Environment committee  We're working our way up there. I would say that I'm not sure wood construction actually needs a lot more incentives, because it's currently being used a lot, and I think it's developing well. As a result, a number of local companies have now grown. It used to be that you cou

Environment committee  Well, that is actually going on. I don't know about other provinces, but in Quebec it's practically mandatory, when a project is going through the approval process: why aren't we using wood structures? That's the first question.

Environment committee  That's right, and it is working. I have to say that these days, architects are also driving this, because many of them have jumped on the bandwagon to use wood. It's actually threatening some of the steel suppliers.

Environment committee  Of course. I'm not worried about them. I wasn't saying that because I was worried.

Environment committee  There is a market, and there is support, and yes, it is being supported through various government initiatives, and it's working.

Environment committee  If such modules exist and tested out there, I'm sure there would be a use for them. I know that the CHARS was designed to be ready to plug in a container-type structure that would actually use garbage of any type and convert it into power. It's not there yet, but it's part of t

Environment committee  That's right: you improve. You can't achieve net zero: it is prohibitive. The reality is that you can't tear them all down, but there's a lot that can be done to improve. Roof retrofits, for instance—simply increasing the quantity of insulation in a roof—make a big difference in

Environment committee  It depends on the size of the project. With housing, you're usually not, but as soon as you're talking about larger infrastructures, engineers are on board anyway, so it's a non-issue.

Environment committee  Wood is being used increasingly. Changes are being brought and have been brought allowing wood to be used on structures up to...I forgot whether we're up to five or six or ten storeys—

Environment committee  I know of one Cree community, Oujé-Bougoumou. They have a central heating plant and it's actually wood scraps that they use. It's the only community I know that has been doing that, and they're below the treeline. Most communities that are below the tree line also happen to have

Environment committee  Yes, I meant small-scale hydro dams, but big enough to power an entire community, and not just for lighting—which is what the diesel plants do—but also for their heating, which would be less expensive for them.

Environment committee  Indeed, but the project I'm thinking of is community driven, so I guess they've thought of that.

Environment committee  I would say offhand that in Europe, power is extremely expensive; hence, they need to develop high-performance doors and windows. I mean, there's that incentive. In our country, power is not as expensive.

Environment committee  Yes, they've also come to change these, again because of their constraints—because of the cost of power. Building doors and windows is an extremely homegrown kind of industry, and there's no reason we shouldn't be able to continue building doors and making windows, but we just ha

Environment committee  Are you talking about wood specifically for log homes or wood in general?