Past Chapter Events

Date: Wednesday, February 6th 2019 
Time: 7.30am - 10.00am
Venue: Lennox Hall, Toronto Region Board of Trade, 77 Adelaide St. West, Toronto ON (Map)

Event Overview

Building performance benchmarking and disclosure programs are rolling out across Ontario and Canada ushering in a new era of transparency. This trend will create both a tremendous resource in data and challenges as properties begin to participate in these new programs. The CaGBC Greater Toronto Chapter’s first Green Building Breakfast session of the year provided some major updates on benchmarking and disclosure programs, and showcased new tools for the real estate and design community. Topics include:

Ontario’s Mandatory Energy and Water Reporting and Benchmarking policy: 

What was learned from the first EWRB reporting period in 2018 and what do you need to know for phase 2 in 2019.

Speakers include:

Brian Byrnes, Senior Advisor at Ministry of Energy (Presentation)
Brian has been involved in the development and management of conservation and renewable energy initiatives including the Municipal Energy Plan Program, Broader Public Sector Reporting, the Home Energy Savings Program (HESP),  the Ontario Solar Thermal Heating Initiative and is currently the lead on Energy and Water Reporting and Benchmarking (EWRB). Prior to joining government Brian worked in the real estate development. Brian has a B.A. from University of Waterloo and an MES in Urban Planning from York University.

Neal Bach, President at Energy Profiles Ltd (Presentation)

CaGBC Disclosure Challenge:

Leading real estate firms including Quadreal, Concert Properties and Triovest have committed to voluntary disclosure of energy and GHGs across their portfolios. Learn how their efforts are shaping national market transformation.

Speakers include:

Dave Ramslie, Vice President of Sustainability at Concert Properties (Presentation)
Dave Ramslie is the Vice President of Sustainability for Concert Properties, responsible for the ongoing development and implementation of Concert’s Sustainability Framework. Prior to joining Concert, Dave worked extensively on climate and sustainability issues in both the private and public sectors for clients all over the world. Dave is member of Canada’s Clean 50, and his work has been recognized by the World Green Building Council, the Canadian Institute of Planners, and the Canadian Green Building Council. In 2014 Dave was specifically recognized by the Natural Resources Defense Council as one of nine global champions fighting climate change in cities. 

Anika de la Flor, Sustainability Manager at QuadReal 
As sustainability manager at QuadReal Property Group, Anika manages the creation and implementation of new programs while developing and communicating the corporate strategy throughout the portfolio. Focusing on the key areas of efficiency, community, health, and innovation, she is currently supporting the team’s transition with ambitious energy targets while developing QuadReal’s new tenant and corporate community engagement programs nationally. Anika has experience in brand management and more recently directed diverse social development projects in the Andes of Peru, her home country. Fully bilingual, Anika holds a BCom from the University of British Columbia and an MSc from Maastricht University in the Netherlands, where she won the Kremers Award for her investigative thesis.

New Tools in Benchmarking: 

Exciting new tools on the market are enabling public reporting and driving action in the marketplace.

1. EnergyCompass.design – A free tool that unlocks the power of benchmarking in building design by leveraging the wealth of information in energy simulation model.
2. 2030 Platform – Harnessing big data at the community scale to increase market engagement
3. ARC - A digital platform that uses data to help measure and improve sustainability performance across the built environment, from buildings to cities and beyond. 

Speakers include:

Amanda Smith, Managing Director at Canadian Urban Institute and Executive Director at Toronto 2030 District (Presentation)
Amanda's work focuses on supporting lower carbon and more resilient communities and improving resource management. She leads teams, conducts research, produces events and connects with stakeholders to develop tools, resources and plans to respond to these complex issues. Before joining CUI she led the development of several LEED hospital projects and the stadium venues for the 2015 Pan Am Games while at Infrastructure Ontario. She is a past Director and Secretary of the Board of the Canada Green Building Council – Greater Toronto Chapter and has undergraduate and masters degrees in Civil Engineering from the University of Toronto

Brandy Burdeniuk, Chief Customer Officer at GBCI Canada (Presentation)

PRESENTING SPONSOR:

Agenda

7:30 – 8:00am: Registration and hot breakfast
8:00 – 8:10am: Introduction
8:10 – 9:10am: Speaker presentations
9:10 – 9.40am: Panel discussion and Q&A
9:40 – 10:00am: Networking

Cost

Green Building Offsite Tour: PCL Modular Construction Facility 
Date: Friday, December 7^th 2018
Time: 7.30am – 10.00am
Venue: PCL Agile Toronto, 161 The West Mall, Etobicoke, ON (Map)

Event Description

CaGBC and the PCL Agile team hosted a site tour of PCL’s Agile Facility in Etobicoke to witness off-site, modular construction in action, and learn about current trends in the prefabricated modular construction market. A presentation was given by Terry Olynyk, Director of Business Development at PCL and Troy Galvin, Manager of PCL Agile Toronto to explain how the facility works and the various benefits of prefabricated modular construction and the Agile approach.

About PCL Agile for buildings and civil construction:

By using industry-leading virtual construction technology, the PCL Agile engineering and modeling team is able to identify elements of a construction project that can be prefabricated as modules of various sizes and complexity in a controlled factory environment. By doing this, the quality, productivity and efficiency of the construction process is significantly improved, while reducing the time that would have been required to build these components on-site. The PCL Agile approach is also inherently more ‘green,’ as it generates less waste and reduces vehicle traffic to and from the main jobsite.

PCL’s GTA-based production facility provides the capacity to prefabricate many different project components. With easy access to road, rail, and ship, PCL is able to serve the prefabrication needs of clients across North America.

Click here to learn more about PCL's Agile facility.

Case Study: Humber River Hospital - "Lean, Green, Digital"

Through virtual construction technology and offsite manufacturing techniques, PCL successfully prefabricated and installed 360 patient washrooms and 14 telecommunications/data rooms at Humber River Hospital, reducing critical path of their 43.5 month schedule for the construction project. Read this case study here.

About Modular Construction:

Modular construction is a process in which a building is constructed off-site, under controlled plant conditions, using the same materials and designing to the same codes and standards as conventionally built facilities, but in half the time. Buildings are produced in “modules” that when put together on site, reflect the identical design intent and specifications of the most sophisticated site-built facility.

Modular construction services are designed to mitigate the logistical challenges associated with traditional onsite construction approaches. 

Agenda

7.10 - 7.30am Registration
7.30 – 8.00am Breakfast
8.00 – 8.45am Plant Tour #1/ Presentation #1 by PCL
8.45 – 9.30am Plant Tour #2/ Presentation #2 by PCL
9.30 - 10.00am Networking

Event Partner:

Date: Tuesday, December 4th 2018
Time: 5.30pm - 8.00pm
Address: 420 Wes Graham Way, Waterloo ON (Map) 

EVENT DESCRIPTION

CaGBC Greater Toronto Chapter and the Cora Group invited green building leaders in the Kitchener-Waterloo Region to an exclusive building tour of evolv1, Canada’s first ever Zero Carbon Building Design-certified building, and a meet-and-greet mixer. Attendees took a first look at this uniquely modern commercial office building that has demonstrated design excellence and successfully modeled a zero carbon balance for future operations.

Adrian Conrad, COO of the Cora Group, spoke about the vision for the project and how this landmark achievement as part of the Zero Carbon Building program proves that building Zero Carbon can be commercially viable. Members of the design team (Stantec) and HVAC suppliers (Mitsubishi Electric) were on hand to answer technical questions.

Following the tour, we held a reception where KW green building leaders can network and talk with evolv1 and CaGBC team members.

AGENDA

5.00-5.30pm   Registration
5.30-6.30pm   evolv1 building tour
6:30-6:45pm   Welcome Remarks by CaGBC GTA Chapter, Cora Group, and Mitsubishi Electric
6.45-8.00pm   Networking Reception

ABOUT EVOLV1

The vision for this three-storey, 110,000 sq.ft. commercial multi-tenant office building is the realization of a collaboration between the Cora Group, Sustainable Waterloo Region, the David Johnston Research + Technology Park, and anchor tenant EY. It is one of 16 participants in CaGBC’s Zero Carbon Building Pilot Program.

evolv1’s project team – including Stantec, the designers of the building, and construction firm Melloul-Blamey – employed a highly integrated design process that incorporates both active and passive systems to optimize value against construction cost. The building’s design includes elements aimed not only at maximizing its energy efficiency, but at producing more energy than it consumes:

• High-performance building envelope
• Geo-exchange / variable refrigerant flow (VRF) HVAC system
• Triple pane glazing
• Solar wall for preheated ventilation
• Combination of carport and roof-mounted photovoltaics producing 700kw of electricity for the grid
• Three-storey green wall, promoting improved indoor air quality

The building’s performance will be measured over its first 12 months of operation in order to demonstrate achievement of a zero emissions balance, which would allow it to earn a Zero Carbon Building – Performance certification.

ABOUT THE ZERO CARBON INNOVATION SERIES

The Zero Carbon Innovation Series is a set of regional events advancing awareness and capacity for Zero Carbon Buildings in Canada. The inaugural series in 2018 sponsored by Mitsubishi Electric showcased evolv1, Canada’s first Zero Carbon Building-certified project and highlighted the role of heat-pump technology in meeting major heating demand with low-carbon electricity.

This event was sponsored by:

Event Partners

Cora Group (evolv1 developer and host)

CaGBC-Greater Toronto Chapter (event organizer)

Technical Partner

Stantec (design and sustainability services for evolv1)

Promotional Partner

Sustainable Waterloo Region

EGP Career Panel: Launching Your Career in the Green Building Industry
Date: Thursday, November 29th 2018 
Time: 5:30 - 6:30pm
Location: Room 706, South Building, Metro Toronto Convention Centre, Toronto, ON (Map)
 

EVENT DETAILS

The Greater Toronto Chapter's Emerging Green Professionals (EGPs) have assembled a panel of industry leaders to share their insights on what makes a great job candidate! Hear from established architecture, engineering, and construction representatives as they share advice on how to make your application stand out, what to do once you land that interview, and how to make the most of your education and experience to further your career.
 

PANELISTS

Rebecca Hobbs, Director of Talent, MHB Group Rebecca is the Director of Talent at MHB Group with 12+ years of successful recruitment experience. Specialized in recruiting for energy, engineering, construction, property and architecture.  She started her career working for a boutique agency in Victoria, BC where she recruited for a large contract in the public sector. In 2007, she returned returned to she home city of Toronto and joined an international publicly traded recruitment consultancy, as a Corporate Recruiter. Filling roles across Canada, she successfully increased the company’s national headcount from 80 to 240 staff in less than two years before returning to a recruitment consultant role and working with external clients and candidates. In 2012 she co-founded a boutique recruitment agency that specializes in the sustainable, renewable/cleantech industry; heading up the recruitment of junior to c-level positions for mainly engineering, construction, sales, and supply chain. Now she is applying her recruitment expertise as the Director of Talent with MHB Group, a consultancy focused on construction, engineering, property and architecture.
Steve Kemp, Principal + Senior Energy and Sustainability Specialist, RDH Building Science Steve is a building science engineer specializing in energy modelling and design, and sustainability. His work experience includes a wide range of projects including green building design facilitation, renewable energy technology studies and energy research. Steve has assisted the design of numerous low energy buildings, including Passive House and Net Zero Energy and Net Zero Carbon projects. As these projects have been completed Steve is involved in monitoring their performance as well as troubleshooting their energy systems. Steve has undergraduate degrees in Physics and Engineering as well as a Master of Applied Science in Mechanical Engineering from Dalhousie University. He is a registered professional engineer in Ontario, a director of the Canadian Energy Efficiency Alliance, a past-president of IBPSA-Canada, and a member and former chair of the Energy & Engineering Technical Advisory Group for the CaGBC. In 2014 Steve was presented with the CaGBC Green Building Champion Leadership Award and in 2017 he was awarded with his LEED® Fellow designation.
Peera Butrsingkorn, Principal, MCW Consultants Ltd. Peera joined MCW in 2018 with over 15 years of experience in electrical design and project management for building services. With a focus on clients and delivery, Peera has consulted for mixed-use residential, commercial, public-private partnership, design-build, and complex hospitality buildings.  Most recently, with a seven year tenure as Partner, he led the electrical engineering department of a consulting firm in Toronto, where he was responsible for procurement, management, and implementation, as well as fostering team success through collaboration and quality results. Peera's key areas of expertise are in power distribution, fire alarm system, sustainability, communication, emergency, lighting, and security design.    As a Principal at MCW, Peera ensures all projects translate successfully from the design into construction. He establishes and maintains positive relationships with key stakeholders to assure projects run smoothly and to resolve concerns promptly and efficiently. He leads the design team to prepare working drawings and specifications, allocates staff resources to warrant project commitments are delivered on time and in their best quality.
Raymond Chow, Partner, gh3* Raymond brings to gh3* an expertise grounded in more than fifteen years of professional architectural practice. Raymond negotiates all phases of project development, from enabling client and consultant dialogue, through to design development and construction administration. His commitment to the realization of architectural excellence is based on keen attention to technical detail and astute management of the design process. He has worked across multiple jurisdictions and through scales of practice that range from small renovations to large multi-stakeholder institutional projects.    Raymond joined gh3* in 2006 and became a named partner in 2015. He became an associate of the Ontario Association of Landscape Architects in 2013, and is currently working toward full registration as a landscape architect. He is key to the firm's integrated, studio-based design practice with technical capacity across the design fields of architecture, landscape, and urban design. A strong advocate for BIM and for design practice connected to industry, Raymond oversees gh3*’s digital modelling processes, rendering, and all other technical interfaces. He is currently project architect for the Natural Swimming Pool in Edmonton, the Storm Water Control Facility at Toronto’s waterfront, as well as several large-scale residential projects.

Vertical Neighbourhoods Summit
Date: Monday, November 19th 2018 
Time: 8:30am* - 5:00pm  
Location: Sidewalk Toronto, 307 Lake Shore Blvd E, Toronto, ON (Map)

EVENT DETAILS

Southern Ontario is seeing an unprecedented boom in high-rise residential master planned developments, particularly in light of the numerous new master-planned developments emerging throughout GTA, including Waterfront Toronto, Vaughan Metropolitan Centre, CityPlace, and the Mirvish Village and Galleria Mall redevelopments. This relatively new development typology presents a number of unique challenges and opportunities:

• Are we building communities with a high quality of life?
• Can these developments support economic vitality?
• How should we approach public realm or infrastructural investments?
• How can we ensure the environmental performance of the developments through design and occupancy?
• What new technologies or strategies should we be incorporating into these buildings and communities?

The Vertical Neighbourhoods Summit was an intensive, full-day conference that explored ways in which we can create high-performance, livable, sustainable, and resilient high-rise neighbourhoods - covering topics surrounding environmental sustainability, infrastructural innovations, and the social and economic vitality of these new communities.

This workshop provided 8 GBCI-approved Continuing Education (CE) hours.

 

KEYNOTE SPEAKER:

Douglas Farr
Founding Principal & President, Farr Associates

Douglas Farr is an architect, urbanist, author, and passionate advocate for sustainable design thinking.

He was the founding chair of the U.S. Green Building Council’s LEED-ND Core Committee and has served on the boards of urban sustainability organizations including the Congress for New Urbanism, Bioregional, EcoDistricts, and Elevate Energy. He heads Farr Associates, a Chicago-based firm that plans and designs sustainable and aspirational buildings and places.

Douglas is the author of the books "Sustainable Urbanism" and "Sustainable Nation". In 2017, Planetizen readers named him one of “the 100 most influential urbanists of all time.”

Visit this page to learn about our Speakers: 
Speaker Biographies

AGENDA

PRESENTING SPONSORS

GOLD SPONSOR

Date: November 1, 2018
Time: 6:00 - 10:00 PM
Location: Arcadian Court, 401 Bay Street, 8th Floor (Map)

Date: Friday, October 26th 2018
Time: Forum:1.30pm* - 4.00pm; Reception: 4.00 - 5.00pm 
Location: Ivey Tangerine Leadership Centre (located inside the Exchange Tower)
                130 King St W, Toronto ON, M5X 1K6 (Map)

ZERO CARBON INNOVATION FORUM

"ZERO CARBON INNOVATION FORUM: THE ALL-ELECTRIC BUILDING" IS A SERIES OF IN-DEPTH SESSIONS TO EXPLORE KEY STRATEGIES FOR ZERO CARBON BUILDING.

Heating buildings is typically the largest greenhouse gas emission load for buildings in Canada. Emerging technologies for heating buildings with electricity (particularly heat-pumps) are common features in Zero Carbon Building projects seeking to take advantage of the lower emissions factor associated with electricity in Ontario relative to more common natural gas heating.

This session’s panel dicussion topics included:

• The status of electric heating technology today and on the horizon
• A case study of the heating system design for Zero Carbon Building -certified Evolv1 in Waterloo
• Implications of electric heating on the design process, including energy simulation
• Evaluation of the business case for electrically heated buildings
• Implementation challenges through construction and operation of electrically heated buildings

AGENDA

1:30 - 1:35pm: Introduction by CaGBC-GTC
1.35 - 1:50pm: Presentation on zero carbon heating technologies by Mitsubishi Electric 
1:50 - 2:05pm: Presentation on evolv1 - Canada's first Zero Carbon Building Standard-certified project - by Stantec
2:05 - 3.00pm: Panel discussion
3:00 - 3:30pm: Audience Q&A
3:30 - 5:00pm: Networking reception

PANELISTS

Antoni Paleshi - Senior Energy Performance Specialist, WSP (Panel Moderator) 

Antoni has spent most of his 15-year career as a building energy analyst, helping commercial building owners: (i) set targets for energy use, (ii) understand the cost-benefit and environmental performance of technologies that can help achieve those targets and (iii) verify, using advanced metering techniques, that the targets have been achieved. For the last three years, Antoni has focused on net-zero energy and carbon neutral buildings in both the new and existing commercial and institutional building sector in Canada.

Steve Kemp – Principal and Senior Energy & Sustainability Specialist, RDH Building Science 

Steve's career has touched on nearly all aspects of sustainable buildings, including both developing and using building energy models, daylighting models, and human comfort models. He has also been involved in building research under contract with the government, developers and utilities. He has published over dozen papers and articles. He has assisted the design of numerous low energy buildings, including Passive House and Net Zero Energy and Carbon projects. As these projects have been completed Steve is involved in monitoring their performance as well as troubleshooting their energy systems.

Steve is a registered professional engineer in Ontario, a director of the Canadian Energy Efficiency Alliance, a past-president of IBPSA-Canada, and a member and former chair of the Energy & Engineering Technical Advisory Group for the CaGBC. In 2014 Steve was presented with the CaGBC Green Building Champion Leadership Award and in 2017 he was awarded with his LEED® Fellow designation.

Kevin Stelzer - Principal, Brook McIlroy

Kevin is an architect, Building Science Specialist of Ontario (BSSO), and a LEED accredited professional with deep experience in ultra- energy efficient design. He has extensive experience in systems design, construction documentation, and engineering coordination, with a focus on  laboratory, retrofit/renewal, commercial and educational building sectors. He served on the CaGBC Energy & Engineering Technical Advisory Group and on the UN Sustainable Buildings & Climate Initiative Task Force, and volunteers with the World Green Building Council. He is a principal with BrookMcIlroy Architects.

In his previous role as a Principal at B+H and as an architect at architectsAlliance, Kevin participated in some of Canada’s most compelling sustainable projects, including the Mohawk College Net-Zero Energy Joyce Centre for Partnership & Innovation(B+H Architects/McCallum Sather), the UBC AMS Nest (B+H/ DIALOG), the Centre for Engineering Innovation at the University of Windsor (B+H architects), the Integrated Learning Centre at Queen’s University (B+H architects), the TDCCBR at the University of Toronto (Architects Alliance/ Behnisch), and the York University Computer Science Building (Architects Alliance/Busby). 

Adrian Conrad – COO, Cora Group 

Having graduated with a Bachelor of Math and a MBA, Adrian Conrad’s background led him to be a natural partner at The Cora Group Inc. Adrian has extensive experience in commercial development and leasing for small and large tenant needs. This, combined with his knowledge of project management and financial analysis, defines Adrian as a discerning commercial developer.

Adrian is a strong proponent of LEED and sustainable development and is committed to building spaces that work for tenants and their communities.

Olivia Keung – Architect, Stantec 

Olivia is an architect at Stantec Architecture with over 10 years of experience in the design of civic, commercial and education projects.  In the role of Project Architect, she has a strong ability to lead and pull together integrated design teams to ensure both the design vision and sustainability goals are carried through every aspect of a design. She is a Certified Passive House Designer and is currently carrying out research under Stantec's Creativity & Innovation program to understand how new technologies can be used to lower the cost of sustainable design and construction. 

Olivia was the Project Architect on Evolv1, which is targeting Net Positive Energy and was first building in Canada to achieve certification under the CaGBC's new Zero Carbon Building standard.

Suzanne Wiltshire – Business Development Representative, Mitsubishi Electric 

With a passion for efficiency of all types, Suzanne believes in making the world a better place without depleting its precious resources. Specializing in renewable energy design, and application to the built environment, Suzanne has led engineering, utility and developer business units, completing more than fifty geothermal, wind, hydro, and biomass energy projects.

At Mitsubishi Electric, Suzanne leads high-rise building projects through mechanical system design and installation, adding efficiency to efficiency to provide low carbon technical solutions that surpass 2021 standards and beyond. Suzanne is proud to be a member of the team responsible for Evolv1, a 110,000 square foot commercial building open now in Waterloo, which received the First Zero Carbon Design Certification in Canada from the CaGBC.

ABOUT THE ZERO CARBON INNOVATION SERIES

The Zero Carbon Innovation Series is a set of regional events advancing awareness and capacity for Zero Carbon Buildings in Canada. The inaugural series in 2018 sponsored by Mitsubishi Electric showcased evolv1, Canada’s first Zero Carbon Building-certified project and highlighted the role of heat-pump technology in meeting major heating demand with low-carbon electricity.

This event was proudly sponsored by:

Date: Friday, October 26th 2018
Time: 8.30am* - 12.30pm.
Location: Ivey Tangerine Leadership Centre (located inside the Exchange Tower)
                 130 King St W, Toronto ON, M5X 1K6 (Map)

THE ZERO CARBON BUILDING STANDARD WORKSHOP

Ready to take on the challenge of Zero Carbon?
This half-day workshop introduced participants to zero carbon buildings, with particular emphasis on the CaGBC's Zero Carbon Building (ZCB) Standard. Participants were equipped with important foundational knowledge, as well as an understanding of how the ZCB Standard could potentially be used for their current or future projects. The workshop covered the requirements of the Zero Carbon Building Standard for both new and existing buildings. This includes:
 

• The zero carbon balance;
• The zero carbon transition plan;
• Thermal Energy Demand Intensity (TEDI);
• Energy Use Intensity (EUI)
• Peak demand;
• Renewable Energy; and
• Embodied carbon

This workshop provided the opportunity to learn from a subject matter expert in a facilitated environment. Exercises and group discussion helped to reinforce the material. Note: This workshop was not intended to provide professional level knowledge on how to develop strategies or prepare supporting documentation for program compliance. 

This workshop provided 4 GBCI-approved Continuing Education (CE) hours.

WORKSHOP INSTRUCTOR

MATTHEW TOKARIK, P.ENG., M.A.SC., CPHC 
SENIOR MANAGER OF ENGINEERING, SUBTERRA RENEWABLES

Matthew currently works with designers, builders, and developers across North America to deploy geothermal heat pump and renewable energy systems through financing and installation services, in pursuit of significantly reducing greenhouse gas emissions and ultimately reaching Net-Zero building operation. He has previous experience working as a Building Energy Consultant developing whole building energy models, conducting energy audits, and creating carbon reduction strategies for new and existing buildings and building portfolios. 

Matthew is actively involved in the North American Passive House community, and is passionate about extending Passive House construction practices to the commercial market as a primary means of reducing heating and cooling loads. He is also a Sessional Instructor at Ryerson University, where he leads courses and seminars in sustainability, building science, and energy modeling. 

EVENT DETAILS 

Interdisciplinary teams of 4-5 were given one day to design and pitch their plan for creating a sustainable urban neighbourhood in a community in Scarborough. Teams worked to meet carbon emissions, waste, and wastewater reduction targets through innovative design and an effective community engagement strategy.

Teams were given 5-minutes to pitch their design ideas to a panel of expert judges. Winning teams received great prizes, including free admission to the CaGBC Ontario Awards Gala and Vertical Neighbourhoods Summit!

Read about last year's Design Charrette event and the winning projects in the spring 2018 issue of our Toronto FOCUS magazine (page 20).

1. Networking and Team Assembly Meeting 

Date: September 21st, 2018
Registration: 5:30 - 6:00PM
Networking and Team Assembly: 6:00 - 7:30PM
Location: Jason George, 100 Front St E, Toronto ON (Map)

2. Design Charette Main Event

Date: September 22nd, 2018 
Registration: 8:00 - 8:30 AM
Main Event: 8:30AM - 8:00PM
Location: Lassonde Mining Building, University of Toronto, 170 College St, Toronto ON (Map)

JUDGES

Sheila Boudreau 

Sheila Boudreau is a landscape architect (with Seal, OALA, CSLA), and an urban planner (RPP/OPPI, MCIP), with a Masters of Arts (Planning) from the University of Waterloo, and undergraduate degrees in landscape architecture and fine art from the University of Guelph. She brings over 25 years of professional experience and community service in both the private and public sectors to her role as Senior Landscape Architect at the Toronto and Region Conservation Authority. From 2011 to 2017 she worked as an urban designer in City Planning, City of Toronto on the development of design guidelines and standards and innovative green infrastructure pilot projects, work that involved the coordination of interdisciplinary working groups with community engagement.

She teaches courses on green infrastructure at Ryerson University and the University of Toronto, is on the Board of Advisors for Ryerson Urban Water, and represents the Ontario Association of Landscape Architects on the Green Infrastructure Ontario Coalition steering committee. With Landscape Architecture Canada Foundation funding, she is co-leading an Indigenous youth internship program, in partnership with the Native Canadian Centre of Toronto, and the University of Toronto. 

Ahmed Allahwala 

Ahmed Allahwala is an Associate Professor (Teaching Stream) in the City Studies program and the Special Advisor to the Dean on Experiential Education at the University of Toronto Scarborough (UTSC). Originally from Germany, Dr. Allahwala holds an M.A. from FU Berlin and a PhD from York University. As a critical urban policy analyst, Dr. Allahwala’s work focuses on urban social policy within the context of contemporary state and economic restructuring in North America and Western Europe.

Dr. Allahwala has taught a wide variety of courses in Germany and Canada on topics including welfare state analysis, immigration and settlement, city politics, community-based research, and urban planning. His pedagogical innovations in experiential learning and community-university partnerships have been recognized both nationally and internationally. He was the recipient of the Government of Canada Award and a teaching fellow at the John F. Kennedy Institute for North American Studies in Berlin.

Nadine Ibrahim

Nadine is a civil engineer who is passionate about the sustainability of global cities. She is a triple graduate of the University of Toronto, and holds a BASc (2000), MASc (2003), and PhD (2015) in Civil Engineering, and a Certificate of Preventive Engineering and Social Development.  Nadine has leveraged her industry experience to expand her inquiry into cities through urban and environmental projects in Canada and abroad.  In 2010, she received the Early Career Award, awarded by the Faculty of Applied Science and Engineering at U of T to one alumnus, in celebration of 10 years of achievements. 

From undergrad research in structural engineering, to sustainable infrastructure in grad school, her vision is to develop urban sustainability strategies to teach and build cities of the future to address the impacts of climate change and urbanization, and she strives to find ways to re-imagine and redefine engineering of the future.

Sandra Leigh Lester

Sandra is Founder and CEO of AFFECTING CHANGE whose clients include architects, designers and agencies working in the “built environment” and change-making organizations that want a high performance facility. Sandra combines unique technical knowledge with the educational background to affect change management. She holds a Bachelors of Technology in Architectural Science from Ryerson University and a Masters Certificate in Organization Development from Schulich.

Sandra has worked with a number of public and private organizations, and aided in the creation of the $500 million Low-Carbon Innovation Fund for the retrofit of College and Universities across the Province. 

SPONSORS

Date: Wednesday, September 26th, 2018
Time: 7:15 - 10:00am
Location: Lennox Hall - Toronto Region Board of Trade,
                 77 Adelaide St. West, First Canadian Place, Toronto ON (Map)

EVENT OVERVIEW

The election of the new PC Provincial government has brought about significant policy changes that impact the green building industry in Ontario. These reflect a different vision of how industry and government should work together to tackle important challenges like climate change, affordability and environmental protection while stimulating jobs and investment.

This breakfast session helped to clarify the priorities of the new government, examined changes to the policy and program landscape and revealed how industry is adjusting their goals and strategies.

Keynote Speaker:
A New Vision for Ontario - with the Hon. Rod Phillips, Minister of Environment, Conservation and Parks (pictured right)

See Jeff Ranson's Chapter presentation here, and Chris Loreto's presentation on the new Ontario government here.
Photos from the event can be found here.

AGENDA:

7:15 – 8:00am: Registration and hot breakfast
8:00 – 8:15am: Introduction
8:15 – 8:30am: A New Vision for Ontario - the Hon Rod Phillips, Minister of Environment, Conservation and Parks
8:30 – 8:45am:The new policy landscape in Ontario - Chris Loreto, Principal at StrategyCorp
8:45 – 9:30am: Panel Discussion: How should the industry reorient their thinking to succeed under Ontario’s new approach to sustainable development?
9:30 – 10:00am: Networking

PANELISTS:

Jeff Ranson - Regional Director, CaGBC Greater Toronto Chapter (Moderator)

As the GTA Regional Director for the CaGBC Jeff is focused on leading green building market transformation in southern Ontario and building a strong community of practice through the CaGBC’s Greater Toronto Chapter. Previously, Jeff served as the founding Executive Director of the Toronto 2030 District and Manager of Education for Sustainable Buildings Canada. He was lead facilitator for Enbridge’s Savings By Design energy conservation program delivering sustainable design workshops for over 100 development projects across Ontario. Jeff has consulted for numerous private and public sector organizations in Canada and internationally with a focus on capacity building and strategic planning for sustainable development, climate change mitigation and resilience outcomes.

Jeff holds an Honors in Business Administration from the Western University’s Richard Ivey School of Business and a Masters of Design in Strategic Foresight and Innovation from OCADU where he received the President’s Award for Outstanding Achievement in Graduate Studies.

Richard Joy - Executive Director, Urban Land institute (ULI) Toronto

Richard Joy is the Executive Director of ULI Toronto. Since his arrival as the first full-time Executive Director in 2014 the organization has doubled its membership and its staff and significantly increased its brand recognition throughout the Greater Golden Horseshoe. Key initiatives that Richard has implemented include the Urban Leadership Program, Urban Plan Program, Meet The Chiefs dinner and two regional Symposiums. Prior to joining ULI, Richard served as the Vice President Policy and Government Relations at the Toronto Region Board of Trade as Director of Municipal Affairs and Ontario (Provincial Affairs) at Global Public Affairs, a leading Canadian Government Relations firm. Richard’s extensive public policy knowledge and experience comes from years of service at Queen’s Park and Toronto City Hall, where he was the Senior Policy Advisor to the Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing, responsible for the public policy development for the City of Toronto Act.

Richard received his Bachelor of Arts in History from Carleton University. He currently sits on the Community Hubs Advisory Group for the Government of Ontario and the Advisory Committee for Ryerson’s Centre for Urban Research and Land Development.

Joe Vaccaro - CEO, Ontario Home Builders' Association (OHBA) 

In the summer of 2013, Joe Vaccaro was named Chief Executive Officer of the Ontario Home Builders’ Association. Prior to that, Mr. Vaccaro acted as OHBA’s Chief Operating Officer, after serving as the VP of Policy and Government

Relations at the Building Industry and Land Development Association (BILD).

AS CEO, Mr. Vaccaro oversees operations of the Ontario-wide organization which is comprised of 4,000-member companies organized into 29 local associations representing professionals within the new home and renovation industry. OHBA is focused on improving new housing affordability and choice for Ontario’s new home purchasers and renovation consumers by positively impacting provincial legislation, regulation and policy that affect the industry. Prior to his industry association career path, Mr. Vaccaro served as a senior advisor and assistant to the Ministers of Economic Development and Trade, Chair of Management Board and the Minister of Government Services.

A graduate of York University where he received his Honours Degree in Political Science with a minor in Philosophy, Mr. Vaccaro identifies his summers working in the family residential framing and new construction business as shaping his understanding and appreciation for the social, economic and environmental impact the building and land development industry has on local, provincial and federal public policy development and decisions.

Chris Loreto - Principal, StrategyCorp 

Chris is a Principal at StrategyCorp specializing in helping public, private and not for profit clients create conditions for success with advice on public policy development, strategic and business planning, organizational and operational design, and stakeholder communications and engagement. Chris has more than 18 years of experience working in both the public and private sectors at the executive level and advising senior industry leaders in government, healthcare, education, infrastructure, and real estate.

Prior to joining StrategyCorp, Chris was a Vice President & Director with the Infrastructure Advisory and Project Finance practice at Deloitte & Touche LLP where he specialized in the design, business case analysis and procurement of P3/AFP and major real estate developments.

Chris is also a director on the Council of the Royal Society of Canada, chair of ArtsBuild Ontario, and vice-president of select hockey for the Streetsville Hockey League.

Chris has his BA in Political Science from the University of Toronto and his MBA from the Schulich School of Business at York University.

Melissa Jacobs - Director of Sustainability, First Capital Realty Inc. 

Melissa has over a decade of experience in implementing a range of sustainability programs in both the commercial real estate and retail sectors. In her current role as Director, Sustainability at First Capital Realty (FCR), she provides leadership and support to the Company in the national development and implementation of FCR’s sustainability strategies and initiatives. 

Her past roles include Manager, Sustainability at Bentall Kennedy and Sears Canada and Manager, Projects and Research at the World Green Building Council.

Melissa is active in a number of industry associations including the Canada Green Building Council (CaGBC), Building Owners and Managers Association (BOMA) and REALpac. Melissa received her Bachelor of Environmental Studies from York University.