Description
Public sector organizations must show leadership by having all new public sector buildings constructed to net-zero carbon. While all public sector buildings should meet this standard by no later than 2030, near-term building plans should be modified wherever possible to meet this standard, in order to decrease future retrofit costs.
This work will be led by Area Municipalities, the Region of Waterloo, and other public sector land owners.
REGION OF WATERLOO
As part of the Region's 5-year Corporate Climate Change Action Plan, an action has been identified to update the Region's current LEED Silver Building Standard (adopted in 2005) to the Canada Green Building Council's Zero Carbon Building-Design (ZCB-Design).
CITY OF CAMBRIDGE
The City’s corporate Energy Conservation and Demand Management (ECDM) Plan contains two actions to work toward net-zero buildings: Action B1 requires that the City’s Green Building Policy and associated technical standards be updated and Action B3 requires the City to Develop and Implement Decarbonization Plan for Buildings and Facilities. City Council adopted (May 2025) a Decarbonization Study on its 10 highest-emitting buildings with the aim of taking those buildings to net zero through significant retrofits, fuel-switching, sustainability measures, and on-site energy generation.
CITY OF KITCHENER
- The City of Kitchener's indoor recreation complex at Schlegel Park is being designed as a net-zero building;
- The City of Kitchener's Fire Station 1 and Forest Heights Community Centre are undergoing projects for HVAC electrification to reduce GHG emissions;
- The City of Kitchener's Cowan Recreation Centre is being constructed as a net-zero carbon facility;
- The City of Kitchener's Fire Station 8 is beginning design as a net-zero carbon building; AND
- GHG reduction pathways to identify opportunities for emissions reductions at a variety of existing facilities.
CITY OF WATERLOO
- Generation Park has been designed to encourage net-zero building.
- The City of Waterloo has a Green Building Policy for City-Owned Buildings (COM2021-027) which states that new construction must be zero-carbon ready and that existing building retrofits to achieve 80% GHG emission reduction over time.
- The new Community Pavilion is 47% more energy efficient than code and the East Side Library is 40% more energy efficient than code.
TOWNSHIP OF WOOLWICH
The Township of Woolwich is working towards a net-zero carbon standard for future implementation.