TAF in the Media

Toronto needs to speed up its electric vehicle infrastructure to meet targets, critics say

8/2021 - CBC - The city's aiming to install 10,000 public charging ports by 2030. A pilot project launched last year has seen the city install 17 on-street charging stations, but far more ambitious policies are needed to convince residents to buy in, said TAF's Ian Klesmer.

WoodGreen breaks new ground on social housing with energy-saving project

8/2021 - NOW - WoodGreen commissioned Efficiency Capital to fund, develop, and implement a building retrofit plan, bringing in engineering firms SensorSuite Inc. and Finn Projects to do much-needed capital upgrades to the buildings. The project was funded by Efficiency Capital and The Atmospheric Fund, the City of Toronto’s Better Building Partnerships loans, and WoodGreen’s capital reserves.

Toronto just approved a host of climate-related policies. We asked experts how they stack up

8/2021 - TORONTO STAR - “Toronto is such a significant part of Ontario, and of Canada, that if we fall behind on climate, it puts at risk provincial and national targets toward net zero (carbon). It also risks Toronto being left behind in the 21st-century economy,” says TAF VP Bryan Purcell.

Fiddling while Toronto burns

7/2021 - SPACING TORONTO - It may be time for the province and the Ontario Energy Board to completely overhaul the traditional approach to natural gas consumption by promulgating conservation policies that provide building owners and homeowners with financial incentives to get off gas entirely instead of simply moving to high efficiency gas furnaces.

All new Toronto buildings could soon face tighter greenhouse gas emissions targets

7/2021 - CBC - "With a rapidly growing city, there is simply no path to net zero that doesn't require a transition to near-zero new construction," Bryan Purcell, TAF VP, told the city's Planning and Housing Committee. "The Toronto Green Standard is by far Toronto's most important climate policy."

Toronto’s New Buildings Could Soon be Required to Go Greener

7/2021 - STOREYS - Update to the Toronto Green Standard would require that all new mid-high rise buildings produce fewer carbon emissions and consume less energy. The update would take effect May 2022 and require a 25% drop in annual greenhouse gases and a 28% cut in energy use intensity.

Canadians need real incentives to fuel-switch away from natural gas if we hope to achieve our climate goals

6/2021 - THE GLOBE AND MAIL - Fuel switching isn’t simply about improving energy efficiency – it’s about getting off gas. For Canada to reach climate goals, we need a phase out of gas-fired electricity, greener building standards, and targeted rebates for heat pumps in retrofits and new construction.

‘Increase in mortality’: Troubling new numbers in Burlington climate change emergency

4/2021 - INSIDE HALTON - Halton is not on track to reach its 2030 and 2050 climate targets. In fact, emissions actually increased seven per cent year-over-year, according to TAF's latest carbon emissions inventory of the Greater Toronto and Hamilton area.

Who should be investing in the creation of a charging infrastructure for electric vehicles?

3/2021 - NIAGARA FALLS REVIEW - “Getting beyond a handful of gas stations to create a convenient charging network will require both public and private investment. Plugging in has to be accessible and affordable to accelerate EV adoption. That’s why government also has a role to play to enable market growth," says The Atmospheric Fund's CEO Julia Langer.

Toronto’s on-street parking spots reserved for charging electric vehicles often sitting empty

3/2021 - TORONTO STAR - “We urgently need a reliable and convenient network of on-street charging across Toronto to help speed up adoption of EVs,” says Ian Klesmer, strategy and grants director at The Atmospheric Fund.

‘Code red:’ New climate change study finds carbon emissions are steadily rising in Toronto and the GTA

3/2021 - TORONTO STAR - Carbon emissions are steadily rising across the Greater Toronto and Hamilton Area, an alarming trend that the climate agency tracking the data said should serve as a “code red” for the municipalities. The Atmospheric Fund (TAF) found that emissions increased by seven per cent in Toronto and rose by 5.2 per cent in the Greater Toronto and Hamilton Area (GTHA) in 2018.

Harnessing the potential of Hamilton industry’s waste heat

2/2021 - HAMILTON SPECTATOR - During the past two years, the Chamber partnered with The Atmospheric Fund and McMaster University’s W Booth School of Engineering Practice and Technology, Hamilton Community Energy Inc., and others, to conduct research on the potential to capture waste heat at Hamilton’s Bayfront Industrial Area.