How building construction is supposed to fight the war against climate change in Canada

by Maj (ret'd) CORNELIU. CHISU, CD, PMSC, FEC, CET, P. Eng. Former Member of Parliament Pickering-Scarborough East With the climate change hysteria in full gear, not mention the fake climate emergency upon us, get ready, humble taxpayer, to pay even more taxes for our politicians' pet projects, duly executed by their faithful, public servant fat cats. Let us therefore look at the planned next steps in raising Canada to the utopian goals set forth by our fearless leaders at the expense of the hapless taxpayer. While Canada has set a deadline to achieve net-zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050, several provinces and cities, including Toronto and Prince Edward Island, have made commitments to reach that goal a decade earlier. It is an interesting commitment, especially in the City of Toronto, which has major difficulty, even without it, in managing its annual budget. To satisfy this commitment, all of the existing buildings and houses in the city would need to be retrofitted so they no longer use fossil fuels. The building sector is the third-largest source of emissions in Canada. In Toronto, buildings make up 58 per cent of the city's total emissions, mostly from burning fossil fuels for heating, cooling and hot water, which are the elementary needs in a civilized society. The push to cut these emissions will be expensive. No kidding. The Pembina Institute estimates the federal government, in partnership with provinces and utilities, will need to invest $10 billion to $15 billion per year over the next 20 years to reach its net-zero commitment. As you can imagine, this is not chicken feed. Many billions is quite a lot of money! However, Jessica McIlroy, senior analyst for the Pembina Institute's buildings program has issued the following optimistic and politically correct statement: "This might seem like a big number, but the economic opportunity is significant; this could create up to 200,000 long-lasting, well-paid jobs and generate more than $48 billion in economic development each year." How fortuate to be living in Eutopia! I think this statement is over the top because in today's geopolitical environment anything can happen, and we need to be more realistic. To meet the net-zero commitments, Canada needs to upgrade many existing homes and more than 750 million square metres of existing commercial space per year between now and 2050. A chorus of experts believe it is possible for cities to hit their decarbonization targets by 2040, but they have to act now, and the shift will require a co-ordinated effort between government, industry and residents. The question is, where is the money coming from? Mark Hutchinson, vice-president of green building programs and innovation at the Canada Green Building Council, told Canada's National Observer informs that right now, Canadian cities and municipalities will not meet climate targets unless they address the need to retrofit existing large buildings, like multi-unit residential buildings, schools and office buildings. "All together, these large buildings represent approximately a third of Canada's existing floor space and about a third of building-related emissions. These large buildings also represent as much as half of the emissions reductions that the building sector can achieve," Hutchinson stated. He suggests that the best solution is a co-ordinated response from multiple angles that supports the transition. At the moment, the onus for retrofits is on the building owners and operators. Upgrading a major building system is more complex than simply replacing equipment, said Darla Simpson, retrofit program manager at Zero Emissions Building Exchange. She added that building owners need support to make informed decisions about decarbonization. "Decarbonizing buildings by 2040 is possible, but we have to act now. Most mechanical systems need to be replaced roughly every 20 years, so we have a window of opportunity." continued Simpson. Academia, as usual, has a lot of advice, but largely, it is theoretical, with no money attached. Anyone with any practical experience knows that theory meets reality in the execution of a project, and that reality is in large part, the cost. In this context: "There is no single solution because all buildings are different. We need tools to help us rapidly find the right combination of retrofit measures for each building," Ralph Evins, associate professor of civil engineering with the University of Victoria's faculty of engineering and computer science, told Canada's National Observer in an email. What tools? "The retrofit rollout will need appropriate financial support, including rebates/incentives and low-interest loans. This carrot will work together with the stick - building owners will eventually be forced to upgrade, whether by rising costs, a carbon tax or other means." What a commendable motherhood statement! So let's take a look at the city of Toronto which promised to achieve net-zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2040. The City of Toronto told Canada's National Observer there are an estimated 475,000 homes and buildings in Toronto. The city has various programs to support building owners with retrofits while maximizing mutual benefits and minimizing potential harm to owners and tenants. "Through its Better Buildings Partnership, the city delivers a variety of programs that provide funding, expertise and support to help building owners improve energy efficiency and accelerate emissions reductions in residential, commercial, industrial and institutional buildings," stated Jessamine Luck, communications adviser for the City of Toronto. "Programs include the Green Will Initiative and Deep Retrofit Challenge. Through its Home Energy Loan Program, the city offers low-interest loans to support homeowners' decarbonization and energy efficiency projects." According to Luck, the Net Zero Existing Buildings Strategy advances the decarbonization of existing buildings in Toronto. The strategy includes plans to eventually require Toronto building owners to annually report and disclose their building's greenhouse gas emissions performance. This is intended to improve both building owners' and the city's understanding of the performance of Toronto's homes and buildings, Luck explained. The full financial impact of the required net-zero investments are still to be determined, but Luck said estimates suggest the total investment required by the city, the business community, other levels of government and individual residents is in the order of $145 billion. Wow! Where is this money supposed to come from? She explains: "This number includes the financial investments made by homeowners towards retrofitting an estimated 475,000 homes and buildings, or about 27,000 home retrofits each year until 2040, as well as individual purchases of 333,000 electric vehicles before 2030," Luck said. "These investments will need to be complemented by provincial government actions to support and maintain a carbon-free provincial electricity grid." According to climate change experts this is possible. But wait a moment, WHO will foot the bill? Like I said, get ready to pay more taxes soon….