www.rcabc.org  l  15 COVER just wasn’t keeping up to the increased volume—which then creates other prob- lems, such as urban flooding.” Enter serendipity. As both a coun- cillor and someone deeply committed to providing environmental solutions to environmental problems, Carr took action. She says, “Following the report, many of us thought we needed to do something now to mitigate the problem in a natural way, rather than just building bigger storm sewers. Building a new sewer infrastructure would have been prohibitively expensive, so I quickly inves- tigated the pros and cons of green roof installations. Previously, there hadn’t been much uptake on the overall concept—the idea had bounced around city council for several years. So the storm report was very influential and the urgency of dealing with the situation was clear. “I knew there was now an appetite for the green roof idea, so I put forward the motion and it passed unanimously. It helped that the mayor seconded my motion—which is usually a good sign. I think we all felt this was at least some- thing we could act on fairly quickly and a proactive way of solving a very signif- icant problem in the future. And no one thinks it’s a total solution—it only helps to ameliorate the problem.” Other Jurisdictions A few other North American cities, such as Toronto and San Francisco, have had the mandatory policy in place for years. Uncharacteristically (at least from Vancouver’s point of view), the Big Smoke had beaten Lotus Land at its own environmentally progressive game by about a decade. Toronto’s by-law was approved in 2009 although not everyone was satisfied with the original. Steven Peck, founder and president of Green Roofs for Healthy Cities, says, “The new laws in Toronto weren’t stringent enough, since they only applied to residential buildings that were a minimum of six stories high. Two years later, industrial buildings in Toronto were required to render 10 per cent of their roofs green.” Peck adds, “In terms of commercial builders in Vancouver, the impact will likely be positive because the costs of a green roof, if designed with access, can easily be recovered from the amenity space it provides. Lots of research from places like British Columbia’s Institute of Technology (BCIT), plus many years of designing, building and maintaining green roofs in the Greater Vancouver Region, means that the industry is well positioned to respond to increasing demand with quality products and services, tuned to Vancouver’s climate.” Of course it’s not that Vancouver has been sitting on its duff the whole time. In 2008, for example, the Vancouver Convention Centre installed a six-acre living roof, chock full of indigenous plants and grasses on its west building. And Simon Fraser University’s Burnaby campus contains a substantial number of green roofs on its structural skyline. Carr adds, “Back in early 2018 there was a conference held in Vancouver specif- ically addressing the green roof concept, which certainly piqued my interest as it did many others. There was a lot of media buzz about it and speakers from the construction industry were also at the conference—talking about installations, the training required and the many ways to implement green roofs in a cost-effective manner. So the stars definitely aligned.” 4214 Cowart Road - Prince George, BC V2N 6H9 - T 250.561.1230 - F 250.561.1230 - www.admiralroofing.ca Roofing Wall Systems Repairs Maintenance Design Assist 4214 Cowart Road - Prince George, BC V2N 6H9 - T 250.561.1230 - F 250.561.1230 - www.admiralroofing.ca Roofing Wall Systems Repairs Maintenance Design Assist 4214 Cowart Road - Prince George, BC V2N 6H9 - T 250.561.1230 - F 250.561.1230 - www.admiralroofing.ca Roofing Wall Systems Repairs Maintenance Design Assist www.admiralroofing.ca Roofing Wall Systems Repairs Maintenance Design Assist 61.1230 - F 250.561.1230 - www.admiralroofing.ca oofing Wall Systems epairs Maintenance esign Assist 4214 Cowart Road - Prince George, BC V2N 6H9 - T 250.561.1230 - F 250.561.1230 - www.admiralroofing.ca Roofing Wall Systems Repairs Maintenance Design Assist 4214 Cowart Road - Prince George, BC V2N 6H9 - T 250.561.1230 - F 250.561.1230 - www.admiralroofing.ca Roofing Wall Systems Repairs Maintenance Design Assist 4214 Cowart Road - Prince George, BC V2N 6H9 - T 250.561.1230 - F 250.561.1230 - www.admiralroofing.ca Roofing Wall Systems Repairs Maintenance Design Assist - Prince George, BC V2N 6H9 - T 250.561.1230 - F 250.561.1230 - www.admiralroofing.ca Roofing Wall Systems Repairs Maintenance Design Assist T 250.561.1230 - F 250.561.1230 - www.admiralroofing.ca Roofing Wall Systems Repairs Maintenance Design Assist