By integrating nature-based solutions into your infrastructure, building or retrofit planning, you can not only build resilience to climate change but also help to sustain local biodiversity, improve air and water quality, and offer physical and mental health benefits. Within the development of green infrastructure, natural assets such as wetlands, forests, meadows, shorelines, lakes, ponds, and groundwater aquifers can be incorporated into municipal services such as stormwater management, flood control, and erosion control in order to promote resilience to climate change and achieve a net gain in biodiversity.

This factsheet will give you valuable information about why integrating nature-based solutions into municipal infrastructure projects is a great investment. Defining key terms such as biodiversity, natural assets, and green infrastructure, it will guide you through important considerations for integrating the benefits of nature into your projects.
 

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2018 Results

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$100,000 in annual electricity cost savings 

icon energy

700,000 kWh in annual energy savings

Summary

The City of Markham, in Ontario, held a Battle of the Buildings competition inspired by Energy Star's National Building Competition and designed to empower and encourage facility staff and users to reduce electricity consumption through practical low- and no-cost operational and behavioral changes, while also boosting engagement and awareness around energy efficiency.

Background

The competition was initiated by the City of Markham’s Manager of Corporate Energy in response to the development of a Corporate Energy Management Plan in 2014 and has inspired other municipalities to do the same, such as the Regional ClimateWise Challenge in York Region.

This case study focuses on the last competition held in 2018. In 2019, Markham updated their Corporate Energy Management Plan and needed to re-align the competition with the new baseline. The competition was set to restart in 2020, however, external factors, including the Covid-19 pandemic, disrupted these plans and the competition has not yet restarted.  

From its inception to its final year in 2018, the competition demonstrated a commitment to sustainable practices and community involvement, emphasizing the importance of energy efficiency and environmental stewardship.

What the competition set out to achieve

The objective of the competition was to educate staff on how local facilities use energy and how to identify operational behavioral changes that could significantly impact energy consumption, cost savings and greenhouse gas emissions reduction.

Approach

The competition ran for four years from 2015 to 2018. In 2015, the initial competition ran for three months, from January to March, and participation was limited to large community centres. From 2016 onward, the competition extended to six months (January to June) and participation was opened to both large and small community centres, as well as administrative facilities. Participants competed in separate categories based on facility type.

To encourage staff participation and make energy efficiency more engaging, prizes were awarded to winners of five categories based on overall energy reductions (Table 1). 

Table 1. 2018 Battle of the Buildings award categories

Award categories

Overall reduction (%)

Most energy-efficient building Lowest electricity intensity (kWh/square foot)
PlatinumBest energy reduction performer
GoldAt least 15%
SilverAt least 10%
BronzeAt least 5%

Some of the prizes included monthly pizza lunches and movie tickets. The big prize for winning the battle was $1,000 which could be used by the winning team toward energy conservation initiatives such as weather sealing and LED light installation. Overall, the budget for visuals, posters, food, certificates, movie tickets and prizes was about $10,000, excluding staff time.

Barriers and solutions

Markham’s energy staff encountered several challenges running the competition, including: 

  • setting accurate baselines
  • designing effective incentive structures
  • preparing clear informational materials
  • dedicating sufficient staff time and resources to manage the competition efficiently

Staff overcame challenges by creating an engaging communication plan, using easy-to-understand visuals and reporting results in relatable terms such as energy and cost savings. They collaborated with the communications department to produce materials such as posters, banners and newsletters while recognizing achievements through monthly celebrations.

Data analysis was conducted to track anomalies, and the competition was gradually scaled up with feedback-driven improvements. The City also engaged local post-secondary students and interns to assist with the launch of the competition.

Results in 2018

  • Annual electricity cost savings of $100,000.
  • Annual electricity savings of more than 700,000 kWh.
  • In total, the winning facility achieved a cumulative energy reduction of 24% over six months, while the second- and third-place facilities reduced their energy consumption by 15% and 12% respectively.
  • Overall, the average energy reduction from this effort across all participating facilities was 8%.
  • The winners of the 2018 categories can be found in Table 2. 

Table 2. 2018 Battle of the Buildings winners

Certificate / Award 

Overall reduction (%)

Winners

Platinum Best energy reduction performerCentennial Community Centre
Gold >15% energy reduction Centennial Community Centre
8100 Warden 
Silver >10% energy reduction Markham Village Arena
Crosby Arena
Clatworthy Arena 
Bronze >5% energy reduction Angus Glen Community Centre
Civic Centre
Pan Am Community Centre
Cornell Community Centre 
Most energy-efficient building Large multi-use Milliken Mills Community Centre 
Most energy-efficient building Small arena Markham Village Arena 
Most energy-efficient building Fitness and administrative 8100 Warden 

Benefits

The competition engaged and educated facility staff by encouraging them to review energy data and bills, exchange ideas and improve their awareness of energy use and management. It fostered the adoption of best practices, generated project ideas aimed at improving efficiency and triggered investigations into anomalies or re-commissioning projects. Additionally, it made the workplace more fun and collaborative.

Lessons learned

Lessons learned from the competition include:

  • The importance of extending the timeline to six months for better engagement and even considering expanding it to 12 months.  
  • The scope of the competition could be expanded to include thermal energy monitoring and reporting (i.e., natural gas, district energy).  
  • Installing real-time energy meters would support timely data analysis and quicker anomaly detection.  
  • Incorporating weather normalization into the process is recommended.  
  • Engaging local staff to read meters can provide immediate results.  
  • Running the competition is time-intensive and requires sufficient staffing capacity. Hiring interns and college students was essential to success.

Next steps

The City of Markham has no current plans to relaunch the competition, but remains interested in pursuing it in the future. Presently, the staff continues to advance corporate energy efficiency by analyzing more trends in real-time metering and building automation systems (BAS) and adding thermal (natural gas and district energy) tracking. The City aims to create a recommissioning program with predictable cycles between BAS retrofits and to align its baseline to its new five-year corporate energy management plan.

Related resources

Community Buildings Retrofit initiative

Higher performance is within reach—access funding and resources for community building upgrades

Read more

Factsheets: Community Buildings Retrofit initiative

How to retrofit existing community buildings to lower GHG emissions and extend their life cycle.

Read more

Guide: Taking your indoor ice rink to net zero

Learn how to develop an actionable roadmap to net zero ice rinks

Read more

Want to explore all GMF-funded projects? Check out the Projects Database for a complete overview of funded projects and get inspired by municipalities of all sizes, across Canada.

Visit the projects database

 

Discover how standards can help your municipality tackle climate risks head-on. This one-hour webinar explored how the Canadian Standards Association (CSA) Group National Flood Resilience standards and other tools could elevate your municipality's climate action.  

The webinar was delivered in English with French simultaneous interpretation (SI).

Watch the webinar recording to learn more about:  

  • What national standards and guides can strengthen your municipal climate adaptation plans
  • Practical steps for incorporating these standards into municipal bylaws and policies
  • Real-world examples of municipalities that have successfully used these standards to mitigate climate risks

Speakers:

  • Jeff Menard, Program Manager, CSA Group  
  • Bill Given, CAO, Jasper, AB, and former mayor of Grand Prairie, AB

This webinar is especially beneficial for municipal staff involved in climate planning, asset management and community resilience initiatives, particularly in communities with limited resources or in-house expertise. It will be most valuable for municipalities at the beginning stages of planning and developing a climate strategy. 

FCM’s Local Leadership for Climate Adaptation initiative is delivered through our Green Municipal Fund and funded by the Government of Canada.

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The Climate-Ready Communities (CRC) Assessment Tool empowers local governments to evaluate and enhance their climate adaptation efforts. Through a structured self-assessment, the CRC assessment tool can help your municipality identify gaps and next steps and find effective ways to integrate adaptation into existing municipal processes. The pillars of the CRC Assessment Tool are interdependent. Each play an important role in supporting a community's pathway to becoming more resilient to climate impacts.
 

Evaluate your climate adaptation progress and identify how you can boost resilience with the Climate-Ready Communities Assessment Tool

Benefits: Helps municipalities evaluate their climate adaptation efforts, pinpoint areas for improvement, and create a clear plan for strengthening adaptation efforts.

What you will learn: Gain insights into your municipality's current resilience, identify key areas for growth, and develop actionable strategies to integrate climate adaptation into existing processes.

Who should use it: Designed for local governments of all sizes and locations across Canada.

Access the Tool
Please download the file and save it to your computer to ensure full functionality.


Things to know before you begin

Collaborative Process: This tool is meant to be used in collaboration with key municipal departments.

Time Commitment: The tool is designed to be thorough, and municipalities should expect to dedicate approximately one week to gather input, assess current resilience, and develop a roadmap for improvement.

 

 

Reconciliation & Inclusion

Find tips and examples to help you envision what it looks like to integrate Reconciliation, anti-racism, equity and inclusion into your climate adaptation activities.

Download the tip sheet

 
 
 

Asset Management

Find tips and examples of using your existing asset management practices to boost climate adaptation efforts.

Download the tip sheet

 
 
 


 

Starting Point: If your municipality has not yet conducted a climate risk assessment, it is recommended to start there. The tool builds on this foundational work.

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The Green Municipal Fund’s Sustainable Affordable Housing (SAH) initiative offers support to affordable housing providers—including municipal and not-for-profit organizations and housing co-ops—to construct energy-efficient new builds or retrofit existing affordable housing units that reduce GHG emissions.

Because a deep energy retrofit can be disruptive, engaging with residents is an important part of the process. This webinar aims to help housing providers develop their own plans for resident engagement that consider the unique circumstances of each project.

This webinar was delivered in English with French simultaneous interpretation. 

Watch the webinar recording to learn:

  • How to effectively communicate to residents the challenges and disruptions associated with a deep energy retrofit, as well as the tangible benefits they’ll see as a result
  • Examples of best practices for resident engagement, such as training for new equipment
  • The positive effects of effectively engaging with residents to emphasize benefits such as energy efficiency, cost savings and quality of life
  • Lessons learned from previous projects that can be adapted and applied to your own project
  • How SAH’s funding and resources can help your project

Speakers:

  • Kaitlin Carroll, The Atmospheric Fund
  • Jon Jackson, Sarcee Meadows Co-op

FCM’s Sustainable Affordable Housing initiative is delivered through our Green Municipal Fund and funded by the Government of Canada.

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Event Details

Location
Online
Icon depicting a green checklist alongside a thermometer with a leaf, representing climate readiness and sustainable practices.

Climate hazards like flooding, drought, extreme storms, and increased precipitation pose significant challenges to communities across Canada's diverse and varied landscapes. While these challenges are experienced differently across regions, they can threaten the reliability of municipal infrastructure and the vital services they deliver to residents and businesses. 

It is important that local governments prioritize and integrate climate planning into their municipal decision-making processes so that they can guarantee the efficiency of infrastructure for current and future climate impacts.

Learn about the importance of integrating climate action into asset management planning with the Building climate resilience with asset management course. 

This free, 10-module course is self-paced, with each module taking approximately 30-45 minutes to complete. It is designed for municipal practitioners from communities of all sizes, who are already familiar with the basic concepts of climate resilience and are looking to take their planning to the next level.

In this course, you’ll learn about: 

  • How weather and climate change impact regions, communities and people
  • A framework for building climate resilience with asset management
  • How setting levels of service fits into municipal climate resilience
  • How to embed climate resilience strategies into your community’s plans and processes

Register today

 

This webinar highlights the role of community energy systems in helping municipalities implement innovative, sustainable energy solutions that reduce emissions while fostering local economic development. Through GMF’s new Accelerating community energy systems funded learning initiative, municipalities can access tailored support and funding to assess, plan and deploy community energy solutions, driving zero-emission strategies.

This webinar was delivered in both French and English with simultaneous interpretation.

Watch the webinar recording to learn more about:

  • The transformative impact of community energy systems on reducing GHG emissions, boosting local economic development and building partnerships.
  • GMF’s new funded learning initiative, designed as an “on-ramp” to help municipalities explore and implement community energy projects.
  • Tailored support available for municipalities during the application and project development process.
  • Unique opportunities for mid-sized municipalities to access funding and resources to launch CES projects.
  • Real-world case studies and best practices for securing funding and implementing energy solutions.
  • Practical steps for municipalities to apply for this initiative and advance their energy transition goals.

Panelists:

  • Lydia Fialka, District Energy Strategy Lead, Integrated Infrastructure Services, City of Edmonton
  • Alen Postolka, P.Eng, CEM, CP, Director, District Energy/Chief Operating Officer, Lulu Island Energy Company Ltd.

Explore how your municipality can accelerate its energy transition and unlock funding opportunities through GMF’s support. Don’t miss this opportunity to fast-track your municipality’s transition to sustainable energy solutions.  

FCM’s Accelerating Community Energy Systems initiative is delivered through the Green Municipal Fund and funded by the Government of Canada.
 

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Have you considered how to put equity at the centre of your tree planting projects? This factsheet explores ways that local governments and community partners can centre equity in their urban forestry plans and practices.  

What is tree equity?

Tree equity is a dimension of urban forestry that seeks to address disparities in how urban forests and other greenspaces are distributed in communities across Canada. It involves taking steps to improve access to local trees and greenspaces for those who are statistically the least likely to benefit from these spaces. By applying an equity lens to urban forestry, local governments and their partners can assess how trees are distributed across neighbourhoods in relation to factors such as race, culture, income or education. This can help inform tree planting efforts and ongoing tree maintenance.

Tree equity also means ensuring all communities have a voice and are active participants in the planning and management of tree planting projects. There are many ways to put equity at the centre of these projects. For example, you can prioritize planting more trees in low-income neighbourhoods, ensure accessibility features are included in project designs and hire suppliers and tradespeople from equity-deserving groups.

Beyond individual planting projects, local governments can work with community partners to ensure that the urban forest as a whole is managed in a way that is equitable and inclusive, involving multiple stakeholders and rights holders in decision making and stewardship. 

Why is advancing tree equity important? 

Advancing equity in urban forestry is vital to ensuring that the benefits provided by trees and greenspace are available to all.  

In Canada, historical and current instances of environmental racism have led to equity-deserving groups (including racialized residents, low-income residents and residents with disabilities) being more likely to live in neighbourhoods with low tree canopy cover and limited access to greenspaces. These trends appear in communities of all sizes.  

Key resource: Nature Canada’s report, Bringing the Canopy to All, shows that in communities across Canada, neighbourhoods with greater proportions of low-income and racialized residents often have lower tree canopy cover than more affluent and less racialized neighbourhoods.

The social, environmental and economic benefits provided by trees are indispensable in creating liveable and healthy communities. Communities that lack adequate tree coverage are more vulnerable to health impacts from environmental hazards like extreme heat, air pollution and flooding. By improving access to trees and adopting equity-focused approaches to urban forest projects, local governments can: 

  • Reduce the number of heat-related deaths and illnesses in equity-deserving communities.
  • Lower residents’ utilities bills in areas experiencing energy poverty.
  • Create outdoor gathering spaces to increase social connection and improve mental and physical health in nature-deprived areas.
  • Improve resilience to flooding and other extreme weather events in high-risk areas with aging infrastructure. 

For more information on the benefits of trees, review our factsheet on making the case for trees in your community.

Equity Goals – The 3-30-300 Rule (conceived by urban forester Cecil Konijnendijk in this article)

The 3-30-300 rule states that everyone should be able to see at least three trees from their home, that all neighbourhoods should have at least a 30 percent tree canopy, and that all residents should have a greenspace of at least one hectare within 300 metres of where they live.
 
Nature Canada offers other considerations for equitable urban forests, including that everyone should have access to high-quality and biodiverse urban forests, and that everyone should have the opportunity to be active participants in governance and decision-making. 

How can local governments advance tree equity through urban forestry? 

Advancing tree equity requires a vision, setting priorities, innovative thinking to shift the status-quo, collaboration and accountability. Where resources are limited, local governments should prioritize investing in low-income neighborhoods with low canopy cover. These investments have the potential to provide greater benefits, significantly improve quality of life and create resilience to climate change impacts.  

Wherever possible, local governments should collaborate with community organizations, particularly those led by equity-deserving groups, to collect data, lead consultations and inform decision-making. 

Assess your urban tree canopy cover to identify opportunities for equitable planting 

An important first step is to create a baseline tree inventory and canopy cover assessment. Conducting a spatial inventory using aerial or satellite imagery will help determine which areas have low canopy cover. If you already have a more detailed tree inventory, you can use it to learn more about specific gaps or areas with fewer and less diverse trees.

Next, collect data about the communities living in these areas. You can use census data or other surveying techniques to learn about the people living in these neighbourhoods. Resources such as HealthyPlan.City or American Forests’ Tree Equity Score can help you understand how different equity indicators, such as income, race or age, are represented across your community and in areas with low canopy cover.  

For more information on tools and technologies that can be used to help map and monitor urban forests, review our urban forestry technology and tools factsheet

Example: The Region of Peel, ON, brought together planners, conservation authorities, foresters, municipal officials and public health professionals to identify the environmental, economic and social priorities that could be addressed by tree planting. The group developed a detailed map identifying neighbourhood vulnerabilities to issues such as extreme heat. This map combined data such as canopy cover, socioeconomic factors and the adaptive capacity of each neighbourhood to create a Vulnerability Index Score. Peel is using the scores now to prioritize tree planting initiatives in neighbourhoods across the region.  

Develop urban forestry plans and policies that centre equity and create accountability 

Plans made today about planting, tree protection and management will have lasting impacts for generations. An urban forest management plan (UFMP) articulates a local government’s goals and sets out a roadmap for implementation and tracking progress made towards the management, expansion and protection of healthy and resilient urban forests.

If your municipality does not currently have a UFMP or is planning a new edition, consider how equity can be embedded in the plan as a key performance indicator or a guiding principle. This will create greater accountability for including equity considerations in future planting or management activities. A UFMP should have information on the current state of the urban forest (including areas with low tree equity) and a list of priority actions to address identified gaps.

If your municipality is not currently updating or developing a UFMP, consider other policy opportunities or strategic initiatives to increase equity. This could include creating or updating a tree planting action strategy that centres tree equity, developing tree protection bylaws, or updating your municipality’s public engagement strategy to better connect with diverse communities.  

Example: The City of Winnipeg’s Urban Forest Strategy integrates equity considerations as foundational principles. It lays out specific goals and actions to achieve equitable distribution of tree and forest assets across the community and to foster Reconciliation and stewardship through purposeful partnerships. 

Involve equity deserving groups in decision-making

A key aspect of equity-focused urban forestry is gaining perspectives and input from diverse communities, particularly those that are historically marginalized and underserved. The following are some best practices related to community engagement:

  • Provide information that is culturally and linguistically accessible.
  • Consult communities on the timing, format and location of any public consultation activities. Provide accommodations so that they can actively participate.
  • Seek out and include all relevant community members, including Indigenous peoples whose rights may be affected by urban forest management activities.  
  • Approach different equity-deserving groups based on their specific protocols for engagement and in collaboration with community organizations representing these groups.
  • Build intentional relationships with diverse communities at all stages of the planning process. Before making any decisions, gather input on community values and interests. Continue engagement after a project is complete.  

Working with external consultants with lived experience who specialize in conducting community-based consultations with equity-deserving groups is an important way to ensure your engagement approaches follow best practices.  

Example: Halifax Regional Municipality adopted specific consultation strategies for engaging with Indigenous, African Canadian and Acadian and Francophone communities in the development of its Urban Forest Management Plan. An engagement summary for each community group is included with the materials for the draft plan.  

Key resource: Tamarack Institute’s guide to advancing climate equity through place-based collaboration highlights important questions, ideas, stories and resources that local governments can use to collaborate and engage meaningfully with community members. 

Leverage partnerships to achieve tree planting and other equity goals 

Ambitious tree planting in communities across Canada is needed to meet canopy cover targets and increase tree equity. However, planting trees in areas with low canopy cover is often challenging due to the lack of plantable areas, high impervious surface cover, poor soil quality and other factors.

An important way to tackle this challenge is to leverage partnerships to increase access to plantable spaces and get more trees into the ground. Partnerships with community organizations and housing projects, schools, hospitals and other places with suitable land and community access can provide opportunities to increase canopy cover in neighbourhoods where people live, work and go to school.  

On private property, programs designed to encourage and subsidize planting trees for residents, schools and businesses are important ways to increase canopy cover. For the survival and health of the trees planted, build in educational opportunities to ensure trees are planted properly and to cultivate a shared stewardship over the trees in your community.

Collectively, these partnerships offer ways to extend the benefits of the urban forest across more of the community, foster public buy-in, and integrate more perspectives and experiences into the management of the urban forest. 

Example: La Société de verdissement du Montréal métropolitain (Soverdi) is a non-governmental organization that works with local governments and institutional and other private landowners in Montreal to identify suitable locations and plant trees to provide canopy cover to equity-deserving communities who will benefit the most.  

Next steps

Here are additional resources that can help you get started with advancing tree equity and growing community canopies: 


This resource was created in partnership by Tree Canada and FCM’s Green Municipal Fund for the Growing Canada’s Community Canopies initiative, which is delivered by the Federation of Canadian Municipalities and funded by the Government of Canada.   

 

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