Benchmark Study on Green Buildings - Royal Architectural Institute ...

Fund supports a range of activities leading up to and including the physical
implementation of an environmental infrastructure project. The Fund distinguishes four
types of project activities: planning, feasibility studies, field tests, and capital
installation/implementation. Funding from the GMF is available in the form of loans,
grants, and a combination of the two. Based on the potential environmental benefits of
the capital project, the funding option ranges from a loan of up to 25% of Total Eligible
Costs to a loan and grant combination of up to 80% and up to 50% of the Total Eligible
Costs, respectively. The funding caps for eligible capital implementation projects are
loans of $50-70 million a year and grants of $7-10 million a year. The funding option
available to applicants for feasibility studies, field tests and sustainable community plans
is a grant of up to 50% of the Total Eligible Costs to a maximum of $350,000. The
funding cap for eligible feasibility studies, field tests and sustainable community plans is
grants of $8-12 million a year. The GMF website
(http://kn.fcm.ca/ev.php?URL_ID=2825&URL_DO=DO_TOPIC&URL_SECTION=201
&reload=1096488899) can be consulted for eligibility criteria and a list of projects that
can receive funding by the GMF.
Municipal green building initiatives:
Certain municipalities are also offering incentives for green building, and some are even
mandating green requirements for new buildings. For example, Toronto has introduced
the Green Development Standard, which integrates existing city guidelines and targets
with standards from green building rating systems such as LEED and Green Globes. The
intent of this report is to describe what has been done by other cities, and to encourage
the actions that were successful. The Green Development Standard is also being applied
to all new city-owned and affiliated projects, helping the city promote its own green
development package and lead by example. The Green Standard is helping make green
building more appealing in the Toronto area because it is a “made-in-Toronto” approach
and because it takes some of the uncertainties out of the development process. In
Vancouver, the municipal government is amending existing building codes and bylaws to
include more green features. These new bylaws state that a building rating of LEEDcertified
or equivalent is the mandatory minimum level of achievement for all new
buildings, and that the standard for civic buildings greater than 500m 2 is LEED-Gold
certification, with energy efficiency levels 30% better than the MNECB.
Infrastructure Canada infrastructure improvement programs:
Infrastructure Canada is also funding several programs to improve the country’s
infrastructure. The $4 billion Canada Strategic Infrastructure Fund awards funding to
projects of major federal and regional significance in areas that are vital to sustaining
economic growth and enhancing the Canadian quality of life. This means areas such as
central business districts, urban green spaces and parks, and areas of unique importance
will see improvements. The goals of this fund are the safer and faster movement of
people and goods on Canada’s major land transportation routes, reduced production of
greenhouse gases and airborne pollutants, more-effective and sustainable urban
development, increased economic activity including tourism, and the use of innovative
technologies and practices to increase the overall sustainability of the country. The
Municipal Rural Infrastructure Program (MRIF) was announced in 2003 to support
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