Federal program supports commercial property retrofits

by David Israelson

As part of its Building Retrofits Initiative, the Canada Infrastructure Bank (CIB) is providing loans to Enbridge Sustain and Blackstone Energy Services. Rooftop solar system installations are part of the retrofits being done with the funding.

A $100-million partnership between the Canada Infrastructure Bank (CIB) and Scotiabank aims to help owners retrofit small and mid-sized commercial buildings to make them more energy efficient and climate resilient, signalling a push toward upgrading Canada’s aging inventory.

The partnership, announced in June, is part of the CIB’s Building Retrofits Initiative (BRI), a federal program that makes low-cost, flexible financing available to owners and developers who want to upgrade their properties and reduce their greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions by at least 30 per cent. Other partnerships born from the BRI include one for $50-million between the CIB and Efficiency Capital, which develops, manages and invests in energy and net-zero building projects, as well as another with BMO that was quietly announced in 2023.