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HomeMy WebLinkAboutMarch 18, 2008 Cillf o~ Minutes I Meeting Summary Sustainable Pickering Advisory Committee March 18,2008 10:00 am Main Committee Room Attendees: Doug Dickerson, City Councillor, Ward 2 (Chair) Jennifer O'Connell, City Councillor, Ward 1 (Vice-Chair) Bonnie Littley, Regional Councillor, Ward 1 Tom Melymuk, Director, Office of Sustainability Neil Carroll, Director, Planning & Development Shawna Mutton, Coordinator, Community Sustainability Lynda Taylor, Manager, Development Review Tim Moore, Chief Building Official Ross Pym, Principal Planner - Development Review Tyler Barnet, Senior Planner - Site Planning Hena Kabir, Planner II - Site Planning Jack McGinnis - Durham Sustain Ability Marla Shim, Executive Assistant, Council (Recording Secretary) Guests: Craig Cassarino - Leonardo Technologies Inc. Ron Engelman - Leonardo Technologies Inc. Chris Gates, Manager, Sustainable Energy - Enbridge Gas (Pickering resident) Peter Ostrowski, Section Manager Civil Design & Analysis - OPG (Pickering resident) Jiri Skopek, Director - ECD Energy and Environment Stephen Fagyas - Commercial Focus Advisory Services Inc. Absent: David Pickles, City Councillor, Ward 3 Item I Details & Discussion & Conclusion Action Items I Status Ref # (summary of discussion) (include deadline as appropriate) 1. Welcome Councillor Dickerson welcomed everyone to the meeting and gave regrets for the Mayor who was unable to attend due to a conflicting meeting. 2. Sustainable Pickering Challenge . Tom gave a detailed background of the Sustainable Pickering program and explained that it started with a Council resolution, which has since developed into three phases: 1. Building Local Understanding and Capacity 2. Developing a Solid Foundation and Framework Page 1 CORP0228-2/02 3. Creating the Sustainable City · Currently in phase three of the journey · Three calculators: idling, energy and water are being developed by an outside agency to be displayed on sustainablepickering.com. These calculators will give residents the opportunity to see, first hand, the effects of their consumption. · Behavioral and educational awareness is crucial · Transportation should be a biq focus for Durham 3. Green Globes Jiri gave a detailed description of the Green Globes program: - online assessment protocol, rating system and guidance for green building design, operation and management - 500 buildings have been 100 certified - report prepared with documented data - if new buildings are not managed in a green way, they will not stay green - need continuity for design and maintenance in order to stay green - studies being done on green buildings in Toronto - currently working with Lisa King of the City of Toronto's Planning Department - online report being generated and verification being done by reviewing preliminary drawings and specifications - review of environmental impacts can be tied to project delivery and development process - move right into existing building process and engage in the continuing improvement by having a regular review program - more information can be obtained by visiting www.greenglobes.com . Question raised as to how much authority the City has to require internal assessments for new development . Neil advised that under policies, we do not have the authority, but that there is new authority provided to the City through Bill 51 to address sustainable elements . Building code recently changed, but has not leaped into major energy conservation initiatives . It was noted that until the City develops policies, we do not have authority and are currently in the transition phase, but are open to exploring other standards . Staff need to get more education and experience in these conservation techniques and in the interim would need consulting assistance to bring this expertise to the City Page 2 CORP0228-2/02 . Question raised as to what the difference is between Green Globes and LEED . Jiri advised that LEED certification requires a lot more administration / paperwork and takes a long time, whereas the emphasis of Green Globes is to have a more efficient and less bureaucratic process that does not produce a great deal of paperwork . The proof is not in fancy designs, but in building operations . Need appropriate education for architects and engineers and less green consultants . Developers could take the Sustainable Pickering Challenge by using a tool such as Green Globes and partnering with the City - the City could offer incentives (fast tracking etc.) . When the challenge idea was established, they were looking for simplicity and LEED is very complicated . If user friendly, people are more apt to get on board and do not need a great deal of information . Peter explained that the process of building code development is very lengthy and that in order to see results, we would need to be ten years ahead. If implemented today, we will not see results until 2015 . Would need educational code to drive the process . Blair Feltmate is the new OPG Director of Sustainability . OPG holding a conference next Friday for industry to Tom M. to attend OPG share ideas and look at the bottom line conference . We cannot afford to price ourselves out of the market . Research shows that clients are willing to pay a premium for green upgrades in their new home . Link to bottom line and best bang for buck is educating the public and paying consultants for reports that are user friendly . Our biggest challenge is finding what is needed in Pickering, as opposed to Toronto . Tremendous opportunities for building R2000 standard homes . Retrofitting is more expensive, but can be a major challenge, unless individuals know how to do it properly . Need to have a central"green" database in Canada that the average person can easily access 4. Measuring Sustainability - Plenary Session . Jack reported that the plenary session were successful: - The five working groups came up with 230 indicators - Really good discussion which resulted with feedback on 30 to 35 priority items Page 3 CORP0228-2/02 - Look at developing a "dashboard" approach to organizing and promoting the indicators - Town Hall meetings will be held in the beginning of Shawna to coordinate May . OPG has a process where they use red, yellow and green as a way to report on progress each quarter 5. Other Business . Councillor O'Connell advised that as a Library Board Shawna will action member, she would like to look into the Library having a linkage opportunity with Sustainable Pickering . Look at how they can improve library services and provide information to residents that will assist in achieving our goal in sustainability . It was suggested that the CEO of the Library or a designated senior staff member attend a future meeting . Councillor O'Connell advised that volunteers are needed for the Great Waterfront Trail Adventure Ride on July 6th . Councillor Dickerson suggested that perhaps Enbridge and OPG can look into ways that their companies can fit Marla will circulate into our sustainable program . It was suggested that if attendees would like to be on the agendas and minutes agenda for future meetings, they should contact Shawna to committee attendees in future 6. Next Meeting To be determined. Meeting Adjourned: 12:00 pm. Copy: All Members Chief Administrative Officer Directors City Clerk Page 4 CORP0228-2/02