Buildings account for 13 per cent of Canada’s greenhouse gas (GHGs) emissions—one of the biggest contributors to our carbon footprint. To deliver on our nation’s 2050 Net Zero commitment we will have to decarbonize all manner of buildings over the next 25 years.
In addition to the massive inventory of existing homes, offices, warehouses and institutional buildings that will have to be retrofitted, millions of new low-carbon homes are required in the coming decades to serve our growing population. And yet in this moment, a cost-of-living crisis has led to enormous political and economic upheaval all of which threaten the momentum that’s been building towards a low-carbon future. There has been a pullback on climate action on a number of fronts, from the repeal of the carbon tax to the erosion of regulations and mandates south of the border that will have continent wide implications.
But with builders such as The Daniels Corporation (Daniels), the belief is that we must push back against this false choice between sustainability and affordability. It is our conviction that by focusing on producing value aligned low-carbon homes, we can deliver on our climate ambitions, without exacerbating the affordability challenges we face.
In 2023, we released our Decarbonization Roadmap, outlining our strategy to achieve near-zero whole-life carbon emissions in our developments by 2030. Our goal is to lead by example, by showing that sustainability targets can be ambitious, achievable and replicable. By sharing our approach openly, we hope to contribute to a more transparent conversation around sustainability and make decarbonization more tangible, practical and accessible across the industry. The guiding principle of our Roadmap is to deliver the best possible carbon performance, without asking people to pay more to purchase, maintain or rent their home.