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Fed funds 14-storey mass timber tower at UofT

Enhanced construction practices are enabling buildings across Canada that are resilient to the impacts of climate change while locking in absorbed carbon. Innovative building materials, including mass timber, are helping to drive down emissions in the buildings sector while creating good jobs across the Canadian supply chain – including in sustainable forestry.

Julie Dabrusin, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Environment and Climate Change and to the Minister of Energy and Natural Resources, has announced a $3.9-million federal contribution to the University of Toronto (UofT) for the construction of a 14-storey mass timber academic and research tower on its St. George campus. The contribution comes through the Green Construction through Wood (GCWood) program.

“The Academic Wood Tower at UofT is a historic development that symbolizes where we are headed: a cleaner future where Canadian workers sustainably use Canadian materials to build more affordable and sustainable communities. The Government of Canada is pleased to help get this tower built, right here in Toronto,” said Dabrusin.

The new building, with its innovative design and creative wood structure, will provide a new and creative workspace for several faculties and act as a living laboratory to further the university’s innovation agenda. The structure is being constructed almost entirely from engineered Canadian timber.

Mass timber products require less energy to produce and store carbon dioxide. By choosing mass timber, construction projects are reducing pollution and energy waste while contributing to a growing area of climate action. Mass timber products sustainably contribute to the future of low-carbon construction and the development Canada’s bioeconomy in a manner that is consistent with the forest carbon cycle.

This project helps to expand Canada’s wood market into tall wood buildings, creating good jobs in the forest and construction sectors that contribute to Canada’s fight against the climate crisis.

Across Canada, the construction sector is transforming, with more low-carbon solutions like wood-based materials and systems being used. From conservation to sustainable development, Canada’s forest economy supports many communities and directly employs hundreds of thousands of Canadians who will continue to contribute economically to building a net-zero future.

The Government of Canada is supporting Canadian industries and workers, who are innovating to meet the growing global demand for more sustainable construction materials such as mass timber, carbon-cured concrete and zero-emissions steel.