TBS Greening Government Strategy

Context

  • On December 19, 2017, the federal government released its Greening Government Strategy. The Strategy was introduced to align with domestic and international commitments, including those found in the Pan-Canadian Framework for Clean Growth and Climate Change and the Paris Agreement on Climate Change, which committed Canada to reducing its greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions to 30% below 2005 levels by 2030.
  • The Strategy’s emission goals are more ambitious than the Paris Agreement targets, as they commit to reducing emissions from government operations to 40% below 2005 levels by 2030 and to 80% below 2005 levels by 2050. The Strategy is being implemented by the Centre for Greening Government, housed within the Treasury Board of Canada Secretariat.
  • The Greening Government Strategy established a number of specific commitments that build on the progress that followed the coming into force of the 2008 Federal Sustainable Development Act. These commitments largely fit into five categories (real property, mobility and fleets, green procurement, adaptation to climate change, and oversight and performance measurement), and some of the most notable ones include:
    • Using 100% clean electricity for government operations by 2025;
    • Ensuring 75% of new light-duty administrative fleet vehicle purchases are zero emission or hybrid vehicles starting in 2019–20, with the goal of reaching 80% zero-emission vehicles by 2030;
    • Ensuring new government buildings are net-zero carbon ready or moving toward that goal (energy consumption is reduced to the point where non-carbon-based fuels can be used to meet a building’s energy needs);
    • Diverting 75% of federal operational waste and 90% of construction waste by 2030;
    • Incorporating climate-resilient design and delivery into all major real property projects and;
    • Integrating sustainability and life-cycle assessment principles into procurement policies and practices.
  • On December 7, 2018, the Centre for Greening Government released the latest annual data from its Greenhouse Gas Emissions Inventory. The data showed that the Government of Canada had reduced emissions from its operations by 32% relative to 2005 levels, and achieved a 4% improvement from fiscal year 2016 to 2017.

Considerations

  • LAC is required to manage its real property portfolio to reduce GHG emissions from buildings to contribute to the government’s GHG reduction targets of 40% by 2030 and 80% by 2050. A low-carbon, environmentally sustainable and resilient real property portfolio requires LAC to:
  1. Optimize its real property portfolio to prioritize GHG reductions
    • Assess current and future program and space requirements
    • Triage the portfolio to make efficient use of space in all types of real property and divest of surplus assets
    • Consider the environmental impact of new assets based on geographic location when considering present and future program and space requirements
    • Ensure new buildings are built to be net-zero carbon ready and existing building are retrofitted to be low carbon
  2. Adopt a community-based implementation approach
    • Develop partnerships with other departments, levels of government and local communities when developing and implementing portfolio strategies
    • Use shared facilities and improve integration in communities and cities where the federal government operates (e.g., such as connecting to local district energy systems)
  3. Ensure efficient operations
    • Continuously monitor and take action to improve the efficiency of building operations and building systems
  4. Use clean sources of energy
    • Use on-site low carbon sources of energy
    • Seek low carbon sources of energy through procurement strategies
  5. Adapt operations to the changing climate
    • Increase climate resiliency of real property portfolio by incorporating climate-resilient designs in all new construction and renovation projects
  6. Take parallel broad-based environmental sustainability actions
    • Link overall environmental sustainability performance of buildings (i.e., healthy workspaces, water, waste and material) to decarbonizing and adaptation initiatives

LAC commitments made and progress to date

  • As part of its 2011 LTRPP, LAC reduced its physical footprint by consolidating and disposing of assets that were not purpose-built, operating efficiently, and appropriate for long-term storage of archival materials. LAC released over 76,000 m2 across Canada, which realized cost savings related to the operating and maintenance of records storage facilities.
  • In April 2019, LAC received TBS final approval for the design and construction of a new purpose-built preservation facility, Gatineau 2. The new facility will be the first government facility constructed to meet the net-zero carbon requirements of the Greening Government Strategy. LAC also combined this project with a requirement that the private partner achieve GHG reduction targets in the existing Preservation Centre of 40% by 2030 and 80% by 2050. These reductions will be achieved through lifecycle refit and upgrade projects during the private partner’s operation of the facility.
  • As part of its portfolio strategy, LAC has developed space sharing partnerships with the Canadian Museum of Immigration in Halifax, the Vancouver Public Library and the Ottawa Public Library.
  • LAC is currently developing its Real Property Master Plan, which will assess current and future space requirements.
  • For all major retrofit projects, LAC ensures the integration of GHG reduction feasibility studies as part of the investment analysis reviews.

SMEs:

  • Jean D. Allard, Senior Manager, Investment Planning and Portfolio Management—email: jeand.allard@canada.ca; tel: 613-818-2817
  • Scott Hamilton, Director General, Real Property Branch—email: scott.hamilton@canada.ca; tel: 613-219-8057
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