The Region of Waterloo has received an award from the Federation of Canadian Municipalities (FCM) for the construction of the first net-zero carbon community housing build.

FCM awards communities for sustainability projects that have social and economic benefits on the environment.

The Sustainable Communities Award comes after regional council prioritized greener practices for all new Waterloo Region Housing (WRH) buildings. The region launched its WRH Revitalization Plan to expand its portfolio, including its facility at 420 Kingscourt Drive in Waterloo.

"Protecting the environment and creating affordable housing are two key priorities identified by the community and so we are pleased to be able to address both of these with the Kingscourt project,” said Jim Erb, Regional Councillor and Chair of the Community and Health Services Committee. “On behalf of regional council, I’d like to acknowledge the region’s dedicated staff that made this vision a reality.”

The building has solar panels and received ZCB-Design certification by Canada Green Building Council, a framework for verifying the zero-carbon performance of buildings during operations.

The energy-efficient building design will garner savings of about $54,000 annually, in addition to individual resident energy savings. The new building will add 73 affordable homes to the community.

“Providing a comfortable and energy-efficient place to live for households who have lower incomes is one way to ensure that they are not left behind as we transition away from fossil fuels and move toward renewable energy,” said Judy Maan Miedema, Principal Planner, Affordable Housing Development.

Construction on the project started in November 2022 and occupancy is targeted for summer 2025.