Why green roofs haven't taken root in Saskatchewan

Nearly 7,000 square feet of succulents and native grasses sheath the College of Law building roof at the University of Saskatchewan. The drought-tolerant, low-maintenance species were selected for their ability to survive harsh prairie winters. 

Planted in 2007, the green roof was seen as an improvement that would help the building achieve Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) gold certification. It would also help insulate the roof, make it last longer, and reduce stormwater runoff.

Despite these benefits — on top of being an effective tool overall to mitigate the impacts of climate change — green roofs haven't caught on in Saskatchewan.

Michael Molaro is an accredited Green Roof Professional, who was involved in the College of Law roof and has one on his own home north of Saskatoon. He estimates there are only about 20 green roofs in the province. He attributes that low number to a few factors, including lack of awareness.

"Green roofs, for the most part, aren't accessible. People aren't able to experience them."

He adds that green roof professionals often aren't involved early enough in the building design process — the extra load of a green roof needs to be planned. 

Municipal governments also haven't prioritized green roofs through mandates or incentives, says Molaro. None of Saskatchewan's three biggest cities have green roof mandates or rebates in place.

In 2009, Toronto became the first city in North America to pass a bylaw requiring the construction of green roofs on new buildings with a footprint over 2,000 square metres. The city's incentive program offers $100 per square metre of vegetation for residential and commercial buildings. 

To put this incentive into perspective, if Molaro's home was built in Toronto, he'd be eligible for about $11,000 in rebates, which is about half the cost of his roof.

WATCH | High above Toronto's busy streets, green roofs are providing space and food, while helping to reduce flooding:

Today, Toronto has over 10 million square feet of green roofs, says Steven Peck, president and founder of Green Roofs for Healthy Cities. 

"This isn't pilot project stuff at this point," he says. "Cities are putting in millions of square feet of green roofs every year to fight climate change impacts."

He adds that cities like Chicago and Portland use mandates and financial incentives "because they know that green roofs are going to deliver public benefits over the course of 15 to 25 years and beyond."

Those benefits, in many cases, can be measured quantitatively, like stormwater management.