buildings

Dear election candidates: Climate action means working across issues and regional lines

10/2022 - To handle the complex and intersectional issues that face our region, hopeful new leaders will need to follow the carbon and collaborate.

Breaking ground on a climate-friendly way to heat and cool homes in Toronto

7/2022 - TVO -“It’s really critical that we get all new developments to net-zero or near-zero as soon as possible. Low-carbon district energy is one way to address that challenge,” says Bryan Purcell.

Climate and affordability depend on these essential building code updates

3/2022 - Ontario’s building code is only updated every five to seven years, so we can’t afford to miss this opportunity to reduce carbon emissions by building better buildings that are cleaner and more affordable to operate. Read our recommendations to align it with an affordable, net zero future.

Three key climate measures for Toronto’s 2022 budget

2/2022 - Council will vote on the City Budget this Thursday: what do we want to see most? To continue its role as a climate leader, Toronto needs to shift to implementation in top three climate priority areas: Climate Lens Policy, electrification of public bus fleets, and green development standards.

Hybrid heat pumps can be a stopgap to an electric future

2/2022 - New case studies show the promise of hybrid heat pumps in the GTHA, and Erik Jansen of TRCA explores the upsides and downsides of the technology.

Toronto sets ambitious net zero target by 2040

11/2021 - TAF outlines some key components of the TransformTO Net Zero Strategy and provides our take on how it needs to be strengthened to achieve net zero by 2040.

How To Heat Your Home Without Heating The Planet

11/2021 - CHATELAINE - CEO Julia Langer discusses practical and inspiring reasons to make the switch to heat pumps. "It's not that complicated - you don’t need fossil fuels to heat your home."

Putting out the fire: How to cleanly heat a cold country that’s hooked on natural gas

11/2021 - CORPORATE KNIGHTS - Without strong policy signals, utilities continue to invest millions annually in expanding and renewing gas distribution infrastructure, compounding the risk of stranded assets and financial disruptions.

YWCA Hamilton raises the bar to build amazing affordable housing

11/2021 - New YWCA building in Hamilton shows what’s possible when resident health, comfort, and the climate are put first. We interviewed key players from the design and project teams and took a tour of the facilities. Take a peek to find out how they did it.

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.

Budget 2021 is a healthy dose for the clean economy, but climate measures lack potency

4/2021 - Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland just announced $101.4 billion in new spending. With the trend toward increasing emissions in the Great Toronto and Hamilton Area and other cities across Canada, there are welcome investments in Budget 2021 to support urban climate action, but a critical missing link is missing.

Four ways the federal budget should boost the retrofit market

2/2021 - With Canada’s 2021 budget just around the corner, cue TAF’s refrain that investment in deep retrofits will hit the mark local job creation, carbon reduction, and numerous positive social outcomes.