• HYDRO INTEGRATED RESOURCE PLANNING
• MANITOBA FALLS TO 8TH PLACE
• ADVOCATE FOR HEALTHY SCHOOLS
• NEW IEA REPORT ON RENEWABLES
• CONCRETE'S PATH TO CARBON NEUTRALITY
• HVAC CONTRACTOR-LED BUILDING RETROFITS
• MANITOBA WOMEN IN TRADES
• PODCAST RECOMMENDATION
• SBM MEMBERSHIP

Ahead of the public release of the City of Winnipeg’s 2022 budget, SBM submitted a letter calling for greater investment in sustainability to City Councillors and Executives. A diverse group of 62 organizations signed on in support.

The letter asks the City to move its Office of Sustainability out of the Department of Water and Waste and have it report directly to the CAO, to increase the budget of the Office of Sustainability to a level closer to similarly-sized Canadian cities, and to create a Community Advisory Council on Sustainability.

SBM has been meeting with city officials for over a year to try and understand why there is such a log jam at city hall when it comes to moving forward on some key sustainability issues, and we identified these three simple changes as important first steps. It is exciting that we were able to get such a broad cross-section of organizations signed on, including organizations from the construction industry, the arts, the financial sector, unions, and large environmental organizations.

Having the Office of Sustainability report to the highest level possible is crucial to making change - The City of Selkirk has the most progressive climate change adaptation plan in the province, and much of that credit is owed to their CAO Duane Nicol.  A climate lens needs to be applied to every aspect of operations.

The City of Winnipeg’s Office of Sustainability has a staff of three, while Edmonton has a staff of 37. Winnipeg’s Office of Sustainability is doing important work, like their recent launch of the Building Energy Disclosure Project, but they simply don’t have the resources to get everything done.

The creation of a Community Advisory Council on Sustainability was one of the recommendations of Winnipeg’s Climate Action Plan, adopted in 2018, but it has not yet been created. There are a lot of passionate, highly educated professionals who want to help. Creating this advisory council is a very inexpensive way for the City to access these resources.

NEWS COVERAGE
CBC Radio: Up To Speed
Le Téléjournal Manitoba (pour les amies francophone)

We're continuing to accept new signatories until December 9, when the Executive Policy Committee meets to hear public delegations on the budget. Interested organizations and individuals can sign on to the letter.

HYDRO INTEGRATED RESOURCE PLANNING

MANITOBA FALLS TO 8TH PLACE

Efficiency Canada released their energy efficiency scorecard, and Manitoba fell from 6th place last year to 8th. Here are some highlights (or perhaps we should say lowlights):

CAPPING BUDGETS INSTEAD OF LEAKY BUILDINGS
Efficiency Manitoba had the inconvenient task of assuming administration of energy efficiency programming right at the start of the pandemic (April 2020). As a consequence, programs fell short of budgeted spending and savings targets. The lower score is also due to little progress in provincial government policy. Almost all provinces have moved beyond the 2011 version of the National Energy Code for Buildings that Manitoba still uses. The province also lacks policies to promote electric vehicle purchases and charging, and the active transportation strategy ended five years ago.

Existing policies hamper more efficiency investments, leaving Manitoba in 7th place in per capita program spending. Like other provinces, Manitoba relies on federal funding to support some energy efficiency programs. However, this support reduced utility funding to Efficiency Manitoba, instead of being used to expand activities to achieve more energy savings and emission reductions. Manitoba also lacks control over carbon pricing revenues, which could be an additional energy efficiency funding source.

STRENGTHS
Clear mandate for Efficiency Manitoba (targets): Manitoba remains one of the few provinces with a clear, long-term, legislated target for both electricity and natural gas savings through the Efficiency Manitoba Act.

OPPORTUNITIES
Transportation and heating electrification: The province is well placed to optimize the energy efficiency and GHG reduction value of electric heat pumps, while strategically using fuels to manage peak power demands. Manitoba could implement an integrated decarbonization strategy, similar to Québec. Net-zero building code: Manitoba has a history of leadership in adoption of energy efficient codes and standards, but this role has waned. With the expected publication of a national model building code that provides a path towards net-zero energy-ready new buildings, Manitoba can jump ahead through a timely adoption of the new model code. Training, pilot initiatives, and stakeholder engagement to prepare for higher standards would be a good use of additional funds.

Manitoba's scorecard in English & français

Motivated to address this embarrassment?  Advocate for Manitoba to build energy-efficient green schools.

ioAirFlow's Amanda San Filippo and Matt Schaubroeck published an op-ed a few weeks ago that helps add some historical context to these most recent results. 

ADVOCATE FOR HEALTHY SCHOOLS

Think we should be building more sustainable schools in Manitoba?  SBM has put together a letter you can send to MLAs in a few easy clicks.

Advocate bringing back Green Schools now!

Click to easily send a letter to your elected MLA. Please customize the letter as you wish by including more about what motivates you to send this letter to advocate for sustainable schools.

Our September Lunch and Learn on The Case for Green Schools Lunch & Learn, it is up on YouTube in its entirety OR as a shorter highlights version.

NEW IEA REPORT ON RENEWABLES

• Additions of renewable power capacity are on track to set yet another annual record in 2021, driven by solar PV. 
• The growth of renewable capacity is forecast to accelerate in the next five years, accounting for almost 95% of the increase in global power capacity through 2026
• China and the European Union are set to overshoot their current targets, setting the stage for a more ambitious growth trajectory.
• Total offshore wind capacity is forecast to more than triple by 2026.
• Even with surging commodity prices increasing manufacturing costs for solar PV, its capacity additions are forecast to grow by 17% in 2021. 
• The lack of policy and financial incentives for renewable heat is preventing faster growth.

CONCRETE'S PATH TO CARBON NEUTRALITY

HVAC CONTRACTOR-LED BUILDING RETROFITS

Tuesday, December 7 at 10:00 am to 12:00 pm | Zoom

MANITOBA WOMEN IN TRADES

PODCAST RECOMMENDATION

Building Talks Net Zero Podcast | Views from COP26 - the mood from industry leaders in Galsgow

This week Building’s reporter Tom Lowe speaks to construction attendees in the ‘Green Zone’ of COP26 for the Cities, Regions & Built Environment Day, including Gregor Craig, Skanska UK chief executive, and Hannah Vickers, Mace’s chief of staff.  

Craig explains how attending COP26 and meeting so many people striving for net zero in construction has left him optimistic that companies can find mechanisms to collaborate and solutions that will have an impact at scale.

Vickers, who is also on the Construction Leadership Council steering group, talks about how construction will need to work closely with the energy sector. She also goes into detail about Mace’s own corporate strategy to reduce emissions, such as zero diesel construction sites, and how the biggest impact for the sectors’ overall carbon footprint is going to be through reducing clients’ emissions.

SBM MEMBERSHIP