Toronto announces 10 major green-focused projects

City of Toronto has announced it will initiate 10 major projects this year to significantly reduce greenhouse gas emissions in Toronto as part of its TransformTO Climate Action Strategy and commitment to create a low-carbon city.

These projects will be supported by $52 million in funding from the Province of Ontario’s Municipal GHG Challenge Fund.

“These projects are another example of the City, the province, the federal government and the private sector working together to deliver real results for residents,” said Mayor John Tory in a media release. “Along with delivering cost-effective greenhouse gas emission reductions, these projects will help save money and generate revenue for the City that we can invest in services for our residents.”

The projects will expand high-performance buildings, low-carbon thermal energy networks, electric vehicles and biogas utilization.

The 10 projects include:

• The Toronto Transit Commission (TTC) will replace 30 clean diesel buses with 30 battery-powered electric buses.

• A biogas upgrading facility and renewable natural gas injection infrastructure will be built at the Dufferin Organics Processing Facility.

• 220 light-duty gasoline-powered City fleet vehicles will be replaced with 156 battery electric and 64 plug-in hybrid vehicles.

• A building-wide energy retrofit of Toronto Paramedic Services headquarters will result in annual energy savings of 1,186,000 kWh of electricity and 232,000 cubic metres of natural gas.

• The City’s first net zero facility, an early learning and childcare centre, will be constructed in the Mount Dennis neighbourhood. [designed to Passive House standards to drastically reduce energy requirements; and meeting all remaining energy needs with a combination of a ground- or air-source heat pump system, and solar photovoltaics]

• A renewable geo-exchange system will be installed at the St. Lawrence Market, one of the most important historical sites in Toronto. [A 60-hole borefield coupled to a high-efficiency ground-source heat pump will provide heating and cooling to the new St. Lawrence Market North building. As a result, the building is expected to consume 75% less natural gas and 51% less energy overall.]

• A renewable thermal energy system will serve the Etobicoke Civic Centre Precinct, a City-owned brownfield development master-planned to be Toronto’s first net zero community.

• A geo-exchange thermal energy network will serve seven existing condominium buildings in Liberty Village. [City-owned land south of the buildings will provide the space for the borefield. Thermal energy from the geo-exchange system will be distributed to the mechanical rooms of each building, facilitated by a new riser pipe. Geo-exchange will contribute 85% of required space heating and domestic hot water energy, and 74% of space cooling energy.]

• A hybrid geo-exchange thermal energy network will be developed as part of the redevelopment of the City-owned Canada Square Lands at 2180 and 2200 Yonge St./Yonge and Eglinton.

• A near zero emissions geo-exchange thermal energy network (district energy system) will be developed as part of a new affordable housing development on
City-owned property at 253 Markham Rd. [A geo-exchange system will satisfy 100% of the space heating and cooling requirement, and 100% of the heat required for domestic hot water.]

In 2017, City Council unanimously adopted TransformTO, Toronto’s Climate Action Strategy, which set a long-term framework and target for reducing city-wide greenhouse gas emissions by 80% by 2050 (from 1990 levels) and made a commitment for the City to lead by example.