The annual City of Edmonton’s Mayor’s Awards honoured 10 projects for their inclusion of universal, accessible design features.

Administered by the Advisory Board on Services for Persons with Disabilities (ABSPD), awards are presented to architects, individuals, and organizations.

After outgrowing its current location, construction on a new facility for Sudbury, Ont.’s Northern Water Sports Centre (NWSC) is expected to begin next month.

The $3.7-million, 1383-m² (14,900-sf) project, designed by Yallowega Bélanger Architecture, will replace the current facilities and provide new space for the city’s canoe club, rowing club, and dragon boat festival.

A significant milestone in the construction of the YMCA and Pan Am/Parapan Am Athlete’s Village in Toronto was celebrated with the ‘topping off’ of the facility—the structure has reached its highest point.

Built to Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Gold standards, the 7618-m² (82,000-sf) centre will serve as the Athlete’s Village during the 2015 Pan Am/Parapan Am Games and will then transition into a community centre in the fall of 2016.

The Cambridge Chamber of Commerce has recognized Arriscraft International for quality in energy conservation as part of the 2012 Business Excellence Awards program.

Arriscraft is an Ontario stone product manufacturer that has seen a 23 per cent decrease in kilowatt hours per 1000 kilograms of material produced since 1999.

The Toronto-based Green Roofs for Healthy Cities (GRHC) says there has been a 24 per cent increase in North American vegetated roofing assembly installations in 2012.

For almost 10 years, the GRHC has been conducting the “Annual Green Roof Industry Survey” with its corporate members, who provide information such as location, building type, and square footage of their vegetated roofing assemblies.

The Canadian lumber industry is helping to rebuild post-tsunami Japan by constructing various community facilities that were destroyed in 2011. This month marks the opening of the Yuriage Public Market.

The Canada-Tohoku Reconstruction Project is a $4.8-million investment from federal and provincial governments in addition to Canadian forest product companies.

The Canadian Wood Council (CWC) is seeking Expression of Interest (EOI) proposals for wood projects reaching 10 storeys or more.

The organization, with funding from Natural Resources Canada (NRCan), is hoping to showcase technical advancements, environmental benefits, and viability of wood structures in the country.

Last month, the first forum in a collaborative series on sustainable development took place at the University of Toronto (UofT) campus, bringing together industry leaders from various sectors.

The event, Sustainability, Durability, and Design: The Future of Building Envelopes, was presented by UofT’s Department of Civil Engineering and the John H. Daniels Faculty of Architecture, Landscape, and Design, as well as Holcim Canada.

The finalists of this year’s Scotiabank EcoLiving Awards, recognizing the development of energy-efficient products, have been announced.

The national program is presented by Scotiabank and Green Living Enterprises and received 78 entries—a significant increase from last year.

DEEP Earth Energy Production is determining the possibility of clean, geothermal energy production in Saskatchewan.

The Front End Engineering Design (FEED) Study will receive support from Natural Resources Canada (NRCan) and SaskPower, allowing reservoir tests and determination of developmental costs for the completion of the project.