(Victoria, B.C. – August 29, 2022) – A new affinity partnership between Passive House Canada (PHC) and the Ontario General Contractors Association (OGCA) will support construction market leaders in obtaining Passive House certification – the only internationally recognized, performance-based energy standard in construction.
The partnership will offer deep, “member’s pricing” discounts to members of the OGCA who wish to take the 150 Pathway to Certification for Trades course or any of the 120A courses. The first offering for the fall semester begins on October 25 at Toronto’s George Brown College.
Are you an OGCA member? Get your promo code by emailing: [email protected]
The partnership comes at a critical time for the construction industry. Just this year, Ontario announced it is investing over $158 billion in infrastructure projects to support schools, hospitals, public transit, roads, bridges and access to high-speed internet. At the same time, the high-performance building market is growing exponentially, as value-driven consumers recognize the long-term value of Passive Housing. According to the International Passive House Association, Passive House-certified floor area worldwide has risen to over 3,200,000 m² TFA in June this year, comprising more than 5,250 Passive House buildings, and marking an exponential increase from previous years.
Skilled trades are up to seven times less likely to be trained in Passive House than architects and designers, creating a vital gap in the industry.
“Entire crews are sometimes required to be certified for a company to bid competitively on high-performance building projects,” says PHC Senior Manager, Luiz Bezerra. “This partnership will open doors for OGCA members and their workers to be successful at those bids and in completing those projects,” he adds.
Image: The number of passive house certifications worldwide have risen exponentially in the past decade (image courtesy International Passive House Association)
“OGCA members are some of the most innovative construction employers in the world,” says OGCA president, Giovanni Cautillo. “We are proud to announce this partnership with Passive House Canada and help more general contractors educate their workforce to build to the highest energy standards. This program is one of the many exclusive discounts, benefits, and preferred rates from great companies to help our members continue to build towards the success of Ontario.”
OGCA members are encouraged to explore the 150 Trades courses (in person and online), as well as Pathway to certification and 120A-level courses. With its mix of course work and hands-on learning, participants in the 150 Pathway to Passive House certification for trades course have opportunities to work with sample materials from Passive House-certified suppliers as they learn the elements of air-tight building envelopes, ventilation systems, and much more, which can help to cut down on costly project errors.
ABOUT THE ONTARIO GENERAL CONTRACTORS’ ASSOCIATION
The OGCA is the pro-active voice for all general contracting issues across the Province of Ontario. For more than 82 years the OGCA has diligently worked to build Ontario by directly assisting our members to deliver construction excellence in the Industrial, Commercial and Institutional sectors. Our members include small, medium and large firms representing both union and open-shop contractors.
OGCA members account for approximately 70% of all of Ontario’s Industrial, Commercial and Institutional (ICI) projects and the majority of all Alternative Finance Projects (AFPs). The association works to educate and advocate for members on health and safety excellence, innovation and an improved contracting climate.
Web: https://ogca.ca
Media Contact: Erich Schmidt, Manager, Innovation and Public Affairs | 1+ 416-939-4749
ABOUT PASSIVE HOUSE CANADA
Passive House Canada is a national non-profit professional association that advocates for and educates on the Passive House high-performance building standard. Our mission is to make the International Passive House standard of building performance understood, achievable, and adopted by government, industry, professionals, and the public around the world through education, advocacy, events, and building projects as a proven tool to mitigate the climate crisis.
Recognized by the United Nations as the optimal way to build healthy, climate-resilient, affordable, and energy-efficient residential, institutional, and commercial buildings through all stages of design, construction, and livability, Passive House sharply reduces greenhouse gas emissions and provides resilient, future-proof structures that can withstand extreme weather related to climate change.
Web: https://www.passivehousecanada.com
Media Contact: Erin Vollick, Manager of Communications & Marketing | 1+ 514-714-0864
