Toronto to host Canada Green Building Council conference

OTTAWA
Source

Canada’s largest green building event will look at how to implement sustainable design and operations on a grander scale, and based on a broader set of issues critical for a healthy environment and better quality of life for Canadians.

The full program is now available for the Canada Green Building Council’s (CaGBC) National Conference and Expo taking place in Toronto from June 11-13. This annual event brings together speakers and over 30 continuing education sessions with over 1,000 attendees and an expo with more than 100 booths.

“Along with the wealth of ideas and conversations that are always generated at our conference, CaGBC’s focus on Green Cities is intended to stimulate discussion and action on how we can bring about bigger changes in the built environment,” said Thomas Mueller, CaGBC CEO, in a release.

“Canadian cities are preparing themselves for growth and regeneration over the next two decades. New development, revitalization of existing neighbourhoods, housing and infrastructure renewal all need to meet the highest environmental performance standards to ensure Canadians can continue to enjoy a high quality of life.”

The CaGBC is the license holder for the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) green building rating system in Canada and represents various organizations within the construction, design and operation of buildings and homes sectors.

It aims to reduce environmental impact from the built environment through education/training, building certification, performance benchmarking and reporting, advocacy and information sharing.

Sessions are organized in six streams: Revitalizing Existing Neighbourhood; Sustainable Building Materials, Moving Beyond Zero: Next Generation Buildings and Communities; Advances in Building Performance Management; Innovation in Greening Homes and Affordable Housing; The Greenest Cities: Planning, Policies and Implementation.

Among the sessions will be Designing Carbon Neutral from Buildings to Communities, presented by Peter Busby, Perkins+Will Canada managing director. He will speak about leading sustainable projects including the Centre for Interactive Research on Sustainability and the VanDusen Botanical Garden Visitor Centre, and the growth of new cities, in particular the Edmonton City Centre Airport Lands Development.

The gala dinner keynote address will be given by humanitarian and activist Stephen Lewis. Other speakers include urban designer and architect Ken Greenberg and Dr. Ray Cole, Director of the University of British Columbia School of Architecture and Landscape Architecture.

This year’s Conference Chair is John Campbell, CEO of Waterfront Toronto and the Honorary Chair is Michael McSweeney, CEO of the Cement Association of Canada.

“The Canadian Green Building Council has been instrumental in the advancement of green building and sustainable development across Canada and this year’s focus on Green Cities couldn’t be timelier. To be a leading global model for sustainability, it’s imperative that we integrate community-scale principles into our green building approach,” said Campbell in a release.

The AGM and welcome reception will take place at Evergreen Brickworks, a LEED Platinum Certified community environmental centre located at the gateway to Toronto’s ravine system.

Pre-conference workshops and tours are on June 11.