British Columbia is leading the charge on sustainability in Canada. Starting in 2017, the province?s Energy Step Code has provided an incremental approach to making buildings net-zero energy ready by 2032. The voluntary policy allows local governments to set incentives and bylaw requirements for builders to meet one or more steps. Forty-two local governments are currently referencing the code.
In coordination with the step code, the City of Vancouver has developed its own zero-emissions energy plan, which aims for all new buildings to be zero emissions by 2030. Since last year, all projects applying for rezoning must be designed to meet Passive House requirements or, for non-residential buildings, LEED Gold BD+C or an alternate set of performance criteria. While it is still in use, most architects in Vancouver consider LEED passé because it does not deliver real-world energy efficiency. The conversation in Vancouver has moved forward to explore more ambitious and impactful sustainability measures, including Passive House, Net Zero Carbon, Life Cycle Assessment and Living Building Challenge. At a broader level, Vancouver is seeing a demand for sustainability-oriented urban infrastructure, including district energy systems. The regional transit authority is extending an existing SkyTrain line with six new stations. BC Hydro already has one thousand electric vehicle (EV) charging stations in its growing network. In Vancouver and Richmond, among other municipalities, all park...