A Hot Summer for Advocacy at CAGBC

This summer has been hot — both in temperature and in activity — for the advocacy department at the Canada Green Building Council (CAGBC). Over the past few months, our advocacy team focused its efforts on advancing three main priorities that reflect the pressing challenges facing Canada’s built environment:

• Coupling affordability with sustainability in government programs, particularly through the Build Canada Homes (BCH) agency.
• Ensuring access to whole-building data and safeguarding the continuity of the Energy Star Portfolio Manager (ESPM).
• Calling for the development of voluntary, made-in-Canada sustainable investment guidelines tailored to the building sector by Fall 2026.

These priorities are not abstract ambitions. They are the concrete steps needed to ensure that Canada’s building sector delivers affordable housing and resilient communities and long term economic growth for the real estate sector — without sacrificing quality or sustainability.

Key deliverables from the summer 

Our advocacy work from this summer resulted in a number of tangible deliverables. From July to August, CAGBC engage policymakers through 

• The participation in Quebec’s consultation on the Plan de gestion intégrée des ressources énergétiques (PGIRE): CAGBC, working alongside Bâtiment Durable Québec, represented the views of its Quebec members during the province’s consultation on PGIRE, a 25-year roadmap to guide energy planning. The plan will evaluate options to balance demand and supply, support decarbonization targets, and promote sustainable economic development across all regions. CAGBC called for ambitious, harmonized standards that go beyond minimum code compliance, the integration of resilience and performance into building practices, and the alignment of public investments with sustainable finance and Canada’s forthcoming federal taxonomy.  

• A letter about Energy Star Portfolio Manager (ESPM) to the Minister of Energy and Natural Resources on: This communication highlighted the need to safeguard the program, given the potential discontinuation of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s version of the tool. ESPM is a cornerstone platform that enables building owners and managers to track and improve energy performance. Continued Canadian investment in ESPM is essential to maintain benchmarking capacity and to protect efficiency programs already tied to it. 

• Collaboration with REALPAC and BOMA Canada on improving the access to whole-building data: The three national organizations sent letters in June to all provincial ministers responsible for utilities. The respective CEOs met with policymakers, including Minister Neudorf from the government of Alberta. 

• Two 2025 pre-budget submissions: One to the Standing Committee on Finance of the House of Commons and another to Finance Canada. Both submissions called for embedding sustainability into affordable housing, setting national investment guidelines for sustainable buildings, improving access to whole-building energy data, and maintaining momentum on the federal government’s own climate commitments. 

• A letter about Bill 17 to the Ontario Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing:  CAGBC recommended that Ontario establish province-wide performance standards or adopt nationally recognized standards to accelerate the development of high-quality, efficient, resilient, and healthy buildings. 

• A letter to the Privy Council Office in response to the consultation on the Free Trade and Labour Mobility in Canada Act:  CAGBC recommended that the Energy Efficiency Act and its regulations be excluded from the scope of mutual recognition. While harmonizing trade and labour mobility is important, energy efficiency standards are not consistently strong across provinces. Automatic recognition could weaken national standards and undermine economic growth, international trade and investment, and Canada’s climate objectives. 

• A letter about Build Canada Homes (BCH) to the Minister of Housing and Infrastructure: In response to the market sounding guide, this document emphasized the importance of embedding sustainability within the BCH mandate and structure, ensuring that program benefits for Canadians are tied to clear, verifiable performance outcomes such as intensity targets. 

Each of these interventions underscores a consistent message: sustainability must be built into the foundation of every housing, infrastructure, and economic policy if Canada is to achieve its targeted climate outcomes while ensuring affordability and competitiveness. 

Looking Ahead: Green Building Day on the Hill 

The momentum from summer advocacy efforts is guiding our path into the fall, with CAGBC’s flagship event — Green Building Day on the Hill — taking place on October 21, 2025, in Ottawa. 

This annual gathering brings together CAGBC members, industry leaders, and policymakers for a full day of dialogue on the role of green buildings in shaping Canada’s future. It is both a celebration of progress and a platform for pressing the case that buildings are central to Canada’s housing, economic, and climate agendas. 

Throughout the day, panel discussions and open conversations will focus on two critical themes: 

• Affordable housing: Exploring how housing programs can deliver affordability without sacrificing sustainability, ensuring homes built today remain resilient and cost-effective for decades. 

• Sustainable finance: Examining how taxonomy guidelines can mobilize investment into green building projects, accelerate market transformation, and strengthen Canada’s long-term economic competitiveness. 

These themes reflect a fast-changing economic and policy landscape where Canada’s building sector must evolve to become more affordable, competitive, and resilient. They also highlight the opportunity: aligning housing affordability with sustainability can drive economic growth, create jobs, and improve quality of life for Canadians. 

If you are interested in attending Green Building Day on the Hill, send an email or expression of interest to advocacy@cagbc.org 

 Please, include your name, contact information, position title, and company. As space is limited, early expressions of interest are strongly encouraged. 

Conclusion 

The summer of 2025 has shown that advocacy is not a seasonal effort but a continuous one. Through submissions, letters, and direct engagement with policymakers, CAGBC has made its voice heard on issues that matter to our members and to the country as a whole. 

As we move into the fall, The Green Building Day on the Hill will amplify these messages, bringing industry expertise and evidence directly to decision-makers. By coupling affordability with sustainability, improving access to building performance data, and shaping Canada’s sustainable finance framework, we are laying the groundwork for a greener, more affordable, and more prosperous future.