Owners of Large Buildings in Montréal: Are You Ready to Make Your First GHG Report?
Owners of Large Buildings in Montréal: Are You Ready to Make Your First GHG Report?
As part of its goal to be carbon neutral by 2050, the City of Montréal adopted the By-law concerning greenhouse gas emission disclosures and ratings of large buildings in 2021.
(21-042)[1] (the “By-law”).
The By-law requires owners of large buildings to disclose to the City the sources (electricity, natural gas, steam, hot water, etc.) and quantities of energy consumed by their buildings.
The By-law is being implemented in phases, as follows:
- Buildings of 5,000 m2 to 14,999 m2 or 50 dwellings or more (including condominiums): reporting of 2022 data by June 30, 2023
- Buildings of 2,000 m2 or more, or with 25 to 49 dwellings (including condominiums): reporting of 2023 data by June 30, 2024.
The data must be disclosed according to the procedures defined in Schedule B of the By-law.
With this measure, the City aims to gain a better understanding of the amount of greenhouse gases (GHGs) produced by large buildings. Under the By-law, the City will assign a “GHG emission performance rating” to each building, to be displayed by the owner and published on the City’s website.
Applying the By-law would raise confidentiality and access to information issues, particularly for condos, where the syndicate of co-ownersmust access the owners’ data in order to comply with the By-law. The City seems to have acknowledged these issues,[2] and information-sharing gateways between it and Hydro-Québec and Énergir are now reportedly operational.[3]
The By-law applies only to the territory of the City of Montréal and not to the 14 other cities that make up the Montréal agglomeration.
[1] By-law concerning greenhouse gas emission disclosures and ratings of large buildings (21-042), online (in French)
[2] City of Montréal, By-Law 21-042 on the Mandatory Disclosure of Building Energy Consumption Data – Application Guide, January 2022, online (in French)
[3] SolutionCondo, Règlement sur la divulgation et la cotation des émissions de gaz à effet de serre des grands bâtiments. Êtes-vous prêts, June 9, 2023, online (in French)
Cautionary note
The foregoing provides only an overview and does not constitute legal advice. Readers are cautioned against making any decisions based on this material alone. Rather, specific legal advice should be obtained.
© McMillan LLP 2023
Insights (5 Posts)View More
Ontario (Might get the) Right to Repair – An overview of Bill 187 the Right to Repair Consumer Electronic Products, Household Appliances, Wheelchairs, Motor Vehicles and Farming Heavy Equipment Act, 2024
Ontario considers new right to repair legislation for consumer products and motor vehicles.
More Than Meets the Eye: The Legal Implications of British Columbia’s Agreement to Recognize Aboriginal Title Over Haida Gwaii
An analysis of legal implications related to the BC Government's agreement with the Haida Nation to recognize Aboriginal title over Haida Gwaii.
Lessons Learned from the TTC’s Ransomware Attack
Lessons learned from the recent investigation by the Ontario IPC into the effectiveness of the TTC's cybersecurity measures and ransomware attack response
Don’t Get Caught by Canada’s Patent Novelty Grace-Period
The key difference between Canada and other jurisdictions like the United States when relying on the grace-period for inventor disclosures.
Shifting Gears – Canada to Consider New Motor Vehicle Equipment Regulations to Help Prevent Auto Theft
Transport Canada announces plan to update safety standards to combat auto theft.
Get updates delivered right to your inbox. You can unsubscribe at any time.