Ontario Construction News staff writer
The City of Kingston has been recognized with two national awards for its progress in cutting emissions and improving energy efficiency across its municipal buildings.
The Canada Green Building Council (CAGBC) presented the city with its Government Leadership Award, recognizing the work of Kingston’s Facilities Management and Construction Services (FMCS) team. The award highlights efforts to reduce energy use and emissions across more than 160 city-owned buildings. Russell Horne, the city’s Manager of Facilities Energy & Asset Management, was also named Green Building Champion, an individual honour for his role in pushing forward sustainability and decarbonization initiatives.
CAGBC handed out the awards at its Building Lasting Change Gala in Toronto on June 19.
The FMCS team has taken a broad approach to cutting emissions. Their work includes mechanical system upgrades, installing solar PV arrays on 16 buildings, rolling out more than 100 electric vehicle chargers, and expanding building automation systems at 32 major sites to improve efficiency and comfort. They’re also testing what’s believed to be Canada’s first municipal liquid desiccant dehumidifier at the INVISTA Centre.
Since 2018, greenhouse gas emissions from municipal buildings have dropped 21 per cent per square foot, according to the city.
In accepting the Government Leadership Award, Speros Kanellos, Director of FMCS, said the recognition reflects years of work to modernize and rethink how public buildings are built and operated.
Russell Horne’s Green Building Champion award recognizes both technical achievement and community outreach. Over the past seven years, Horne has led decarbonization programs, expanded the city’s building automation systems, integrated carbon budgeting into capital planning, and developed a Net Zero Transition Plan that maps out how each city facility can lower emissions and what the upgrades will cost.
He also helped organize the 2024 Kingston Climate Expo, which brought together residents, experts and partners to share ideas on tackling climate change locally.
The city has committed to becoming carbon neutral by 2040 under its Climate Leadership Plan. Officials say buildings — which account for a major share of municipal emissions — are a central focus.
Neil Carbone, Commissioner of Corporate and Emergency Services, said the awards validate Kingston’s hands-on approach to sustainability. “Russell and the FMCS team have shown real leadership in making our buildings smarter, greener and more efficient,” he said.
Horne added that climate action is “about creating a cleaner, healthier community for everyone. The city is working every day to reduce emissions, save energy and protect Kingston’s shared future.”
