When it comes to sustainability regulation, are older buildings being left behind? By Lana Hall
C
anadian building codes, tasked with regulating both the sustainability and the resilience of buildings considering climate change, face a reckoning. While new constructions are beholden to up to three sets of continuously updated building standards, older buildings, which make up most of the country’s residential and commercial stock, languish in regulatory limbo. According to the The Global Alliance for Buildings and Construction (GlobalABC), buildings generate nearly 40% of global CO2 emissions. Reducing this figure will be key to tackling the effects of climate change, including Canada’s net-zero emissions by 2050 target. This means buildings have a two-pronged challenge. Not only do they have to meet standards that mitigate the effects of climate change—through regulation of sus-
Michael Singleton, executive director of Sustainable Buildings Canada
tainable building materials and energy performance, for example—but they must meet standards to be resilient against the impacts of climate
6 theregistrar.ca
winter edition 2022
