The linchpin for solving Canada’s housing crisis will be found on the factory floor. That was the message former Edmonton mayor Don Iveson gave politicians and leadership in B.C.’s forestry industry Friday at the annual meeting of the BC Council of Forest Industries in Vancouver. Iveson, who now works as executive advisor of Climate Investing and Community Resilience at Co-operators Insurance, described how a 2004 flood in the City of Edmonton opened his eyes to the risk climate change would have on cities. …Last month, a Canada-wide Task Force for Housing and Climate, which Iveson co-chaired, charted another path with a blueprint that aims to build 5.8 million homes by 2030. The number is big, representing roughly one-third of the current housing stock. …Those included tax reforms, a rebalancing of immigration practices to increase the number of skilled labourers in Canada, and tying federal housing financing to municipal pro-density reforms.
TORONTO – Ontario is setting a new precedent in construction and environmental sustainability by embracing mass timber technology. This innovative step not only aims to streamline homebuilding but also boosts the province’s forestry sector, ensuring job creation across various industries. In a significant code update, Ontario plans to amend its Building Code, allowing Encapsulated Mass Timber Construction (EMTC) buildings to soar up to 18 storeys—6 storeys higher than the current limit. This change, heralded by 
With growing concerns about sustainability, you might wonder: Are paper coffee cups bad for the environment? Are paper cups sustainable? Let’s explore the facts about paper cups. Paper cups are a sustainable choice. Here’s why: Made From a Renewable Resource: Paper cups are made from renewable resources – wood fiber sourced from responsibly managed working forests. These forests play a vital role, capturing carbon dioxide and keeping our air clean. Managed Forests are Planted for the Future: Sustainable forestry practices ensure trees are replanted on working forests. The U.S. pulp and paper industry is not linked to global deforestation and forest degradation. U.S. Forests are Strong: 1/3 of the U.S. is forested. And more than 1 billion trees are planted in the U.S. each year! So, next time you grab a paper cup, you can feel good knowing it comes from a sustainable resource.
Constructing a hybrid mass timber high-rise is now nearly as cost-effective as constructing a comparable concrete tower, states a study co-authored by PCL Construction, DCI Engineers, and Weber Thompson. The Hybrid Tall Timber: Mass Timber Residential High-Rise Study highlights the potential of mass timber to expand residential space in densely populated urban areas. The study suggests that mass timber construction could pave way for developing more buildings in the intermediate tower height range. Intermediate high-rise towers are said to be often not built to their full potential due to cost and code constraints. The study indicates that mass timber, a renewable material made from fast-growing lumber, could be more economical under certain conditions.
Jan Dell, a former chemical engineer, has spent years telling an inconvenient truth about plastics. “So many people, they see the recyclable label, and they put it in the recycle bin,” she said. “But the vast majority of plastics are not recycled.” …Only 5 to 6 percent of it is actually recycled, according to the Department of Energy. The rest ends up in landfills or is burned. …Davis Allen, with the Center for Climate Integrity, said the industry didn’t need for recycling to work: “They needed people to believe that it was working,” he said. …A new report, called “The Fraud of Plastic Recycling,” accuses the plastics industry of misleading the public about the viability of plastic recycling,” despite knowing the “technical and economic limitations”. …The American Chemistry Council called the report “flawed” and “outdated,” and says “plastic makers are working hard to change the way that plastics are made and recycled.”
Five years after a devastating fire at the iconic Notre-Dame cathedral in Paris, video shows the progress of renovation work. The 850-year-old Gothic building’s spire and roof collapsed in April 2019 but the main structure, including the two bell towers, was saved.
