Sorry?
Evidence of meeting #40 for Government Operations and Estimates in the 39th Parliament, 1st session. (The original version is on Parliament’s site, as are the minutes.) The winning word was buildings.
A recording is available from Parliament.
Evidence of meeting #40 for Government Operations and Estimates in the 39th Parliament, 1st session. (The original version is on Parliament’s site, as are the minutes.) The winning word was buildings.
A recording is available from Parliament.
Executive Vice-President, Building Owners and Managers Association of Canada Inc.
Sorry?
Liberal
Raymond Simard Liberal Saint Boniface, MB
It is all very nice in theory, it would seem to me. How many buildings have we got in Public Works?
Executive Vice-President, Building Owners and Managers Association of Canada Inc.
There are 300 crown-owned ones.
Executive Vice-President, Building Owners and Managers Association of Canada Inc.
That's right.
Liberal
Raymond Simard Liberal Saint Boniface, MB
It would seem to me that you would have a list of 15 or 20 or 30 to do this year. Is that not the case?
Executive Vice-President, Building Owners and Managers Association of Canada Inc.
We are targeting for the launch of the program in April. We're working through the schedule of how the buildings will be certified and in what order.
In answer to the second part of your question, it's not up to us to decide which buildings are going to be certified. It will be the ones that Public Works advises us are ready to be—
Liberal
Raymond Simard Liberal Saint Boniface, MB
In your discussions, are you getting a feeling that you'll be doing 30 a year, three a year? What does it seem to you?
Executive Vice-President, Building Owners and Managers Association of Canada Inc.
The target, I believe, is a three-year rollout of the 300 buildings, so it would be 100 a year.
Bloc
Richard Nadeau Bloc Gatineau, QC
Thank you, Madam Chair.
Good afternoon, Ms. Cross and Mr. Mueller.
If you were given the opportunity do develop the Canadian government's policy to make sure buildings are built according to green criteria in the future, that is to say with an ecoenergetic design which is environment friendly, what would be the main components of that policy that would allow us to set up a concrete orientation or vision that takes this concern into account?
I repeat that this policy should not only result in monetary savings, something that could eventually materialize, but mainly in resource savings.
My question is for both of you.
Executive Vice-President, Building Owners and Managers Association of Canada Inc.
If we're talking about new buildings, I would have to defer to you, but I'll—
President, Canada Green Building Council
If it's about policy for all of government, I think the report of the National Round Table on the Environment and the Economy, which I mentioned in my presentation, lays out a pretty convincing agenda on how buildings not only contribute to reducing greenhouse gas emissions but what strategies can be used in buildings right now--commercial institutions as well as residential buildings--to get there, to actually get to a 50% reduction in energy use in new and existing buildings across the country. It's very convincing.
That's why I mentioned the technologies and that the know-how exists to do it. I think it really hinges around the willingness both on the part of industry and government to move forward in terms of policy. I think that's the important point to make.
On new buildings on the LEED system, I think what you're talking about would actually be beyond the platinum. LEED platinum would get you a 65% improvement in energy over the baseline. You have a building in your portfolio already--a Public Works building in British Columbia--that is 75% above the current energy standard. That is the kind of model that can show this can be done right now.
I know they didn't spend a fortune on this building to do this. It is as much the technology as it is the process of how you design buildings. We talk about the integrated design process and making it happen. Well, all the players--the owner, the designer, the builder--actually envisioned what the building was supposed to be. It's the integration; that's when you really get the efficiency. The building codes are very linear, and it's this integration where you get buildings that are really performing at a very high level.
In terms of what you're talking about, I would have a policy that would extend to all government departments that own and operate buildings. Given the urgency around climate change, I would talk at a very high level of energy performance that is perhaps 50% by 2010 or 2015, and then you have to ramp it up every year.
These are the kinds of policy approaches you see out there. It's not that we're doing this now and it stays for 10 or 20 years; it's a process for continuous improvement that uses data-driven performance measurements. It feeds it back so you learn to achieve ever higher levels of performance. That is then benchmarked with other jurisdictions such as Europe, Japan, the United States. You can see that you actually are making progress, and it also encourages other jurisdictions to make progress as well. So this is really a data-driven approach to increasing performance in buildings.
I think the goal can be set right now at 50%, and it can be made higher. For example, CMHC has the net-zero housing initiative. I've seen some of the proposals. Again, this is technology that is doable. It actually comes to net zero. So carbon-neutral buildings in the residential sector are possible, and that's certainly also possible in the commercial sector as well, if we take the right approach. A cycle of continuous improvement ramping up over time will get us there.
Liberal
Conservative
Ed Fast Conservative Abbotsford, BC
You referred to a building in British Columbia that has achieved a 75% reduction?
President, Canada Green Building Council
Yes, it's the Gulf Islands demonstration building—
President, Canada Green Building Council
Yes, in Saanich. It has an ocean-based cooling system, a geothermal system, and it's built from wood, so a natural material. It has the highest performance rating in our building rating system.
Conservative
Ed Fast Conservative Abbotsford, BC
What's the largest building in British Columbia that is going to be, or has already been, LEED certified?
President, Canada Green Building Council
The new convention centre is going to be a LEED gold building. It's going to have the largest green roof in North America.
Also, there is the Olympic village. They registered 20 buildings a few days ago in the Olympic village for Vancouver that are all going to be certified LEED gold. These are mainly residential developments, with the community centre targeting LEED platinum.
NDP
Paul Dewar NDP Ottawa Centre, ON
Thank you, Chair.
I had just a couple more questions. I was going to mention the hydro building in downtown Winnipeg because it has captured a lot of attention. I think it's a model for how governments can really lead by example--or in this case, Manitoba Hydro associated with the government, I guess.
You were talking about the design, and I know Dudley Thompson in Manitoba talks about this. He is the architect I was referring to who was actually talking about building buildings that can generate energy. That's his vision. Certainly in Manitoba there is a little more sun, and you have some wind. Geothermal, I know, has taken off in the last couple of years. We were just talking about it.
When we're looking at intelligent design, as they call it, and really trying to meet targets and go beyond what we had in the past, it really is critical to have everyone there for the design of a building, and to make sure all of the assets are put together. In terms of looking at a building that is already up and going, to look at what affects people, you have to go talk to people working in the building. It makes infinite sense, common sense, that you would do that when you're starting off and building a new building.
When you're working with partners, and you're working with either government or private sector, is there a template for that? Do you have a list of people you must have at the table to be able to achieve your goals?
President, Canada Green Building Council
Yes. There is a template, and there are several documents out there now. One was recently issued in B.C. It's a workshop to train people on the process. It's very clear how the process has to unfold and what players need to be at the table. The knowledge is out there. In the news, there has been a lot of talk about integrated design process.
The buildings that have used it have been extremely successful. These are buildings that perform at a very high level, and there are some that have actually come in below cost, because of the process alone. This is a very encouraging sign, but it is something you have to ingrain as a new habit among professionals, which is not necessarily easy to do. But it's very key I think in achieving the high performance, and the documents are now available to show what the process ought to be.
