Evidence of meeting #8 for Natural Resources in the 40th Parliament, 2nd session. (The original version is on Parliament’s site, as are the minutes.) The winning word was buildings.
A recording is available from Parliament.
President and Chief Executive Officer, Canada Green Building Council
I don't know if there must be residues. I think they also have an on-site composting system.
This is just one of the systems they have on the side. There is a waste water system, where they have some solids and so on being composted. Since it's a fairly environmentally friendly process, most of the residue from the development is diverted to the composting project. It's also touted as being a zero waste development.
Conservative
Cheryl Gallant Conservative Renfrew—Nipissing—Pembroke, ON
And with respect to your feedstock--the wood, the hog fuel--does it have to be a certain consistency? Does it have to be chipped to a certain size, or dried?
President and Chief Executive Officer, Canada Green Building Council
As far as I know, it has to be chipped. But they can use pine beetle wood for the source. They can use any wood, even from urban prunings. It can't have the leaves on it; it has to be solid wood. It has to be chipped to a certain size, and I don't know exactly which size that is. It has to be what we call a “clean wood waste stream”. It cannot be leaves or straw or anything. It has to be a really clean wood stream.
In British Columbia, we have plenty of wood waste. I have to confirm this, but I think they might even be able to use sawdust as well. It's basically just fibre that's being gasified.
Conservative
Cheryl Gallant Conservative Renfrew—Nipissing—Pembroke, ON
In your handout you have the LEED application guide for campus and multiple buildings. This is just the cover page. Is there more?
President and Chief Executive Officer, Canada Green Building Council
It's the cover page. This is available from us. If you are interested, you can be a member and you can get that for free.
Conservative
Cheryl Gallant Conservative Renfrew—Nipissing—Pembroke, ON
Oh, you have to be a member in order to get it.
President and Chief Executive Officer, Canada Green Building Council
We are a self-sustaining, non-profit organization, so yes.
But if you're interested, I'd be happy to send you a copy.
Conservative
Cheryl Gallant Conservative Renfrew—Nipissing—Pembroke, ON
Thank you. I am interested.
What does LEED certification give your members? Does it give them access to special grants?
President and Chief Executive Officer, Canada Green Building Council
Not necessarily. LEED certification is a true third-party certification of environmental performance of buildings. Over the last five to six years, LEED has grown nationally and internationally, and it has become a recognized environmental plan for environmental performance in buildings.
From our projects, 40% are now private sector. It gives the private sector projects an edge in the marketplace. They can market the units in an office as a green project. They can demand higher lease rates while having lower operating costs. It means a lot of money in the pockets of developers.
On the institutional side, cities are using it to show real, on-the-ground action on climate change and sustainability. Provincial and federal governments have subscribed to it to set an example of what can be done in terms of reducing environmental impacts and providing better comfort for the people who work and live in those buildings.
The benefits are quite far reaching.
Conservative
Cheryl Gallant Conservative Renfrew—Nipissing—Pembroke, ON
From the FCM, does a municipality have to be a member of the FCM to be able to access the funds?
Senior Manager, Knowledge Management Unit, Federation of Canadian Municipalities
No.
Conservative
Senior Manager, Knowledge Management Unit, Federation of Canadian Municipalities
The evaluation of the applications is done through an independent third-party process. There's a board of federal, municipal, and private sector decision-makers who make a recommendation on the applications.
Conservative
Cheryl Gallant Conservative Renfrew—Nipissing—Pembroke, ON
I see one of your green community energy projects was in the city of Prince George. Reference is made to snow melt. Is that snow melt from what the snow plows take off the streets? Can you tell me what it entails and whether it is integrated with some other infrastructure?
Senior Manager, Knowledge Management Unit, Federation of Canadian Municipalities
Yes, it's a reference to snow melt that's taken off the streets and then used in the system.
Conservative
Cheryl Gallant Conservative Renfrew—Nipissing—Pembroke, ON
The snow melt is not pure water. Is something done to take out the salt and the other oils?
Senior Manager, Knowledge Management Unit, Federation of Canadian Municipalities
Absolutely. There would be a filtering system that would take the waste away once it's melted. It would be treated as per the guidelines the municipality has.
Conservative
Cheryl Gallant Conservative Renfrew—Nipissing—Pembroke, ON
Is it used in the water system after that?
Senior Manager, Knowledge Management Unit, Federation of Canadian Municipalities
It's uses the water as a cooling source, if I'm not mistaken.
Conservative
Senior Manager, Knowledge Management Unit, Federation of Canadian Municipalities
Just to follow up on that, the premise is that you wouldn't need air conditioning.
Conservative
Cheryl Gallant Conservative Renfrew—Nipissing—Pembroke, ON
So it's the heat differential that you're using. But who needs air conditioning in the winter?
Senior Manager, Knowledge Management Unit, Federation of Canadian Municipalities
You don't need it in the winter. You have the snow that is melting in the summer, and you would store that snow in a place that could then access the coolness of that snow.
Conservative
Cheryl Gallant Conservative Renfrew—Nipissing—Pembroke, ON
Okay. The federal government has just introduced a RINC program in its recent budget, which is funding to go toward arenas, rinks, etc. Is it possible, the way your green fund is structured, that if, for example, a curling rink accesses the RINC funding and then it wants to go the extra mile and save energy, it can also apply to this green fund?
Senior Manager, Knowledge Management Unit, Federation of Canadian Municipalities
Absolutely. We have had that type of application come through the Green Municipal Fund. In fact, that's where we see one of the most significant opportunities: recreation centres and arenas that are all fairly outdated now and are being retrofitted or improved.
Certainly it makes sense to make sure you're putting in the best systems you can. One of the places they can come to get funding is through the Green Municipal Fund.
But as Eamonn mentioned, in our energy calls we are oversubscribed substantially. So it is a process of selection. I cannot guarantee they're going to be able to get the dollars from us.
But it is specifically for that green component, yes.