| New green act for Ontario |
 Photo courtesy Enermodal Engineering Ontario is already home to green building ideology, as exemplified by PowerStream's new head office in Vaughan. This local electricity distribution company recently achieved LEED Gold for its environmental design features, which include solar panels and wind turbines. Premier Dalton McGuinty has announced plans to make conservation and energy efficiency a more critical component of the Ontario Building Code (OBC). By introducing a new 'Green Energy Act' into the province's legislature later this month, McGuinty hopes to boost the ailing economy. In addition to increasing the importance of green buildings, the bill also creates an Expert Advisory Council that can provide advice on future revisions to the building code regarding energy efficiency. The bill is intended to help the province by:• supporting and expanding economic investment; • creating about 50,000 new jobs; and • increasing Ontario's use of clean and renewable energy sources, such as solar, wind, hydro, biomass, and biogas.
McGuinty also emphasized the common 'not in my backyard' (NIMBY) syndrome—an obstacle for many new energy projects—will no longer be tolerated. With the potential job creation, the premier believes Ontario residents will be more inclined to host wind turbines and solar panels.
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