Government Operations committee  Where you lease the building, our challenge is that my members don't actually speak to the tenants in many ways. They have to go through Public Works, who then go through the client group, who then go to the tenants. Our opportunities become floor space: a sign in the elevator, a sign in the lobby.

Government Operations committee  When you talk about opening up the lease to change terms and conditions within a lease, to create targets, I would say a more fundamental way of doing it is simply upon renewals, which happen all the time, to make them part of the specifications for getting into a building. That's what Public Works is already looking at doing.

Government Operations committee  When I talk about engaging the tenants, whether it's a situation where the government owns the building or they lease space from the private sector, you still have physical human beings occupying the floor space. When you talk about engaging the tenants, it's about helping them understand how they are part of energy reduction or waste reduction.

Government Operations committee  Good morning. My name is Dean Karakasis. I'm the executive director of the Building Owners and Managers Association for Ottawa and the national capital region, proudly at the service of the highest concentration of government buildings in all of Canada. Recently your committee showed a lot of respect for our organization by asking our national offices to address this committee and they told you that nationally our association represents about two billion square feet.

Government Operations committee  At least I live close by.