2021 Minto Communities GTA named Ontario Green Builder of the Year - Low Rise
Minto Communities GTA takes home Ontario Green Builder of the Year -Low-Rise at the 2020 EnerQuality Awards
Ontario’s best builders gathered last week to celebrate the outstanding achievements of industry professionals from 2020
December 9, 2021 (Toronto, ON) - Minto Communities was recognized as the 2020 Ontario Green Builder of the Year – Low Rise at the EnerQuality Awards last week, which celebrates Canadian builders leading the charge in energy efficient homes. The Ontario Green Builder of the Year category recognizes those that are raising the bar by demonstrating leadership in energy efficiency and environmental stewardship and improving the overall image of the real estate industry.
Roya Khaleeli, Director of Sustainability and Innovation at Minto Communities GTA, accepted the award on behalf of Minto Communities. “Sustainability has been a core tenant of Minto’s work since inception,” says Roya Khaleeli, Director of Sustainability and Innovation, Minto Communities GTA. “When Minto designs homes, the health and quality of life for future residents always guides the process. That means prioritizing access to the outdoors, pedestrian-friendly streets, and lush park spaces. It also means focusing on energy efficiency, pursuing new and innovative methods to improve air tightness, deliver heating and cooling, and generate energy.”
The award comes on-the-heels of a remarkably successful year for Minto Communities GTA, who launched Net Zero Ready homes earlier this year. These Net Zero Ready homes are designed to produce as much energy as they consume over a year-long period, and were made available as an upgrade feature in both the Union Village master-planned community in Markham and The Heights of Harmony in North Oshawa. To date, Minto Communities has also received ENERGY STAR certification on over 8,500 homes and LEED certification on over 6,500 suites. This is part of Minto Communities’ goal to build to a level of performance that exceeds building code. In the past Minto Communities has implemented strategies to do so including AeroBarrier air sealing technology, zoned HVAC in production builder settings and triple pane windows. “Since building Minto Midtown, the first, and largest, LEED Gold Certified condo in Canada, in 2007, Minto Communities’ commitment to pushing the envelope on sustainability hasn’t stopped,” says Khaleeli. “Nearly 15 years later, we’re still implementing innovative technologies and methods that exceed sustainable building design requirements, including implementing geoexchange energy systems on select new builds, building infrastructure for electrical vehicle charging stations, and much more.”
This year over 200 building professionals joined the virtual ceremony, representing HBAs, municipalities, and over 100 companies, including home builders, architects, engineers, energy advisors, and tradespeople. The jury was composed of prestigious industry leaders, including the Executive Director of Canadian Association of Consulting Energy Advisors, Efficient Buildings Lead of Efficiency Canada and the General Manager of Acorn Developments Corporation, amongst others.
The award comes just one month after Minto Communities was recognized as Low-Rise Builder of the Year at the BILD awards for excellence in sustainable building practices, which saw over 1,000 entries submitted. Building on this success, last year, Minto Communities was recognized at the EnerQuality Award ceremony in the Building Innovation category for the first high-rise air leakage testing pilot program in Ontario. Air tightness testing for high-rise buildings is not practiced or mandatory in Ontario or the GTA, and Minto Communities GTA was the first developer in Ontario to complete a baseline measurement for high-rise air leakage.
Minto Group recently issued their 2020 sustainability report, which outlines how their corporate environmental, social and governance is being deployed across the organization. The report can be viewed here.
About Minto Communities
Minto Group is a family-owned, fully integrated real estate development, construction and management company with operations in Ottawa, Toronto, Calgary and South Florida, and has been instrumental in the design and construction of more than 95,000 homes. An industry leader for 65 years, Minto Communities is known for high-quality and sustainable urban developments. A testament to its outstanding leadership, Minto Communities has been recognized by Durham Region Home Builders' Association as Green Builder of The Year, EnerQuality Builder of the Year and more.