News

Mobility as a service: The value proposition for the public and our urban systems

5/2018 - The future of urban transportation: Mobility as a Service can offer major benefits for cities, including reducing congestion and improving the economics and flexibility of—and accessibility to—existing transit services. Learn more about the potential impacts of Mobility as a Service in the GTHA in our guest blog by MaRS.

Photo Credit: Ontario Growth Secretariat, Ministry of Municipal Affairs

More than meets the eye: Don’t let simple payback steer your retrofit decision

5/2018 - Simple payback is often used to determine the attractiveness of an investment - but is it shortchanging you on your energy retrofit decision? Tim Stoate, TAF VP of Impact Investing, explains why you should consider additional financial analysis to make a more informed building retrofit decision and ultimately generate more cash.

Heat pumps: Hybrid dual fuel option offers viable pathway to electrification

4/2018 - Since buildings and homes account for almost a quarter of the province’s carbon emissions, we need innovative low-carbon heating solutions. A new study by MaRS Advanced Energy Center and Enbridge demonstrates that a smart, hybrid dual fuel option offers a viable pathway to electrification for home heating in Ontario.

Copyright Queen's Printer for Ontario, photo source: Ontario Growth Secretariat, Ministry of Municipal Affairs

TransformTO neighbourhood grants: TAF invests $100,000 in 2018

4/2018 - This year, TAF will provide grants to local engagement projects that will help shape the creation of the TransformTO Low-Carbon Neighbourhoods campaign. We're looking for initiatives to broaden community engagement by exploring and conveying the co-benefits of key climate actions. Get in touch with your ideas to TransformTO.

Collective impact: Improving public transit in Hamilton

4/2018 - Improved and expanded public transit is a clear solution for a more sustainable, equitable, and healthy city. Environment Hamilton wants to encourage modal shift to reduce transportation-related emissions – but Hamilton's public transportation system must first be safe, accessible, affordable, and reliable. Learn more about Hamilton transit in this guest blog by Ian Borsuk.

TransformTO Steps: Lake Ontario points to the future of district energy

4/2018 - Did you know Lake Ontario is a valuable renewable energy source for many of Toronto’s largest downtown buildings? TAF was an early supporter of Enwave's deep lake water cooling system, but what's next? In this blog, we discuss the future of district energy and its contribution to Toronto’s carbon reduction goals.

Corporate Knights: Breaking the gas habit

4/2018 - Did you know that two-thirds of the energy used to heat Canadian buildings and homes is from natural gas and propane? In this article, Bryan Purcell, our Director of Policy & Programs, discusses why a transition away from natural gas is necessary to meet our climate goals and what TAF is doing to accelerate this transition to net-zero buildings.

All aboard the community benefits bus

4/2018 - Local jobs and better public spaces: Check out what we learned from the Finch West LRT bus tour organized by the Toronto Community Benefits Network. Through collaboration with community groups, we will continue to explore how Community Benefits Agreements might be used to leverage public funding of climate solutions – like building retrofits – for multiple benefits.

TAF rolls out new Low Carbon Cannabis Canada initiative

4/2018 - To counter the risk of rising carbon emissions from legalized marijuana cultivation, TAF plans a joint pan-Canadian initiative with growers, provincial governments, and former police chiefs. The goal is to limit the budding industry's carbon footprint and ultimately ensure that Canadians can get high on low-emissions cannabis.

TransformTO funding approved: And the race begins

3/2018 - Every journey begins with a first step, and thanks to Toronto City Council, we’ve embarked on the journey to turn the TransformTO climate plan into reality. What happens next now that the 2018 budget received approval?

Making transit fare-free: A dream scenario or red herring?

3/2018 - Wouldn’t it be nice to take any bus, any streetcar, any commuter train free of charge, whenever you want? What sounds like a dream could soon be reality in five German cities as part of a pilot project on fare-free transit. But would it be good policy to offer free transit in the GTHA to boost ridership or is the real issue a lack of investment in service?

Sharing climate-friendly ideas: Perspectives from Picture2050

3/2018 - Led by the Toronto Climate Action Network and sponsored by The Atmospheric Fund, the TransformTO-inspired Picture2050 contest asked residents to imagine Toronto in the year 2050 as a caring and climate-friendly city of the future. The winning photos highlighted public transit and green infrastructure - here's what we learned: