Environmental Management
Canadian Property Management
Water next up for environmental data standards
Water is the next metric the Open Standards Consortium for Real Estate (OSCRE) is tackling in its ambitious project to forge consistency in the management and reporting of environmental data.
Canadian Property Management
Building electrification projects impart lessons
The business case for electrification works best when retrofits are synced with the end-of-life of existing mechanical equipment and/or asset repositioning plans
Canadian Property Management
Outdoor lighting principles hail the dark side
Guiding principles for responsible nighttime lighting define how light should be applied, but, first, prospective installers are advised to consider whether lighting is even necessary.
Canadian Facility Management & Design
Disputed port industry draws fire in Saint John
The New Brunswick government and Port of Saint John are jointly investigating a fire in the metal recycler's industrial yard and its compliance with the terms and conditions of its lease.
Canadian Property Management
Global energy appetite eats up efficiency gains
The global buildings sector made some headway in curbing its energy appetite and output of greenhouse gas emissions last year, but is still off-pace to achieve the International Energy Agency's targets.
Canadian Property Management
Office IAQ best practices up for consultation
Health Canada is preparing guidance on indoor air quality in office buildings aimed at landlords, employers, building operators, facilities managers, maintenance staff and tenants' health and safety committees.
Canadian Property Management
Canadian buildings scrutinized in OECD review
As part of a biennial review and benchmarking of Canada’s economic performance, a new OECD report looks at progress toward the interim 2030 target and 2050 goal for net-zero carbon emissions.
Canadian Property Management
Fuel-switching challenges expected to ease
Climate, cost and capacity pose fuel-switching challenges for building owners looking to curb greenhouse gas emissions in line with Canada’s target for a 40 per cent reduction below 2005 levels by 2030.
Canadian Property Management
Flammable refrigerants spark GHG reductions
Researchers and manufacturers have now done much of the work to prepare for the HFC phase-down, but codes and standards will need to catch up before a new generation of lower-GWP refrigerants can be used.
REMI Network
U.S. proposes to mandate GHG disclosures
The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission proposes that businesses be required to disclose greenhouse gas emissions.
Canadian Property Management
Environmental mishaps herald personal liability
Personal liability is a mounting possibility for directors, officers and supervisors of organizations that run afoul of environmental regulators or are on the losing side of civil litigation.
Canadian Apartment Magazine
BOMA BEST criteria introduce multifamily tweaks
Landlords and condominium corporations participating in the BOMA BEST environmental performance benchmarking and certification program will have to comply with an expanded list of best practices.
REMI Network
Reaching net zero in the age of COVID-19
Optimizing ventilation and air handling systems is key to achieving net zero energy performance goals.
Canadian Property Management
Deal makers might avoid needless FOI requests
A proposed digital channel for submitting property-related information requests to Ontario's Ministry of the Environment would offer an alternative to the current paper-based submission of Freedom of Information requests.
Canadian Apartment Magazine
Sluggish radon testing decried in New Brunswick
At the current pace, New Brunswick Auditor General Kim Adair-MacPherson calculates it will take nearly 23 years to complete radon testing in the provincial public housing portfolio.
Canadian Property Management
TCFD appears embedded in accountability Act
Newly tabled federal legislation would commit the Canadian government to set five-year targets and report progress in reaching the stated goal of net-zero emissions by 2050.
Facility Cleaning & Maintenance
FireSmart measures begin with maintenance
About 11 million people currently reside in Canada's wildland-urban interface areas, enjoying the benefits of proximity to forests and other natural features, but perhaps overlooking the perils.