Implement and manage compliance of green development standards.

Green development standards are design requirements for new buildings that increase energy efficiency and lead to better designed communities. 

Most GTHA municipalities have adopted such standards already, and the few remaining such as Clarington, Milton, and Oshawa, should adopt them as soon as possible. 

Municipalities that already have these standards need to focus on implementing updates and enhancing compliance. Incentives can encourage developers to voluntarily achieve higher performance and demonstrate the value to others.  

As the cost of living continues to increase, green development standards and existing building performance standards make homes and businesses more efficient and affordable over the long term. 

They reduce carbon emissions, reduce the burden on our strained electricity system, generate local economic value, and provide protection from the impacts of extreme weather events. 

Implement emissions performance standards for existing buildings.

Mandatory emissions performance standards for existing buildings are critical to scaling retrofits. These policies reduce carbon more than any other policy within the building sector, and Toronto is actively developing a bylaw.

Much like green standards for new construction, they set emissions targets for buildings based on their type and size. The targets will require building owners to improve gradually through upgrades and retrofits. The policy is intended to provide regulatory certainty, allowing owners and operators to plan for the future.

As the cost of living continues to increase, green development standards and existing building performance standards make homes and businesses more efficient and affordable over the long term.

They reduce carbon emissions, reduce the burden on our strained electricity system, generate local economic value, and provide protection from the impacts of extreme weather events.

Support EV charging and prioritize active transportation and transit.

• Remove minimum parking requirements in new developments
• Require 100% EV-ready parking in all new residential parking, and 25% for non-residential parking
• Leverage federal funding and public lands (e.g., libraries, community centres) to support the buildout of public EV charging infrastructure
• Review parking rules that prevent EV infrastructure from being installed
• Invest in public transit and active transportation

All actions that encourage uptake of EVs have significant impacts on carbon and air pollution reduction.

Removing parking minimums reduces embodied carbon from new construction and saves on the costs of building housing.

Leveraging public lands promotes affordable access to EV charging, especially in dense urban areas where high-cost, privately-owned can drive up the cost of charging.

Requiring EV-ready parking avoids the high costs of retrofitting parking lots in the future and increases access to EVs.

Investments in public transit and active transportation reduce reliance on personal vehicles, making communities healthier and more livable.

Remove barriers to climate action from zoning bylaws and permitting processes.

Many cities have outdated zoning bylaws and processes that unintentionally deter or prevent climate action. Undertake a comprehensive review of zoning bylaws and permitting processes to identify and resolve barriers.

• Ensure exemptions for rooftop solar from height restrictions
• Review and remove unnecessary zoning barriers to heat pumps, energy storage, or ground-mounted solar (e.g. excessive setback requirements or unnecessary prohibitions for certain zones)
• Streamline building permitting processes for solar, storage, and heat pump installations and consider exempting simple rooftop solar installs from permitting.
• Work with LDCs to ensure distributed solar and/or storage projects applications are processed quickly, and connection fees are in-line with best practices.

Removing red tape will reduce the cost and complexity of climate action for households and businesses.

These recommendations also reduce municipal workload associated with managing permits, zoning amendments, and minor variances.