4.7K 
The City of Toronto has a plan to reach net-zero carbon emissions by 2040 – a steep and challenging target. Today, the City took a step forward by announcing the buildings taking part in the Deep Retrofit Challenge (DRC). The competition-style program is set to provide up to $5 million for these buildings to undertake massive retrofits in order to reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions.
Participating buildings receive up to $500,000 funding in the form of a grant from Natural Resources Canada through its Green Infrastructure - Energy Efficient Buildings Program. The maximum amount is to be the lesser of $200 per square metre of gross floor area, or 25% of the total project cost. The funds are meant to help with design and construction costs going towards massive reductions in the buildings' carbon footprint, while also saving on costs in the long term.
The following buildings have been selected as the first to benefit from the program:
- 350 Bay St. (Dream Office REIT)
- 723 Bloor St. W. (Dream Unlimited)
- 88 College St. (The Governing Council of the University of Toronto)
- 1-15 Field Sparroway and 2-10 Tree Sparroway (Toronto Community Housing)
- 633 Northcliffe Blvd. (Northcliffe Inc.)
- 177 St. George St. (Dream Unlimited)
- 145 Woodward Ave. (145 Woodward Ave. Inc.)
- 61 Yorkville Ave. (Minto Apartment Limited Partnership)
Application intake started August 26, 2022, with program expecting applicants to be able to show cost-effective pathways for significant reductions that other sites could replicate. The retrofits are described as “deep” because they must address the entire building and all integrated components. These deep retrofits also further support the City's Net Zero Existing Buildings Strategy.
The eight participants above must now enter a Participant Agreement to remain in the program. They will only remain eligible if they can provide a final design showing that they will meet the DRC program requirements.
Currently, the participants in the challenge are finalizing said designs, including workshops and modelling. The buildings must target for a minimum of 50% reduction in GHG emissions and total energy use intensity, and do so with a payback period of no more than 20 years.
The challenge is part of TransformTO’s Net Zero Climate Action Strategy. The ambitious targets include cutting all of Toronto’s GHG emissions in half by 2030 before hitting net zero by 2040. With buildings taking up 50% of the city’s emissions, massive retrofits and changes to developments are essential to have a chance at accomplishing these goals.
These retrofits must be finished by January 31, 2025. They will be followed by case studies on the designs, savings, and lessons to be learned for future work on other buildings.
For more information, you can visit the City’s Deep Retrofit Challenge site. Toronto residents can also ask to be included in the mailing list by contacting drc@toronto.ca.
UrbanToronto will continue to follow progress on this program. If you'd like, you can join in on the conversation by leaving a comment in the space provided on this page.
* * *
UrbanToronto has a research service, UrbanToronto Pro, that provides comprehensive data on construction projects in the Greater Toronto Area—from proposal through to completion. We also offer Instant Reports, downloadable snapshots based on location, and a daily subscription newsletter, New Development Insider, that tracks projects from initial application.
