Climate Action
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BOMA BC's Climate Action initiative helps the commercial real estate industry reduce its carbon footprint and achieve net-zero emissions through energy efficiency and sustainable practices. The program offers education, resources, and advocacy to support the adoption of green technologies and eco-friendly operations.
Focused on collaboration, it connects members with industry-wide efforts to meet climate goals and regulations. Our efforts aim to create a greener, more resilient built environment while helping members stay competitive and compliant in a changing landscape.
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BC Hydro Partnership
BOMA BC entered a new two-year contribution agreement with BC Hydro in March 2024, building on the success of our previous partnership that ended in 2023. The 2024 agreement focuses on addressing market gaps in research and tools to advance energy management and decarbonization in commercial real estate. Key initiatives include developing a Decarbonization Planning Guide, researching ESG programs and platforms, and studying tenant preferences for environmentally conscious buildings. BOMA also conducted a major review of utilities across the province to assess challenges in accessing building energy consumption data. Additional research reports and guides are planned for publication in 2025. BOMA BC’s partnership with BC Hydro has been key to advancing industry knowledge and delivering practical tools.
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Emissions Reporting
Throughout 2024, BOMA BC actively engaged in consultations with the City of Vancouver as it launched a bylaw requiring mandatory energy and emissions reporting for large commercial buildings. BOMA hosted multiple forums where City representatives shared details on timelines, reporting platforms, and compliance resources while addressing feedback from BOMA Members.
In 2024, only buildings over 100,000 square feet were required to report. In 2025, reporting will expand to include multi-unit residential buildings and properties as small as 50,000 square feet. BOMA will continue working with the City to keep Members informed and prepared for expanded reporting requirements and upcoming GHG emissions limits in 2026.
Natural Resources Canada Deep Retrofit Accelerator Initiative (DRAI)
In 2024, BOMA BC was one of the only commercial recipients in Western Canada to receive funding from Natural Resources Canada to launch an intensive three-year program supporting buildings through decarbonization and deep retrofit planning.
BOMA BC launched the Decarb Accelerator Program in June 2024. Open to office, retail, and light industrial buildings across the province, the program takes a holistic approach to decarbonization, considering property, personnel, and operational factors. BOMA BC Program Managers work directly with each participating building, conducting site visits to inventory systems, identifying operational shortcomings, optimizing mechanical systems, and developing business cases for low-carbon retrofits. The program also provides training and skills development to equip property personnel for market transformation.
By the end of 2024, 19 buildings had joined the program. The goal is to enroll 25 buildings per year, reaching 75 buildings by the program’s completion.
BOMA BC partnered with the Zero Emissions Innovation Centre (ZEIC) and other organizations under the BC Retrofit Accelerator (BCRA), with additional funding from the Ronald S. Roadburg Foundation, Metro Vancouver, and other contributors.
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Next Steps Forward
The BOMA BC Climate Action Committee met regularly throughout 2024 to review existing programs and explore market and resource gaps for future initiatives.
BOMA BEST® is an international green building certification program launched by BOMA Canada in 2005 to address an industry need for realistic standards for energy and environmental performance of existing buildings based on accurate, independently verified information.
Commercial buildings that are BOMA BEST® certified have a distinct advantage when it comes to attracting and retaining tenants. In most cases, it also costs less to operate and maintain the buildings due to an increase in overall building efficiency.
Program Enhancements:
BOMA BEST® continued to evolve with the planned launch of version 4.1 on January 31, 2025. This update aims to align better with industry needs, simplify the certification process, and include key improvements such as clarified criteria and updated questions.
For more info on the program, visit the BOMA BEST® website.
Certifications
A BOMA BEST Sustainable Buildings certification recognizes excellence in energy and environmental management and performance in commercial real estate.
Managed by BOMA Canada and delivered by the eleven Local BOMA Associations nationwide, BOMA BC Members certified an amazing 64 buildings in 2024 for a total of 13,593,702. sf!
Douglas Jung – Platinum; Takhini Building, Burnaby Fraser Tax Services Office, Surrey Taxation Data Centre - Gold
Shape Property Management Corp., Uptown - Platinum
Cushman & Wakefield, The Bay Centre & Aberdeen Mall - Gold
Warrington PCI Management, 333 Seymour Street - Gold
QuadReal Property Group Bayview at Coal Harbour - Silver
Low Tide Properties, 887 Great Northern Way - Gold
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Services + Tools
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BOMA uTRACK
This cloud-based, software-as-a-service (SaaS) modelled, utility monitoring and analysis platform was developed for BOMA by Prism Engineering. Members can view their properties' energy and water consumption trends utilizing the PUMA, a user-friendly dashboard which displays information according to both usage and costs. As an efficient ‘utility accounting system’, the platform generates numerous detailed reports so that BOMA Members can more effectively ‘tell their energy management story’.
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BOMA's Total Waste Management Program
Since 2010, this program has provided a one-stop shop for BOMA Members' waste, recycling, and audit solutions. Servicing Whistler to Chilliwack and everywhere in between, the program is a partnership between BOMA BC and Urban Impact, providing total waste management (TWM) solutions for all asset types. In addition to providing your buildings with clear and concise signage for sorting at source, BOMA Members also receive annual waste diversion certificates from Urban Impact to gauge their progress and share their results in reports.
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BOMA e-Energy Training
Considered the gold standard in energy management courses for building operators and managers of commercial and institutional buildings, BOMA’s e-Energy training is delivered online in a self-learning, self-paced format. The course highlights operational and capital project opportunities. Upon completion, participants become well-versed in basic energy principles, can identify energy reduction opportunities, develop appropriate reduction strategies, and learn how to influence stakeholders to adopt energy-conscious behaviours.
BOMA BC is pleased to host the Greater Victoria 2030 District, since its launch in 2021. It is the second 2030 District in Canada, and part of a network across North America of 24 diverse communities committed to accelerating progress toward climate goals for the built environment. Property managers with a collective participation portfolio of 580 million square feet voluntarily join and commit to reducing energy and water use, and greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, by 50% from a 2007 baseline, by 2030.
It all begins with an idea. Maybe you want to launch a business. Maybe you want to turn a hobby into something more. Or maybe you have a creative project for Our Greater Victoria 2030 District includes the commercial core areas of Victoria and Saanich, as well as satellite commercial and institutional centres. Locally, thirteen property managers are participating, including a diversity of building types, occupancies, ownership and vintage, now totalling 48 buildings and over 4 million square feet of floor space. This includes four new buildings added this past year. with the world. Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference.
Funding for the 2030 District is currently provided by Vancity, City of Victoria, the District of Saanich, the Real Estate Foundation of BC and MITACS with in-kind support provided by BOMA BC and the University of Victoria.
Services and Products
Greater Victoria 2030 District members are supported to meet their energy and emissions goals through access to:
Energy benchmark reports, performance monitoring and energy studies to identify opportunities and strategies to meet energy and emission reduction targets.
Expert advisors, a University of Victoria research team and government representatives.
Customized educational webinars and workshops.
A peer support network to share knowledge and identify collaboration opportunities.
Featured Initiatives
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Energy + Emissions Benchmarking
Energy and emissions benchmarking is a critical component of the work of the 2030 District. The District is helping property managers measure progress against a 2007 benchmark, based on the performance of a typical, comparable building. Most buildings in the 2030 District are making significant progress and are on track to meeting their energy and emissions targets. Eight have already achieved their annual energy use intensity target at least once; and two-thirds have met their GHG targets already as well, eight years ahead of schedule.
This work is critical considering the likely transformation to mandatory benchmarking that will occur in communities across BC.
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Member Meetings and Site Tours
The Greater Victoria 2030 District hosts quarterly member meetings and in 2023, two of these meetings included member site tours. In May, Jawl Properties provided a tour of their Capital Park building and highlighted the sustainability initiatives that have been undertaken (see Sustainability Leadership at Capital Park for details, below).
In November, Townline Properties provided a “behind the scenes” tour of the geothermal energy system that supplies the Hudson building with clean energy. They also provided an overview of their ESG (Environmental, Social, and Governance) Plan which focuses on affordable housing solutions, preserving heritage, and environmental initiatives such as low-carbon concrete, and future-proofing buildings through envelope and sustainable energy solutions.
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Resiliency Opportunity Assessment & Response (ROAR) Tool
With funding from the Real Estate Foundation of BC and MITACS, the 2030 District team is partnering with the University of Victoria to develop a Resiliency Tool for members. The ROAR Tool will enable commercial real estate owners to identify retrofit opportunities to improve building resiliency while meeting the energy and GHG emission reduction goals of the 2030 District. It will be piloted in the 2030 District and can be replicated for use across BC.
An extensive set of climate data will be built into the Tool, including downscaled daily precipitation, and temperature scenarios from the latest climate modelling, along with the associated climate stresses and shocks. The Tool will evaluate and analyse the operational effects of these stresses and shocks, including both degradations over time from climate stresses and the impact of acute climate shocks. Pilot testing of the Tool with two member properties will begin this summer, with Tool completion planned for 2025.
Case Studies
The Greater Victoria 2030 District develops case studies profiling the results of member initiatives.
The District’s first case study focused on the sustainability leadership at Capital Park, a mixed-use development owned by Concert Properties and Jawl Properties.
Capital Park consists of two five-storey buildings at 525 and 545 Superior Street, which are LEED Platinum Core and Shell Certified. Significant emission reduction initiatives have been undertaken including substantially reducing natural gas use through cost-effective electrification initiatives, including converting gas domestic water heaters to Sanden CO2 heat pump water heaters; incorporating renewable energy systems, such as solar photovoltaic (PV) panels, and heat recapture; and purchasing renewable natural gas as an interim solution where natural gas is still used. Their solar PV system's performance has exceeded expectations. At the time of installation, it was one of the largest private systems on Vancouver Island. It is expected to produce 112,000 kWh annually, saving approximately $10,000 in electricity costs. The payback period is expected to be about 15 years.
To read more about the sustainability leadership at Capital Park, click here.
For commercial buildings, the base incentive is calculated as 50% of Project Costs (after accounting for other rebates) with a maximum exemption lasting three years. Residential buildings can get up to 100% of eligible project expenses and a 10-year exemption. For more information: www.Saanich.ca/ClimateTaxExemption
Saanich’s Climate Action Incentive Tax Exemption Program
For commercial buildings, the base incentive is calculated as 50% of Project Costs (after accounting for other rebates) with a maximum exemption lasting three years. Residential buildings can get up to 100% of eligible project expenses and a 10-year exemption. For more information: www.Saanich.ca/ClimateTaxExemption
Looking Forward to 2025:
BBBC partnership: the Greater Victoria 2030 District is launching a partnership with Buildings Benchmark BC (BBBC), making it simpler for properties to participate in and benefit from both programs simultaneously.
B & C class building engagement: with input from funders and the advisory committee, the 2030 District team is developing offerings, communication materials and strategies to make connections with owners and property managers of B & C class buildings. The team is also exploring tenant engagement as a path to engaging with owners and managers.
Expanding district boundaries: the 2030 District team is exploring opportunities to expand the boundary of the District to include additional buildings from the Greater Victoria region.
