ensure nd failing to employ security her safety and measures at board meet meetings. MTCC 1292 otion for su brought a motion summary judgment to dismiss the plaintiff’ plaintiff’s claim against it nly opposed by Mr. Da Costa which was only ossclaim ag given his crossclaim against MTCC 1292 on and inde for contribution indemnity.
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In Omotayo v. Da Costa, 2018, the defendant occupier, Metro Toronto Condominium Corporation 1292 (MTCC 1292), was successful in dismissing the plaintiff’s claim and the assailant’s crossclaim when a member in attendance at a condominium board meeting struck another meeting attendee with a chair. Justice Nishikawa found that the duty the condominium corporation owed to the plaintiff did not include preventing an assault that occurred during their condominium board meeting. Facts of the case T he plaintif f, J ac queline O mot ayo, was a resident and former chair of the condominium corporation. The defendant, Jose Da Costa, was also a resident and former president of the condominium corporation. An emergency board meeting was held on Oct. 4, 2011, to discuss the future organization of the board as Ms. Omotayo had recently been removed from her position as chair and Mr. Da
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Let’s face it, we all want our businesses to be social media rock stars, and we know it ain’t easy. It’s becoming more prevalent that some of the most popular social media platforms have been infiltrated by those who game the system. This includes those that buy fake followers and “likes” in order to create the illusion that their social media profile is more popular than it is. These fake followers are predominantly bots – accounts run by software designed to look and act like real people.
APRIL/MAY 2017
New services are also popping up that allow authentic social media accounts to become part of the bot game. By signing up for the service, the user authorizes their account to automatically like, follow and randomly comment on other users’ posts, and in turn they trade that fake engagement with other users. Sound harmless enough? The thing is you have no say in in the message your account is spreading or where it ends up.
CARING FOR FRAGILE FLOORS
udgment m Summary judgment motion MTCC took the positi position that its duty w is confine under the law confined to the physical condition of the premise premises and foreseeable e unforese risks, not the unforeseeable conduct of individuals in attendan attendance. Meanwhile, a argued th Mr. Da Costa that MTCC 1292’s s to having rules of conduct duty extends s, policies re for meetings, relating to abusive l an gu a g e, thre at s aan d intimi d atin g d a duty to h behavior, and hire and supervise competent professional professionals to oversee its luding, if ap business (including, appropriate, security Cos further argued personnel). Mr. Da Costa ult was fore that the assault foreseeable given the quarrelsome nature of M MTCC 1292’s board nd a prior u meetings and unrelated incident involving the plaintiff and another member 292 wherei of MTCC 1292 wherein the police was called. ng her dec In reaching decision, Justice ooked to C Nishikawa looked Coleiro v. Premier s where summary sum Fitness Clubs judgment d in favour of the defendant was granted
MALL GERMS: TOP FIVE HOT SPOTS
Ask yourself this: What’s more important, having 50,000 cosmetic followers, or having
500 followers who are in your target market REMEDYING FOUR that actually want to hear from you? COMMON CARPET As a consumer, it’s even simpler, as PROBLEMS deceptive tactics are easy to spot. If you’re using underhanded methods to promote your business, this can be viewed as a reflection of your product or service. Your integrity is at stake. This is one of the more complex topics that can’t be fully covered in this space. As always, I invite you to stay social and continue the conversation on Twitter at @Chestergosocial where I’ll share a link to the full article.
SCENT OF
SUCCESS Steven Chester is the Digital Media Director of MediaEdge Communications. With 15 years’ experience in cross-platform communications, Steven helps companies expand their reach through social media and other digital initiatives. To contact him directly, email gosocial@mediaedge.ca.
www.REMInetwork.com | June 2018 15
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pandemicresponse do that, the overall proportion of money that tenants are eligible for also decreases,” Barnett says. “Or in some other cases, where tenants have had landlords willing to offer them 100% deferrals, they haven’t applied because they think that’s preferable to the 65 or 90% CERS coverage. So we think there are some built-in disincentives.” In addition, the real estate organizations urge a loosening of the evidentiary requirements so that clearly struggling businesses can be more easily admitted into the program, and a higher funding cap for CERS recipients operating businesses from more than one location. CAPS AND TIMELINES The maximum available subsidy for a given four-week period has been $75,000 per single location or $300,000 for multiple locations. However, the latter ceiling translates to everdiminishing amounts of relief for businesses with more than four separate addresses. The industry advocates suggest $1.8 million would be a more realistic maximum when applied to larger chains. Under the terms of the 16-week extension past June 5, which was announced in the 2021 federal budget last April, the maximum CERS subsidy has now been trimmed to 60% for the period from July 3 to 31 and is slated to drop twice more — to 40% on August 1 and to 20% on August 29 — before coming to and end on September 25. Nevertheless, industry advocates are calling on the government to grant retroactive subsidies in cases where they have adjusted the rules, including for new program entrants that could have theoretically qualified for the program at any time dating back to Sept. 27, 2020. “That would effectively guarantee coverage to tenants that will possibly help set them up better coming out of the
“There’s no incentive in CERS to provide rent deferrals or abatements.” pandemic,” Barnett reasons. “I think the government would be well served by increasing that budget.” As of early July, approximately $6.5 billion had been allocated through CECRA and CERS together. That breaks down to: $1.8 billion in CECRA relief; $4 billion in CERS; and a further $699 million for the lockdown top-up support. In comparison, nearly $84.6 billion has gone to employers/ employees via the Canada Emergency Wage Subsidy as of early July. FACILITATOR ROLE Even after CERS replaced CECRA and commercial property owners were no longer a direct channel for tenant relief, Barnett underscores the key guidance and support that many have provided. He also commends CECRA and CERS program administrators and various provincial or local level programs, while noting that the overall relief patchwork can be befuddling. “Landlords at the entity level were basically holding the hands of tenants and figuring out the wide array of programs that were out there, which were applicable for which tenants, and how all the puzzle pieces fit together. For a national company with 500 tenants across the country, for example, it’s a monumental task to figure out the mishmash of programs that tenants might be eligible for,” he recounts. “The staff at CRA and the federal government have been extraordinary at moving quickly on the pandemic. It’s been impressive to see how
fast they came out with the policy and the program, but it has still been administratively very burdensome for applicants. They’re often struggling to understand all the requirements and responsibilities and then to provide a fulsome application to the satisfaction of the government.” On the flipside, CERS is vulnerable to disreputable applicants. Along with more supports for tenants, commercial real estate organizations are calling for clearer accountability mechanisms to ensure that received funds are delivered to where they are owed. “All of these are very important issues and they are all things that we are working on with the government, and the government is receptive,” Barnett reports. “Now that they’ve risen for the summer, there is no [near-term] legislative opportunity to get this through the House of Commons, but we’re very optimistic that the CRA can deal with some of this administratively and then some of this could be done through Order in Council [regulations].” The enabling legislation for the 16-week extension also included authority to enact a further CERS extension, taking it to Nov. 20, 2021 if deemed necessary. “The government hasn’t really given us much of a signal whether it will do that,” Barnett says. “If it does, it might be because the lockdowns lasted longer in Ontario and some other places than might have originally been expected.” ❚❚
ACCOUNTABILITY MECHANISM SOUGHT The application process is one of the key differentiators between the Canada Emergency Rent Subsidy (CERS) and the Canada Emergency Commercial Rent Assistance (CECRA) it replaced. The latter was widely criticized because landlords were required to apply on their tenants’ behalf — a prerequisite that in some cases prevented struggling businesses and not-for-profit organizations from obtaining relief for which they qualified. In contrast, advocates for the commercial real estate industry note that it has now largely been left to the honour system to make sure that funds received through CERS are delivered to where they are owed. Among recent recommended program revisions, REALPAC, BOMA and NAIOP called for a structured accountability mechanism. “Tenants could apply and their landlords would never know.
Currently, we’re not entirely sure if all CERS recipients are remitting it, or remitting the right amount of money, to the companies to which they normally pay rent,” observes Brooks Barnett, Director of Government Relations and Policy with REALPAC. Industry organizations have suggested that mystery might be solved through a searchable database of CERS recipients or a requirement at the application stage to double-check some information with the specified landlord. “The government is essentially putting itself in a position where it would have to audit or do spot-checking or forensically somehow look at where the money is going to make sure it’s ending up in the right hands,” Barnett says. “We have not heard, so far, of any such process.”
Canadian Property Management | July 2021 43
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PLANNING IS KEY FOR ELECTRIC CAR CHARGING STATIONS Electrical contractors help to ensure installation safe and effective By Sherri Haigh, Joint Electrical Promotion Plan
A
s president of Signature Electric, Mark Marmer’s job can be a combination of detective and problem solver. “Sometimes, I’m asked, ‘What’s involved in being able to install EV chargers? It’s just a thing with two wires and you hook it up, right?’” says Marmer, who is also a member of the Electrical Contractors Association of Ontario (ECAO). “Unfortunately, it is not that simple.” Certainly, as more Ontarians transition to electric vehicles (EVs), high-rise residential and business properties will need EV charging stations and should seek expert advice to ensure their investments are managed safely and correctly. “Each different place needs a different approach,” Marmer notes. “For example, a workplace might put in chargers to accommodate employees, while
a mall might be installing EV chargers as a way of encouraging shoppers to stay longer.” The challenge is that if electric charging station owners don’t plan their EV strategy well, they will run into problems. “When dealing with multi-unit residential or workplace, a licensed electrical contractor with EV experience will have advice to offer in terms of how many chargers at what location and power management options to reduce electrical capacity needs,” agrees Cara Clairman, Founder and CEO of Plug’n Drive, a non-profit organization and trusted source for information in the electric vehicle industry. “An experienced person is going to have the knowledge to help the customer really get the best solution out there,” she adds.
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Optimizing your EV installation EV installations can be complex. In a multi-use residential building, for example, it requires working with property managers, condo residents, and an electrical contractor. To help, Plug’n Drive [link to: https://www.plugndrive.ca] has created a guide for condo owners, boards, and managers that highlights the important considerations and steps for the entire process and stresses the importance of hiring a licensed electrical contractor who has experience with electric car charger installation. While it can be a complex task, the benefit of bringing in experts at the beginning of the process is they can help make it a lot easier. Says Marmer: “Electrical contractors are in a perfect position to be able to help move this forward. You just need to bring us an idea of what you need to begin, and we will figure the rest out.” Marmer has worked with EV chargers in a variety of locations. Speaking from experience, he says each brings new challenges and can require creativity: “We’ve done workplaces, shopping malls, schools, or even cities. And it’s not just the level
two chargers; we do a lot of level three chargers for auto manufacturers, so we’ve worked with this technology in all kinds of interesting places.” Given the growing interest in electric vehicles and federal funding grants available, the demand for EVs will only increase. That means even homebuyers who are looking for an electric charger should be using an expert. “I would definitely go with a licensed contractor,” says Clairman. “I just think it makes sense to go with somebody who knows what they’re doing because there’s a fire risk if you don’t. Also, it’s important to remember that an ESA approval is required.” “It’s like the equivalent of hooking up a stove but keeping the stove on six hours a day inside your house,” adds Marmer. “Does this really seem like a do-it-yourself thing? I think not.” To find a licensed electrical contractor in your region, visit ecao.org.
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Commercial Buildings Now Included in the Annual Awards Program SUBURBAN OFFICE AND corporate headquarters captured the limelight in the recently announced 2021 ENERGY STAR Canada awards for existing commercial and institutional buildings. Five buildings received accolades as part of Natural Resources Canada’s (NRCan) annual recognition of energy efficiency champions among Canadian landlords, developers manufacturers, ret a i lers, ut i l it ies a nd advocacy organizations. This year, a total of 20 winners were named, including 15 in the products category and two new home builders, along with the five owners/ managers drawn from registrants in NRCan’s ENERGY STAR Portfolio Ma nager energ y p er for ma nce bench ma rk ing progra m. Other honou re es a re m a nu fact u rer s or retailers of ENERGY STAR-certified products or have played a leading role i n p romot i ng t hese p ro duct s to Canadian consumers. “When you see the ENERGY STAR label, you know it means energy savings. It saves money on energy bills, helps consumers a nd businesses ma ke informed decisions and lowers energy use,” asserts Seamus O’Regan, Canada’s Minister of Natural Resources. “This year’s winners are building a more susta inable, energy-eff icient a nd prosperous future.” The fou r win n ing com mercia l buildings are: 46 July 2021 | Canadian Property Management
• Commerce South Office Park, Building B, a three-storey, 91,000-square-foot building located on Edmonton’s 51st Avenue. It was built in 1982 and is owned and managed by BentallGreenOak; • Sun Life’s 112-year-old Canadian head office, located in Waterloo, Ontario, managed by BentallGreenOak; • 6985 Financial Drive, a five-storey, 180,000-square-foot office building in Mississauga, Ontario. It was built in 2006 and is owned and managed by QuadReal Property Group; and • Brian Canfield Centre, a 22-storey, 690,000-square-foot tower located at 3777 Kingsway in Burnaby, B.C. It was built in 1976 and originally served as the headquarters of BC Tel. It is currently owned and managed by H&R REIT. Sunrise of Windsor was named the 2021 winner in the institutional building category. It is owned and managed by Sunrise Senior Living. The two recipients of new home builder awards are also both located in southwest Ontario. WrightHaven Homes Ltd. of Fergus, Ontario was named in the small builder category, with mid-sized builder honours going to Doug Tarry Limited of St. Thomas, Ontario. Atlantic Canada emerged as an influential player in energy efficiency p r o g r a m m i n g a n d a d v o c a c y.
N ew fo u n d l a n d a n d L a b r a d o r ’s takeCHARGE! program was recognized for best program offered by a utility and the best promotional campaign, while, efficiencyPEI was named the 2021 energy efficiency program administrator of the year. That follows Prince Edward Island’s most improved performance in Efficiency Canada’s second annual provincial scorecard last year, when it climbed two places to take fifth spot. Making a strong representation for the facilities management sector, the Canadian Coalition for Green Health Care was named ENERGY STAR advocate of the year for the fourth time. The not-for-profit organization works with a growing network of health care providers, Canada-wide, to respond to climate change and promote ways to save energy and reduce greenhouse gas emissions and other waste. “We have a strong commitment to improving energy management practices within the sector because of their impact on reducing health care’s carbon footprint,” observes Neil Ritchie, Executive Director of the Green Health Care Coalition. “This award recognizes the efforts of the Coalition that have been built over the past two decades to bring energy management to the forefront of health care.” ❚❚ For more information about ENERGY STAR for buildings, see www.nrcan.gc.ca/energyefficiency/energy-star-canada/energy-star-forbuildings/3691
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