Ensure Bill 17 protects efficiency and affordability

No, green standards have not resulted in a housing slow-down. In 2023, Toronto exceeded its housing targets by 51%, with nearly 96% of housing starts being subject to the Toronto Green Standard. Overall, Toronto’s housing starts have grown or stayed consistent nearly every year since the TGS was implemented. 

Green development standards can have an incremental impact on upfront housing construction costs, although these impacts are dwarfed by other factors such as interest rates and inflation. Most studies have found that the construction of energy-efficient buildings cost 2-4% more than traditional methods, and those prices will continue to fall as more standards come into place. Furthermore, it is important to recognize that energy efficient buildings lead to utility cost savings for homeowners and housing operators, supporting long-term affordability benefits.  

There are a variety of factors that impact construction costs: cost of materials and commodities, labour, interest rates, taxes and fees and other economic factors. However, the consumer cost of new housing (purchase price or rent) is determined by supply and demand. In recent years, strong population growth has increased demand for housing faster than the development industry has been capable of building supply, driving housing costs upwards in both new and existing housing markets. 

No. The energy efficiency requirements of the Ontario Building Code (OBC) have not been updated since 2017. The Auditor General reported OBC energy requirements are not strong enough to achieve energy efficiency gains and do not address greenhouse gas emissions. In 2024, Efficiency Canada found that Ontario has no timelines for achieving net-zero energy-ready buildings by 2030 and has not adopted a tiered code that could accelerate the uptake of energy-efficient buildings. Cities cannot reach their climate targets without a pathway to low-carbon new construction, as outlined in the Pan-Canadian Framework on Climate Change.  

Green development standards improve building resilience, making them more immune to the impacts of a changing climate, such as heat waves and flash floods. They’re also healthier for the people who live and work in them by mitigating extreme temperatures with energy efficient heating and cooling and better ventilation supporting improved indoor air quality.  

Toronto has extensively consulted with the development and construction sectors since the beginning of its green standards 15 years ago. Major developers and associations from EllisDon, to BILD, to Minto, all supported the adoption of the TGS, and submitted minor suggestions for amendments. EllisDon submitted a letter in support of Version 3 of the TGS, stating: 

“EllisDon welcomes the Toronto Green Standard Version 3, as a vehicle in the implementation of the Zero Emissions Building Framework. We believe that the focused priorities and metrics are necessary if we want to transform into a low carbon economy and meet our climate change commitments. EllisDon is prepared to support this standard and framework in its implementation, promotion, and awareness.” 

RESCON has even championed some elements related to TGS updates, such as its support for the removal of minimum parking requirements. This measure reduces embodied carbon in construction, promotes other modes of transportation, and saves developers significant construction costs.  

No. Green standards are fundamentally different than a building code. The OBC is several thousand pages long and contains prescriptive requirements for nearly every conceivable type of construction. The code’s detailed technical requirements govern how buildings can be constructed and what materials can be used. It covers a broad range of issues including fire and structural safety, accessibility and sanitation. Even the smallest details are covered, e.g. how bright the lighting needs to be in every type of room, where you can put the thermostats.  

Green Development Standards on the other hand are a concise set of narrowly focused sustainable design measures. They don’t tell developers how to build the building or what materials to use. They provide clear outcome-based design expectations and leave developers and building designers to determine how best to meet them. And, importantly, they contain no design requirements that contradict the Ontario Building Code.    

While not exactly the same, municipalities are collaborating closely and have a high degree of harmonization and alignment across jurisdictions, including metrics, targets, and approaches.