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WSP becomes 2nd biggest environmental-consulting firm

3 years ago

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Canadian engineering giant WSP Global Inc. is dramatically expanding its environmental consulting capability, buying earth sciences specialist Golder Associates for approximately $1.5 billion, in a deal it says will make it the world’s second-biggest player in that business.

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Stantec has signed a Letter of Intent to acquire Wenck, a U.S.-based environmental engineering firm with core expertise in air, water, waste, food processing, natural resources and infrastructure. Founded in 1985, Wenck operates nationally and internationally and has 300 multidisciplinary technical experts.

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The Department of National Defence was responsible for most of the federal government’s carbon pollution last year, according to a new report that show federal greenhouse gas emissions from its facilities and fleet operations, part of its “greening government strategy.”

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Fourteen countries have pledged to sustainably manage all national ocean areas in the next five years. Canada, with over five million square kilometres of ocean area, is one of the countries to put forward a new ocean action agenda.

Energy Profiles

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Construction is underway on a new 750-bed student residence building that will double the current residence capacity at U of T Scarborough. Most notable, the building is among North America’s largest Passive House projects.

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Since 2015, the Royal Victoria Hospital has been effectively inactive. However, McGill’s New Victoria Project, which is now nearly halfway through the proposed 12-year process, intends to revitalize the hospital into an accessible and innovative extension of McGill University.

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Killam Apartment REIT (KMP-UN-T) announced it earned a green, two-star designation for its 2020 GRESB submission, and a 32 per cent improvement from its initial submission in 2019. Killam Apartment REIT also earned a GRESB Public Disclosure survey rating of “B.”

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Vail Resorts has committed to reach a net zero operating footprint by 2030. Through its operations, Vail Resorts is prioritizing efforts to mitigate the impacts of climate change. Its third-annual report notes achieving the company’s 50 per cent waste diversion sub-goal.

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Régie de l’énergie has approved a new rate option for Québec greenhouse growers that will extend the terms and conditions of its Additional Electricity Option to more growers and to make it available for a new type of energy use.

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The largest battery-powered electric bus fleet in North America is Canadian. Toronto’s transit system is now running 59 electric buses from three suppliers. And Canadian pioneers like Toronto offer lessons for other transit systems aiming to transition to greener fleets.

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The world’s leading companies and policymakers are coalescing around setting targets for adopting zero-emission vehicles around a 2030 time frame. U.K. Prime Minister Boris Johnson recently revealed the banning the sales of new gas-powered vehicles starting in 2030.

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Road tolls, better known as mobility or transport pricing, is a controversial practice that is a hot topic in Vancouver now that city council has voted in favour of officially considering it as part of a climate emergency action plan.

Yardi Marketplace

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Following the recent U.S. presidential election, the Forest-Climate Working Group (FCWG) released an ambitious federal policy platform, endorsed by 43 CEOs and organizations representing all dimensions of U.S. forests, intended to help Congress leverage forests for climate change action.

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The Government of B.C. has renewed its commitment to delivering affordability and security for communities and investing in good jobs in a clean-energy future. B.C.’s wood pellet sector has a key role to play in achieving both of these goals.

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Procter & Gamble Oral Care will now use recyclable toothpaste tubes for its Crest, Oral-B and Blend-a-med oral care line. This is part of the ‘P&G Ambition 2030’ commitments of achieving 100 per cent recyclable or reusable packaging.

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Allen Morris Co., a Fort Lauderdale-based firm that focuses on commercial development, has become known across Florida for a portfolio of more creative office projects that focus on sustainability. The firm has developed 4M SF of LEED-certified buildings.

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At a recent Construct Canada webinar Mark Gaglione and Vincent Davenport of EllisDon’s building sciences group identified the myths and misinformation about mass timber, from its cost to fire resistance, to help the industry understand this novel building material.

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A year ago, no one in the petroleum business would have suggested that the moment of Peak Oil had already passed. Then 2020 happened and global hunkering down has yielded a sharp drop in oil consumption by a staggering 29 million barrels a day.

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Research into hydrogen as a potential energy carrier to power future zero-emission aircraft has been intensifying in recent years. Achieving hydrogen-powered aircraft requires significant effort inside the aviation industry and beyond to address hydrogen storage, cost, infrastructure, and safety.

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Global progress toward energy efficiency has slowed to its lowest rate in 10 years due to subdued prices amid the COVID-19 pandemic, the International Energy Agency said on Thursday, dealing a setback to efforts to curb climate change.

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