Environmental SustainabilityAdvancing environmental sustainability efforts to achieve the goals of TransformTO

CreateTO’s  journey towards environmental sustainability encompasses multiple dimensions,  including the delivery of low carbon thermal energy across the Bloor-Kipling (Six Points) site; through the remediation of contaminated lands to prepare underutilized sites for sustainable development; and in piloting sustainable construction methods through the use of mass timber.

District Energy

In an effort to achieve the goals of TransformTO – Toronto's climate action plan to reduce emissions from buildings and help the City achieve its greenhouse gas reduction target to reach net zero by 2024 – CreateTO and the City has partnered with Enwave to distribute low carbon thermal energy to all of the development blocks within the Bloor-Kipling (Six Points) site, including the new Etobicoke Civic Centre.

The Bloor Kipling buildings are also being designed to achieve the Toronto Green Standard Tier 3, Version 4. These two initiatives will enable the Bloor-Kipling (Six Points) development to achieve a reduction of over 60 per cent in energy consumption and near zero (and eventually zero) carbon emissions and a high level of resiliency.

Mass Timber

In collaboration with City Planning, the Housing Secretariat, and the City’s Environment and Energy Division, CreateTO is working to deliver a sustainable mass timber pilot project to provide an innovative affordable rental housing development on the City-owned site at 1113-1117 Dundas Street West.

The pilot program will repurpose a surface parking lot and demonstrate a new climate action approach to deliver new housing, including affordable housing and market rental units, by using mass timber and other low carbon materials for building construction.

The demonstration plan and future development supports the collective advancement of the City's growth, housing, and sustainability objectives and is designed to deliver an innovative program that can advance the City's approach to housing delivery and sustainability.

Brownfield Remediation

A former brownfield site at 10 Ordnance Street located near Strachan Avenue and Wellington Street was recently transformed into a new 5.5-acre City park, illustrating how our work to remediate brownfield sites enables CreateTO to deliver city-building benefits and serves as a catalyst for neighbourhood regeneration.

Historically, there was a strong industrial and manufacturing presence in the Strachan and Ordnance neighbourhood and the environmental remediation of this site was a necessary step towards the revitalization of the neighbourhood, which has also included the construction of the Garrison Crossing pedestrian and cycling bridge and the development of affordable housing within Garrison Point.

Toronto Green Standard

CreateTO is committed to ensuring all Housing Now, ModernTO and any future CreateTO-initiated projects meet or exceed the Toronto Green Standard, which sets out the key sustainable performance measures new developments are required to meet to address climate adaption, mitigation and resilience.