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1. Green Building Requirements Across Ontario
   

2. Image Source: Googlemaps

The Town of East Gwillimbury

On September 5th, 2006 the Town of East Gwillimbury passed a motion that requires all new Town facilities and new industrial, commercial, institutional, and high-rise residential buildings within the municipality to be built to achieve a minimum LEED® Silver rating.  The Town of East Gwillimbury is the first Canadian municipality to mandate LEED® requirements for not only the public sector but the private sector as well.

Example Buildings:

1. •Leeder Place Family Emergency Shelter (LEED® targeted).  An  ECO3 Project!
   

2. •Lowe’s Canada - Store #2642
   

The Region of Waterloo

In April 2005, the Region of Waterloo approved a policy to mandate all new Regional buildings greater than 500 m2, except process plants, achieve a minimum LEED® Silver rating.  Major cities in the Region of Waterloo include: Kitchener, Waterloo, and Cambridge.

Example Buildings:

1. •Emergency Medical Services (EMS) Fleet Centre
   

2. •6 Regional projects pursuing LEED®: expansion of police headquarters, a building at one of the Regional landfills, expansion of offices and workshops at Mannheim Water Treatment facility, supportive housing at Sunnyside facility, as well as a Regionally operated museum and childcare centre.
   

The Region of York

The Region of York has made a policy that all new Regional facilities greater than 500 m2 to be design to a LEED® Silver rating.  This policy compliments the Region’s key goals highlighted in York Region: Sustainability Strategy, Towards a Sustainable Future.

Example Buildings:

1. •Vaughan Fire / EMS Station #7-9
   

2. •Tom Taylor Place (LEED® targeted)
   

3. •Stouffville Zone 2 Pumping Station (LEED® targeted)
   

4. •Vaughan Community Environmental Centre (LEED® targeted)
   

5. •Police Investigative / Support Services (LEED® targeted)
   

6. •Bus Maintenance Facility (LEED® targeted)
   

7. •Central Services Centre (LEED® targeted)
   

The City of Toronto

In December 2008, the City of Toronto adopted the Toronto Green Standard (formerly known as the Toronto Green Development Standard).  The Toronto Green Standard (TGS) provides a list of best practices in a similar fashion to LEED®; however, the suggested practices have been tailored with the intent to address environmental concerns specific to Toronto.  It is currently unclear if the TGS will be enforced as a mandatory requirement, if incentives will be offered for compliance, or if compliance will be voluntary.  The TGS is slated to be implemented in September, 2009 at which time further information regarding enforced should be made clear.  Until this time, the City of Toronto encourages achievement of a LEED® Silver rating for its facilities.

Example Buildings:

1. •City of Toronto Economic Development Corporation/Canpar Distribution Facility
   

2. •Nathan Phillips Square Revitalization Project (LEED® targeted)
   

3. •New Toronto EMS Building (LEED® targeted)
   

The City of Ottawa

On September 28, 2005, the City of Ottawa approved a policy requiring that all new civic buildings with a footprint of greater than 500 m2 achieve a minimum designation of LEED® Certified.  According to the City, they are currently in the process of considering increasing the stringency of the standard to require LEED® Silver.

Example Buildings:

1. •Ottawa Paramedic Service Headquarters
   

2. •Vars Fire Station (LEED® targeted)
   

3. •The Orleans Arts Centre (LEED® targeted)
   

The City of Kingston

It is a current City of Kingston policy that “all large municipal building and retrofit projects undertake an assessment of LEED® as a design goal for Council's consideration before finalization of a project's design.”.

Example Buildings:

1. •Kingston Police Headquarters
   

2. •Ravensview Administration Building
   

3. •Multiplex Community Centre
   

4. •Kingston Regional Sports and Entertainment Centre
   

Ontario Provincial, Canadian Federal

In 2007, the Province of Ontario announced that the achievement of LEED® certification would be a requirement for all new government-owned construction projects.  This commitment to green building is echoed in the newly published Ontario Green Energy Act, which mandates LEED® Silver for all public buildings.  On a federal level, in 2005 Public Works and Government Services Canada made a commitment that all new office buildings would achieve a LEED® Gold level of certification. 

A future ECO3 News article will look into the successes and challenges faced by each of the aforementioned public bodies during the planning, implementation, and enforcement stages of their respective policies and commitments to green building.