2009 FCM Sustainable Communities Awards Winner — Buildings: Overview

City of Toronto, Ontario

Toronto Green Standard and the Better Buildings Partnership – New Construction Program

The City of Toronto used the Toronto Green Standard (TGS) and the Better Buildings Partnership – New Construction program (BBP–NC) as a two-pronged approach to encourage sustainable building design and address several of the city’s environmental challenges. The TGS includes both mandatory and optional performance measures for sustainable building and landscape development. BBP–NC complements the TGS by providing incentives for energy-efficient building design. Together the programs encourage new developments in the city to exceed the energy efficiency standards of the Model National Energy Code for Buildings (MNECB) by at least 25 per cent, reducing operating costs, greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and infrastructure demands.