Partnerships & Initiatives

Mobilizing Canada’s building sector

CAGBC, along with our corporate members, plays a pivotal role in mobilizing industry across building design, construction, and operations. By leveraging our collective expertise, we develop innovative policy recommendations, initiatives and market solutions that advance our mission.

Bridging the gap between public and private sectors, CAGBC empowers its partners to influence policy all levels while aligning sustainability goals with tangible economic benefits. This collaborative approach helps our members drive innovation, secure long-term asset appreciation, and enhance economic resilience for the entire sector.

Local and global partnerships

CAGBC works with industry and policy makers to advance our mission and help Canadian people and business benefit from the value of green buildings. Explore our many partnerships below

World Green Building Council (WorldGBC)

CAGBC is a founding member of the World Green Building Council (WorldGBC). Representing over 80 councils, WorldGBC is the largest local-regional-global action network accelerating sustainability in the built environment. Established in 2002, the WorldGBC was made possible by funding through the Government of Ontario, and still has offices in Toronto, Ontario.

U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC)

Through our partnership with USGBC, CAGBC is licensed to administer LEED in the Canadian market, ensuring the global standard for sustainable buildings is adapted to our unique market. In addition to LEED, we offer certifications like TRUE for zero waste and Investor Ready Energy Efficiency (IREE), through agreements with the USGBC’s business arm, Green Business Certification Inc. (GBCI). These certifications empower Canadian professionals to excel in sustainability and drive innovation in the building sector.

REALPAC

CAGBC is working alongside the Real Property Association of Canada (REALPAC) to accelerate the shift toward zero carbon buildings and sustainable development in Canada’s commercial real estate sector, the core of REALPAC’s membership. Our collaboration includes research, training, and other initiatives that support the commercial real estate sector’s decarbonization efforts while maintaining its competitive stance in a rapidly evolving market.

R-Labs

R-Labs is a venture builder focused on the real estate and housing sector. They bring together entrepreneurs and corporate innovators to tackle critical challenges through technology-enabled business models. CAGBC’s President and CEO sits on the Industry Issue + Transformation Council (I+T Council), providing insights that deepen R-Labs understanding of sector-wide issues and identify potential obstacles.

Climate Smart Buildings Alliance (CSBA)

The Climate Smart Buildings Alliance (CSBA) recognizes that buildings are a major source of national emissions. This coalition of building sector leaders are focused on accelerating the pathway to net zero and driving climate action. As a dynamic think-and-do tank, CSBA focuses strategic collaborations to advance new ideas, solutions and systems that will expedite the pathway to net zero.

Canada Infrastructure Bank

The Canada Infrastructure Bank (CIB) is driving Canada’s retrofit market, leveraging a $2 billion investment to enhance energy efficiency in large-scale buildings. Called the Building Retrofits Initiative, it leverages Investor Ready Energy Efficiency (IREE) certification to validate retrofit projects receiving this financing. Through the Initiative, CIB is driving tangible market shifts that prioritize efficiency and help grow Canada’s retrofit market.

Mindful Materials

Mindful Materials drives the adoption of low-impact materials across the built environment, recognizing that material selection is crucial for both sustainability and long-term asset value. Through the CAGBC Sustainable Materials Accelerator, members learn practices aligning with Canada’s climate goals, improving efficiency and mitigating regulatory risks. Our efforts support high-performance buildings that meet stakeholder demands and strengthen ESG profiles.

Key initiatives

CAGBC works with its partners to deliver market-responsive programming and initiatives that ensure sustainability is advanced through practical solutions. Explore some of our latest initiatives.

Retrofits Now

Retrofits Now is a CAGBC initiative to accelerate low carbon retrofits in commercial and multi-unit residential buildings. Retrofits Now will help equip Canada’s real estate sector with real-word, practical approaches based on Purpose Building’s Private Sector Retrofit Accelerator, a multi-year program that will scale up of the deep retrofit market by making transition planning services and support available to building owners and managers. Funding for the program is provided by Natural Resources Canada’s Deep Retrofit Accelerator Initiative (DRAI).

Transition Planning Now

CAGBC, through funding from the Government of Canada, kicked off a project to support the decarbonization of existing buildings. Entitled Transition Planning: A Tool for Accelerating High Performance Building Codes, this project will facilitate the transition to net-zero emissions buildings by providing support and developing guidance for owners that they can use to create asset-level transition plans.

Burying Carbon in Buildings

With funding from Environment and Climate Change Canada, CAGBC exploring ways to quantify and maximize potential emissions reductions from Carbon Capture and Utilization in Cementitious Building Materials (CCU-CBM) technologies. CAGBC will share relevant information to inform technical assessment, policy development, industry training, and procurement practices to support continued market adoption.
Read the market primer.

National Embodied Carbon Summit

This annual event unites diverse stakeholders from industry, government, and academia to tackle systematic barriers in reducing embodied carbon. Aiming for a 40 percent reduction in new construction emissions by 2030, as outlined by the World Green Building Council, participants collaborate on identifying and implementing solutions to enable market transformation. For more insights, explore our white paper, “Embodied Carbon: A Primer for Buildings in Canada.”