Place Ville-Marie and the Hotel Reine-Elizabeth want to go green. Invanhoé Cambridge, the real estate arm of the Caisse de dépôt et placement du Québec, took advantage of the first Montreal Climate Summit on Tuesday to announce its intention to reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions by 55%. of its Montreal buildings by 2030, compared to 2017.
Ivanhoé Cambridge owns some thirty buildings in the city, including the Jacques-Parizeau building, the Eaton Centre, the Galeries d’Anjou, Place Montréal Trust, Place Ville-Marie and the Reine-Elizabeth, the latter two being the largest GHG emitters in the company’s building stock. Several buildings are powered by natural gas and will be converted to electricity.
But its assets are not limited to its Montreal buildings. Ivanhoé Cambridge has some 1,200 buildings on four continents and for this building stock, the company aims for complete decarbonization by 2040. “What is sustainable will be profitable,” argued Élise Proulx, Head of Economic Development at Ivanhoé Cambridge. “People are going to want to live, to be in malls and office towers that are energy efficient and sustainable. »
The plan provides for a reduction in energy consumption, the recovery and reuse of waste heat and the electrification of all lighting and heating systems.
This commitment was made during the first edition of the Montreal Climate Summit, which brought together nearly 500 participants on Tuesday at Bonsecours Market. Among the subjects on the menu for discussion: the ecological transition, the acceleration of the implementation of actions to fight against climate change, eco-taxation and the electrification of transport.
As part of this summit, the City of Montreal has also announced its intention to no longer authorize fossil fuel heating systems for new buildings as of 2024. It has also moved ahead by a decade, to 2040, its objective to see the entire building stock of the metropolis powered by renewable energies.
To be Minister of the Environment
Mayor Valérie Plante as well as the federal Minister of the Environment, Steven Guilbeault, and his Quebec counterpart, Benoit Charette, took part in the event in the morning. “I am an activist and an environmental activist,” Steven Guilbeault explained to the audience. “I act and I will never stop doing it. Today, however, I must represent all Canadians and accept that I will not be able to win all my battles. You are disappointed with Bay du Nord’s decision, I know that. »
Outside Bonsecours Market, demonstrators from various organizations including the Student Coalition for an Environmental and Social Shift (CEVES) loudly denounced the federal government’s approval of the Bay du Nord project. They also deplored the high cost of tickets to participate in the Montreal Climate Summit, namely $150 for non-profit organizations.
The Montreal Climate Summit, which was in its first edition, was organized by the Montreal Climate Partnership, set up by philanthropic foundations with the collaboration of the City of Montreal. This Partnership brings together a hundred Montreal organizations from the economic, community and institutional milieu.
Léa Stréliski, who acted as mistress of ceremonies for the Summit, did not fail to recall the climate emergency with a biting humour. On the subject of the functions of Minister of the Environment, she had these comments: “Before, being Minister of the Environment is like being the Minister of Flowers. In 2022, it’s: Hello! The planet is burning. Here is your job. We are looking at you. »