Here's how people are making buildings more climate resilient
CBC
It's time to build for the future, according to Penny Martyn.
"[It's] really important that our buildings become more climate-friendly," said Martyn, a green building manager for University of British Columbia Campus and Community Planning.
"Our buildings need to be able to adapt to climate change, so we need to design them differently."
UBC is just one of the many organizations across Canada that are looking for ways to better adapt to the changing climate, as forest fires, heat, and extreme weather become more prevalent, whether that's while designing new buildings, or retrofitting old ones.
According to a report released by Natural Resources Canada in January, buildings make up 13 per cent of Canada's greenhouse gas emissions.
And some of the solutions may seem boring, but it's the boring changes that can have a long-term positive impact.
Martyn says UBC is committed to making sure all its new buildings meet LEED gold standard, which is an internationally recognized certification that looks at carbon emissions, the conservation of resources, and operating costs.
And more developers are looking at ways to start off on the right foot.
In Calgary, the planning and construction of the new Central Library cost $245 million. In addition to more than 30 free meeting rooms, a 330-seat performance hall, and of course, books, it boasts a long list of climate-friendly features.
Kate Thompson, CEO of the Calgary Municipal Land Corporation, which served as the development manager for the project, said it started with location. The library is right along Calgary's light rail transit, making it easy for people to get there. Plus, there are plenty of places to lock up a bike.
A large cistern on the outside of the library captures rainwater, and inside there is low-flow plumbing.
The building has lots of natural light, but is also equipped with solar shades and windows with ceramic dots that prevent the building from overheating on a sunny day. And those are just some of the features added to the building to make it sustainable over the long term.
"You have to say collectively, what are we aspiring to do here?" said Thompson. "Sustainability was foundational."
Serena Mendizabal, managing director at Sacred Earth, says the Six Nations of the Grand River Territory in Ontario decided to make clean energy a full community effort.
WARNING: This story details allegations of child abuse.
It’s been hard to keep track of how many legal challenges and active court proceedings the United Conservative government has tried to quash or pre-emptively block in the last six weeks, but let’s try to tally:
Margaret Walker, the emcee of a Waterloo vigil commemorating the victims of the Montreal massacre, doesn't feel enough is being done to reflect on the killings and address gender-based violence.
The P.E.I. Humane Society says it is doing far more fundraising than it used to, and rising expenses — including the cost of animal medications — are a big reason why.
Ottawa is staring down a court-ordered deadline to submit a new plan to reform the on-reserve child welfare system, as a group of First Nations leaders and children’s advocates prepare a competing proposal.
An underpass revitalization project that was meant to pay tribute to the people of Parkdale has instead deteriorated into “a garbage dump,” according to nearby residents.
A young man has been charged with criminal negligence causing bodily harm after a fire at a frat party near Western University that injured five sorority sisters, including two seriously, late Tuesday night.
The massive deal to combine one of Hollywood's oldest studios with a streaming giant hasn't even been approved yet, but it's already riling multiple related industries and politicians concerned about monopolies and media concentration.
Mi'kmaq chiefs and a former Nova Scotia justice minister are criticizing the provincial government for directing police to crack down on illegal cannabis, saying the order undermines relations with Indigenous Peoples.
For years, there has been “glaring inequity” in the way the province has allocated the millions of dollars in its county roads budget, according to Department of Transportation Minister Chuck Chiasson.
Six months after passing a law aimed at making it easier for new grocery stores to open, Manitoba's premier says lower grocery bills could be on the horizon.
Timothy Smith was acting in self-defence when he punched Landon Waddell, and shouldn't be found guilty of manslaughter, his lawyer says.
Thoroughbred horse racing at Vancouver’s Hastings Racecourse is ending after more than a century, with the operator announcing Friday it will no longer run a racing season at the historic facility.