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The Toronto 2030 District is a unique partnership that brings together private and public sector stakeholders to accelerate the realization of our long-term greenhouse gas reduction goals. We seek to enable community-wide participation in climate action and address systemic barriers to low-carbon market transformation in Downtown Toronto. As one of a network of twelve 2030 Districts across North America (the first outside of the USA) we have seen how cities are leveraging visible action on climate change as a way to attract business and residents and increase the overall value of real estate. The District was founded by the Ontario Association of Architects and Sustainable Buildings Canada and is supported by over 50 public and private sector partners invested in Downtown Toronto’s prosperous and sustainable future.
Background:
· Ontario’s Climate Action Plan represents a fundamental shift in the conversation about Global Warming in Ontario.
· Since 2007, Ontario has had aggressive, science-based, targets for greenhouse gas reduction in line with international consensus:
o 15% below 1990 levels by 2020; 37% below 1990 levels by 2030; 80% below 1990 levels by 2050.
· While Ontario is well positioned to hit the targets through 2020, much of this success was due to a few major “one-time only” actions, such as phasing out coal-fired electricity generators.
· There has been a significant “gap” between the trajectory of current conservation efforts and the longer-term goals. Essentially we didn’t know where additional reductions would come from.
· The new Action Plan fills in those gaps by providing more clarity on the contributions expected from different sectors (buildings, transportation, industry and agriculture).
· In Downtown Toronto, building operations (energy use, water use and waste) represent the biggest source of emissions, and there is a lot in the Action plan that targets building owners and designers.
· We support the government’s decision to remain fuel-neutral with regards to regulating permitted use, and to instead focus on performance-based goals like net-zero carbon which allows industry the opportunity to innovate toward this target, and provides greater choice for Ontarians.
· The Action plan also recognizes, through its acknowledgment of specific building technologies, that the majority of improvements to buildings and transportation are achievable with today’s technologies.
· We support this view that it is no longer fundamentally a technological challenge, it’s a social challenge to engage with communities and industries and accelerate the acceptance and adoption of these ideas.
· The government’s support through both direct investment and incentives is a clear signal of their commitment to leading social change.
· There is still significant work to be done, however. We need to do a much better job of understanding in greater detail where, when and why greenhouse gas emissions are generated and who is fundamentally responsible for them, or can claim ownership of any savings.
· We also need a much better assessment of how technical capability, market drivers and regulatory environments faced by different types of building sectors (i.e. Condo Boards vs. University Campuses) create advantages or disadvantages in achieving these targets and should we slide sector goals based on these capacities or socio-economic considerations.
· Regardless of these implementation challenges, the opportunity for investment and jobs to update our buildings and infrastructure is clear.
· Already a leader, this action plan allows Toronto to secure its future as one of the most attractive and advanced urban regions in the world.
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