Dec 31 2009
Governments across Canada received poor grades for their policies to promote green buildings in a report released today by Environmental Defence. The report, Greening Canada's Buildings: Report Card, evaluates the codes, policies and programs that influence the environmental impacts of buildings. Four of the 14 jurisdictions received failing grades, and none received higher than a C plus.
Buildings have an enormous influence on many environmental issues. According to the Commission for Environmental Cooperation, buildings in Canada consume 50 per cent of our natural resources, 22 per cent of all energy used and contribute to a quarter of our landfill waste.
"We acknowledge the considerable progress that the governments have made so far in encouraging green buildings," said Mike Layton Program Manager, Environmental Defence. "But building practices and our understanding of the environment have advanced considerably, and governments are not keeping up."
Ontario received the highest grade (C plus), but still showed significant room for improvement. Ontario's grade was credited to recent changes to the province's building code that included energy efficiency, as well as the implementation of land use planning strategies, such as the Greenbelt and Places to Grow, which protect undeveloped lands and encourage higher densities in urban centres. Manitoba, British Columbia and Prince Edward Island ranked second-best, with each receiving a C minus for their passable efforts.
Alberta, the Northwest Territories, the Yukon and Nunavut all received failing grades. While these jurisdictions did show some progress in encouraging energy efficiency, their performance in other areas was poor. The federal government received a D for its efforts to promote green buildings.
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Canada's Green Building
Report Card
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Federal Government D
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British Columbia C-
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Alberta F
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Saskatchewan D-
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Manitoba C-
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Ontario C+
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Quebec D+
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Nova Scotia D+
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New Brunswick D-
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Newfoundland D-
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PEI C-
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NWT F
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Nunavut