With 2021 coming to an end, I reflect on the year and am happy to see the progress our members and Passive House Canada team have made in advocating for the Passive House Standard across Canada. Together we have built buildings, raised awareness, reached new audiences, taught thousands and recruited new members. The new year will bring some exciting developments for Passive House Canada and the Canadian passive house movement. I look forward to sharing them with you in the months ahead.
This year has been another challenging year for climate change in Canada, but progress is being made and Passive House Canada is being seen by more decision makers and influencers as having an important and viable solution.
We are happy to see the federal government developing Canada’s first-ever National Adaption Strategy with resilience playing a central role. This was announced in the recent Speech from the Throne, which outlines the government’s focus in the coming years. This plan will prevent and prepare for floods, wildfires, droughts, coastline erosion and other extreme weather made more frequent and deadly by climate change; weather the west coast has been experiencing these past months.
It is past time for all governments to move on climate proofing Canada. The passive house movement can contribute to ensuring buildings are not only healthy, comfortable and low carbon, but also climate resilient. The federal government also declared it is looking to cut oil and gas sector emissions while accelerating Canada’s path to a 100 percent net zero electric future. At Passive House Canada, our position is clear: because of its inherent low-energy requirements, passive house buildings using smart electrical systems, will help minimize the transformational costs for governments and consumers by reducing load demands and managing the need for generation, transmission and distribution systems. As we “electrify everything,” we must ensure our grid is prepared.
PHC is happy to join Climate Proof Canada, a coalition that includes the Intact Centre for Climate Change, insurance industry, municipal governments, indigenous organizations, environmental NGOs and research organizations to encourage the federal government to act now to create a culture of preparedness and build a more disaster resilient country. PHC continues to collaborate with stakeholders and talk to government at all levels to push for a more resilient Canada. At Passive House Canada, we remain committed to meet net-zero carbon building targets. We’re doing so through education, technical support and policy development.
I wish you a happy holiday season and a safe and prosperous 2022. I look forward to your contributions to advancing the passive house movement. We will continue to advocate on your behalf.
Lastly, I apologize to Minister Wilkinson, our federal Minister of Natural Resources, for misspelling his name in last month’s letter. The blame is entirely mine.
Happy holidays and all the best in 2022!
