b'Green Roof Bylaw Continued from page 1.years,Torontosgreenroofbylawthe flexibility of choice, while reduc- Industry and EnvironmentThere are infrastructure risks toFlooding and stormwater man-hashelpeddivertstormwaterandingunnecessarycostsandkeepingat Risk consider, tooespecially as moreagement challenges arent the only reduceenergyconsumptionandOntario workers on the job. Its too soon to tell if the Greenbuildings go up without green roofenvironmental factors to consider. greenhousegasemissionsGreenThe repeal is also being framedRoof Bylaws repeal will accomplishmandates.Currently,thecitysThroughshadingandtheevapo-roofsmakelifelessexpensiveandas a housing affordability measure.whattheprovincehopes.Whatisgreen roofs divert an estimated 550transpiration of water, green roofs more comfortable for residents. Evenso,saysMahlstedt,themathclear is that removing the green roofmillion litres of rainwater annually,play a sizable role in protecting cit-doesnt make a strong case: The ar- requirementwillcomewithtangi- makingthemakeycomponenties from the urban heat island ef-Cutting the Red Tape gument is that were going to createbledrawbacks. in the citys stormwater manage- fecta benefit that will diminish The provinces decision to defanghousing units by cutting costs, butForone,thereistheimmediatement. As Torontos skyline growsas Torontos skyline grows without Torontosgreenroofrequirementits not actually going to impact thehit to Ontarios green roof industry.andstormsworsen,fewergreentheirinclusion.appears motivated by Premier Doughousing market one bit. Its such aGreen roof design and constructionroofs will mean more pressure onTheresnoquestionthatgreen Fords eagerness to reduce red tapesmall percentage of a high-rise build- is estimated to be a $50-million localthecityssewersystems,increas- roofsbringsignificantbenefitsto fordevelopersandaccelerateinfra- ing. A green roof is roughly plus orindustry. Since coming into effect iningthechancesofstormwaterthe built environment. Thats to say structure and residential projects. Inminus a dollar per square foot of the2010, the bylaw has led to the creationoverflows that mix with raw sew- nothingofthemarketingbenefits hisstatement,OntarioMinisterofsale price of a condo, which is cur- of 1,600 jobs and the construction ofageandcontaminatewaterways.they provide developers seeking to Municipal Affairs and Housing Rob- rently about a thousand dollars per1,200 green roofs. This activityandAlmost any city thats older thanattractincreasinglyeco-conscious ert Flack said: By making green roofssquare foot. So, it doesnt have muchthe knock-on economic benefitsare100yearshasacombinedsewerbuildingresidentsandusers.And voluntary, builders and taxpayers haveof an impact. likely to see significant reductions. system,notesMahlstedt.Withwhile the repeal of Torontos Green increasing development and den- RoofBylawdoesntmeantheex-sification, those systems are strug- tinctionofgreenroofsaltogether, glingespecially as rainfall inten- it does mean developers may seek to sity has been rising. save costs through other, less-effec-Withmoreoverflowscomestive alternatives.greater risk of floods. In his defense ofgreenroofbylawstothecityAdapting to the Repealpriortothedecision,MahlstedtTheendofTorontosGreen arguedthatOntariofloodscostRoof Bylaw will require a degree of more than $1 billion in claims inadaptation among designers, build-2024 alone, adding financial strainers and advocates in the green roof-to both households and their insur- ingcommunity.Andwhilegreen ance providers. Green roofs are aroofs have shifted from mandatory verycost-effectivewaytoreduceto voluntary in Canadas largest city floodingrisk,hewrote.Thefor now, proponents like Mahlstedt 12.5millionsquarefeetofgreenhope they will remain an ongoing roofs installed on more than 1,000part of Ontarios sustainability strat-buildings in Toronto capture overegy: I would love to see a province-half a billion litres of stormwaterwideapproachtolow-impactde-from buildings and the sewer sys- velopment where green roofs are a tem annually. This is equivalent toprominent feature. Thatll help the the entire treatment capacity of To- industry grow and make green infra-rontos Ashbridges Bay Treatmentstructure a key part of the solution Plant in one day. moving forward.SOLAR ENERGY AND INTRODUCINGSTORMWATER CONTROLON THE SAME ROOF?Check out the complete line of pre-grown modular LiveRoof Systems at LiveRoof.ca or contact us at 1-800-875-13924ONTARIO ROOFING NEWSISSUE 4 2025/26 THE ONLY SOURCE FOR PROFESSIONAL ICI ROOFING CONTRACTORS IN ONTARIO ORN'