A new report finds although the construction industry has made progress in reducing its environmental impact, in order to meet goals and future-proof infrastructure, support is needed from stakeholders and all levels of government as is increased investment and stronger policies.
The report, Climate resilience in construction: Building for a sustainable future, was released by the Canadian Construction Association (CCA).
It stresses the importance of building resilient infrastructure, especially in light of recent events like the flooding in Toronto, wildfires in Jasper and Calgary’s broken watermain.
These events signal even deeper problems with aging infrastructure across the country, said CCA president Rodrigue Gilbert.
“We’re doing good things, but we need help to continue to be even better,” he explained. “We need alignment between governments at every level: federal, provincial, municipal. Mostly, we need long-term infrastructure investment to really improve our aging infrastructure. All these events happening all the time are just a sign that investment is absolutely needed.”
In 2021, the CCA released a report entitled Strength, Resilience, Sustainability.
The new report builds on the previous report, highlighting where progress has been made by both industry and governments.
According to the CCA, it surveys national and international research and data to explore the linkages between climate risk and infrastructure decisions; the cost of addressing the issue; how other jurisdictions are responding to the same challenges; and efforts already underway in the industry.
Construction industry already building sustainably: Gilbert
The latest report found the construction industry has made some significant advancements and is already working to build sustainably, but help is still needed.
“We felt as an industry that we’re doing our part for climate change,” said Gilbert. “Right now, the industry is building better in a more resilient way.”
For example, he said emissions have decreased from 230 tonnes in 2010 to 140.9 tonnes in 2022 per every million dollars invested in infrastructure.
“That’s a major decrease,” he noted. “When you look at what it means…they (the industry) really want to tackle the issues.”
The report underscores that public owners and government at every level need to adapt too.
“The procurement system needs to change,” said Gilbert. “We really need to adapt the procurement system to allow contractors to be involved early, to get away from the low-cost bid. We really want the government to allow the industry to try new technology, bring new material, try new ways of doing things, all this in order to build more effectively and in the most resilient way.”
Key findings include:
- Urgent need for investment: To protect infrastructure assets and address the rising strain from increasing population and housing developments, substantial investment is essential.
- Industry progress and challenges: The construction sector is actively working to reduce its environmental impact, but long-term sustainability requires broader support and collaboration. Incentives to pilot new processes and technologies are also needed.
- Policy environment: Effective policies are needed to ensure infrastructure is built to last. This includes addressing issues like labour shortages, procurement, alternative delivery models and supply chain challenges.
- Gilbert also said the recommendations in the report are things CCA has been advocating for a long time.
“Too often, infrastructure investment decisions are based on what’s politically expedient, not what’s genuinely needed in a given region of Canada,” Gilbert noted. “We need to focus on projects that are shovel-worthy, not just shovel-ready to ensure Canadians have the infrastructure they depend on.
“I want to give some credit to government,” he added. “The federal government has invested a lot of money in clean energy, but in order to be effective we really need to be aligned, the industry and the three levels of government. This is really one of our biggest asks.”
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