The Comité interministériel de haut niveau sur l’exemplarité gouvernementale en construction bois (CIMHN) oversees the implementation of best practices in wood construction within the major departments and agencies that manage these projects, as well as within funding agencies and government stakeholders involved in the construction of buildings funded in whole or in part by the State. Among its mandates, the CIMHN establishes accountability mechanisms through which the government seeks to play an exemplary role, particularly as a major contracting authority. Among the indicators of government leadership in wood construction, the committee has established progressive 2021-2026 targets for the assessment of structural GHG emissions avoided in government-funded construction projects. The goal was to ensure that, ultimately, 80% of all projects having undergone a pre-project analysis for wood-based solutions would also undergo an assessment for GHG emissions avoided during the pre-project and construction phases.

Targets Reached and Surpassed

« The assessment targets regarding GHG emissions during the pre-project and construction phases are progressive,” says Wassim Kharrat, wood construction advisor at the Ministère des Ressources naturelles et des Forêts. “The 2021-2023 target of 25%, as well as the 2023-2025 target of 50%, have been met. The results show that the use of structural wood in 419 projects completed between 2021 and 2025 led to GHG reductions in the manufacturing of structural materials equal to 13,565 t eq. CO2. Each of the relevant departments and agencies continues to work toward achieving the 80% target set for 2025-2026. »

According to Mr. Kharrat, the Quebec government also established minimum targets for wood and hybrid structures (made from wood and other materials) in the 2021-2026 implementation plan regarding the Integrating Wood in Construction Policy, which seeks to accelerate the construction of public, parapublic, and private civil engineering projects funded by the State.

To date, several targets for the structural use of wood in government-funded projects have been reached, particularly in school buildings, senior’s residences, and higher education institutions. “One of the main objectives is to ensure that government departments and agencies, along with all relevant professionals, have the knowledge and tools they need to assess the GHG emissions avoided,” says Mathieu Cassard, Technical Advisor for Sustainable Construction at Cecobois.

Data Sourced Entirely from Quebec

When documenting and quantifying the carbon performance of State-funded buildings, the government has provided Cecobois with financial assistance under its Integrating Wood in Construction Policy.

Funding for this project comes from the Fonds d’électrification et de changements climatiques and is part of the R3-080 measure contained in the Plan de mise en œuvre 2025-2030 for the 2030 Plan for a Green Economy, which aims to [translation] “remove barriers for the use of wood in construction.” Comparative GHG emission assessments are being conducted for this project using the GESTIMAT tool, which considers various structural and building envelope materials through its regionalized Quebec data. Cecobois was also tasked with producing documents to assist the various departments and agencies in their efforts.