Building Resilience Gathering: Embodied Carbon Edition
Manitoba’s Built Environment at a Turning Point

Embodied carbon is coming to Manitoba’s building sector. The codes, the tools, and the expectations are all shifting.

New policies are emerging and expectations for climate accountability are growing. The way we design and build is changing — and Manitoba’s building sector needs to be ready. Will you be?

Wherever you’re starting from, this series meets you where you are.

Register now — in-person spots are limited.

📅 Wednesday April 8 & 15 | Online Sessions via Zoom | 12:00 – 3:00 PM CT – Short, high-impact presentations – From core concepts to real project case studies, hear from industry leaders on the tools, policies, and strategies shaping low-carbon construction in Manitoba.

📅 Wednesday, April 22 | In-Person Discussion | 5:00 – 8:30 PM CT @ 120 King St, Winnipeg – Manitoba’s building community comes together to move beyond awareness and get honest about what it will take to normalize high-performance, low-carbon building in our province. Come ready to talk and listen.

SCHEDULE OVERVIEW – Details and bios below

Wednesday April 8th, 12:00-3:00 pm – ONLINE PRESENTATIONS

Wednesday April 15th, 12:00-3:00 pm – ONLINE PRESENTATIONS

Wednesday April 22nd, 5:00 – 8:30pm – IN PERSON DISCUSSIONS

The final evening brings participants together in person to reflect on key insights and discuss how Manitoba’s building sector can move from learning to action. These discussions go above and beyond focusing exclusively on embodied carbon to tackle the pressing obstacles and opportunities facing sustainable building in Manitoba

Come ready to talk and listen to help shape what comes next for sustainable building in our province

Location: The King’s Head – 120 King St, Winnipeg, Manitoba

ATTEND ALL NINE (9) TALKS FOR ONLY $75.

25% off for Sustaining SBM members|FREE for SBM Super Sustaining Members

Certificates for this event are only sent to members as one of the many SBM member benefits.

FLEXIBLE TICKET STRUCTURE: Buy for one day, any two days or the whole Gathering.

Special pricing for Offices – a great chance to set up in your board room to participate in learning and to build collaboration within your team.

If cost is a barrier, please get in touch so that we can remove that barrier for you !

Special thank you to our event sponsors

Efficiency Manitoba, Manitoba Environmental Industries Association, and Assiniboine Credit Union

DAY 1: Setting the Foundation

Wednesday April 8 | 12:00 – 3:00 PM | Online
From core concepts to cutting-edge tools, hear from industry leaders on what embodied carbon means for Manitoba’s building sector and where we’re headed.

Agenda

Welcome
12:00 – 12:05 PM

What is Embodied Carbon? Where Manitoba Stands

12:05 – 12:30 PM
This session frames embodied carbon as the front-loaded emissions of buildings and explains why early design decisions have the greatest climate impact. Drawing on project experience, the talk contrasts operational carbon reduction strategies with embodied carbon strategies that emerge from early architectural and structural thinking.

Speaker: Michael Hiebert, Architectural Technologist, Number TEN Architectural Group.

Michael is an experienced architectural technologist with over 20 years of experience. A LEED® Accredited Professional, he is passionate about sustainable and accessible design technology. In his role with Number TEN, Michael is instrumental in the research of products, processes, legislation, and emerging technologies, as well as in the development of detailed designs and construction documentation. He serves as a leader of our Net Zero Knowledge Community, contributing to the advancement of high-performing, resilient building solutions aligned with carbon reduction targets and the AIA 2030 Challenge. Through this role, he supports early energy modelling, embodied carbon analysis, and the tracking of project performance data to strengthen lessons learned across the firm. His project portfolio includes Manitou a bi Bii daziigae and a wide range of successfully completed projects such as Assiniboine Park Zoo Journey to Churchill, Affinity Place Arena, and RRC Polytech Skilled Trades and Technology Centre.

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Future Codes: What’s Coming & When

12:30 – 12:50 PM
This session explores how Canada’s National Building Code (NBC) and National Energy Code for Buildings (NECB) are evolving to address greenhouse gas emissions and embodied carbon as part of Canada’s path to Net Zero 2050.

Speaker: Laverne Dalgleish, Principal, Building Professionals

Mr. Laverne Dalgleish has been actively involved in the construction industry for over 35 years and has specialized in building envelopes, energy efficiency and building performance for both commercial and residential construction. His focus now is to raise the bar in professionalism for building trades and focus on quality processes in construction to ensure long-term high-performance buildings.

Over the years, Laverne has become a frequent presenter across North America on a variety of topics as they relate to building envelopes, energy efficiency, green building practices, and standards and quality of construction.

Laverne is actively involved in the standards development process at ISO, ASTM, ASHRAE, ULC, CSA and chairs several standards committees. Laverne has drafted industry standards for ABAA
A big believer in scientific research, Laverne has led and participated in several commercial and residential building research projects with groups such as Oak Ridge National Laboratories, Syracuse University, University of Waterloo and the National Research Council of Canada. Laverne has been involved in several utility demand side management programs and worked with various government departments across North American.

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Embodied Carbon Tools Database Comparison

12:50 – 1:15 PM
This presentation examines why modeling the same building in different Whole Building Life Cycle Assessment (WBLCA) tools can produce different results. Findings from an NRC-funded report compare tools such as One Click LCA, Athena, Tally, EC3, and BEAM.

Speaker: Anthony Pak, Principal, Priopta

As the Principal at Priopta, Anthony brings expertise spanning embodied carbon policy, research, and project-level LCA consulting, with modelling completed for more than 70 buildings across diverse sectors. Anthony has advised leading jurisdictions, including the City of Vancouver in developing the first embodied carbon building code policy requirements in North America, and the Treasury Board of Canada Secretariat on embodied carbon requirements for federal projects. He is a co-author of the National Whole-Building LCA Practitioner’s Guide, published by the National Research Council (NRC), which provides nationally aligned guidance now referenced by leading embodied carbon policies across Canada. Anthony founded CLF British Columbia in 2019 as the first Carbon Leadership Forum (CLF) Regional Hub, helping catalyze what has since grown into 25+ hubs globally. He previously served as the CLF Global Hub Director, supporting hub leaders across the network.

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Panel: Industry Associations

1:25 – 2:15 PM
This panel explores how the cement & concrete, structural steel, and wood sectors are responding to embodied carbon through innovations in materials, manufacturing, and supply chains.

Speakers:
Rob Cooney, Vice President Construction Innovation, Cement Association of Canada

Rob Cooney is Vice President of Construction Innovation at the Cement Association of Canada, where he drives sustainable advancements in the construction sector. With 20 years of experience leading complex projects, he specializes in strategy development and its implementation, and stakeholder collaboration. Rob’s public service roles at the Treasury Board of Canada Secretariat and the National Research Council Canada saw him lead research and national policy initiatives for low-carbon construction, contributing to Canada’s shift toward sustainable building practices. Passionate about solving industry challenges, Rob champions collaborative, impactful solutions

Mandi Augustynski, Business Initiatives Manager, Canadian Institute of Steel Construction

Mandi Augustynski is a structural engineer (ing., in Quebec) and Manager of Business Initiatives for the Quebec and Atlantic regions at the Canadian Institute of Steel Construction (CISC). She has designed and supported several major industrial projects in the resource extraction sector as a structural engineer. She has significant experience in site inspection, construction and retrofit. In her current role Mandi works actively with engineers, architects and developers to improve their understanding of steel design and the benefits of steel construction systems.

Mandi has significant project management experience as project manager for the CISC region committees of Quebec and Atlantic, as well as the CISC and ISCG sustainability committees. She also sits on the organizational committee for the Montreal Structural Engineers (ISM).

Mandi has a Masters of Engineering in Civil Engineering (M.Eng) from Concordia University and a Bachelors of Engineering in Civil Engineering (B.Eng) from McGill University, both specialized in structural engineering.

Natasha Jeremic, Manager Codes and Standards, Canada Wood Council

Natasha Jeremic is a Professional Engineer with nearly 10 years of experience in the building industry where she has worked in design, building performance analysis, and project management. She is currently the Manager for Sustainability Codes and Standards at the Canadian Wood Council, where she leads strategic initiatives focused on low carbon construction, energy efficiency, durability, and circularity. Natasha leverages her experience in structural design, building envelope consulting, and whole life carbon accounting to showcase how wood products contribute to a sustainable, low-carbon built environment. She is passionate about raising awareness of wood’s role as a viable solution in advancing sustainable construction solutions.

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Panel Case Studies: Projects & Products

2:15 – 2:55 PM
This session highlights real-world projects and product innovations addressing embodied carbon, including Manitoba’s first multi-storey mass timber building, low-carbon construction approaches, and the role of Environmental Product Declarations (EPDs) in improving material transparency.

Speakers:
Michael Pankratz, Vice President, Cornerstone Timberframes

The Industry Association Panel brought together perspectives from the cement and concrete, structural steel, and wood sectors to explore how major structural materials are responding to the growing focus on embodied carbon. The discussion highlighted how the cement and concrete industry is advancing toward its Net Zero 2050 commitment through innovations such as low-carbon cement blends, supplementary cementitious materials, and performance-based solutions that maintain durability and resilience while reducing emissions. The role of Environmental Product Declarations (EPDs) and carbon budgeting was emphasized as a practical way to set measurable carbon targets at both project and portfolio scales, reinforcing the importance of engaging material suppliers early in the design process.

From the structural steel perspective, the panel underscored that embodied carbon in steel is closely tied to its chemical manufacturing process, making responsible procurement critical. Specifying steel from certified mills and qualified fabricators helps ensure both material quality and more transparent carbon performance. The wood sector added a complementary perspective, highlighting wood’s potential to support near-term climate mitigation through carbon storage in long-lived products, while aligning with evolving federal priorities focused on low-carbon, circular, and resource-efficient construction. Together, the panel reinforced that reducing embodied carbon is not about a single material solution, but about optimizing material choices, using credible data, and collaborating across industries to deliver practical, high-performance climate solutions for the built environment.

Bob Hartogsveld, Building and Material Sciences Specialist, CertainTeed Canada

With over 35 years in the construction industry, Bob Hartogsveld, is part of Saint-Gobain Canada’s Commercial Solutions Group, where he supports the AEC community by providing solutions-based insights across the company’s full range of products.

Bob brings deep expertise in construction management, building performance, and sustainable design. He is recognized for his collaborative approach, technical acumen, and commitment to advancing construction excellence through innovation and industry partnerships

Zhen Liu, Owner, Silex Fiberglass Windows & Doors

Zhen Liu is the Owner of Silex Fiberglass Windows & Doors, a Canadian manufacturer specializing in high-performance fiberglass windows, doors, and curtain wall systems. Based in Manitoba, Silex serves residential, commercial, and institutional projects with a focus on durability, energy efficiency, and long-term building performance.

Zhen is the Co-Chair of the Fenestration Canada Manitoba Chapter and is actively involved in advancing industry standards, building envelope performance, and sustainable construction practices. With a strong interest in innovation and lean manufacturing, he works closely with architects, engineers, and contractors to deliver building solutions that balance performance, sustainability, and constructability.

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Closing Thoughts

DAY 2: Building Our Future

Wednesday April 15 | 12:00 – 3:00 PM | Online
Real projects, hard-won lessons, and the policy and financing shifts that are reshaping how we build for a low-carbon future.

Agenda

Welcome Back & Recap
12:00 – 12:05 PM

Panel Case Studies: Successful Projects

12:05 – 1:05 PM
This session highlights real projects demonstrating practical embodied carbon reduction strategies, including research on urban design decisions and their impact on building carbon outcomes.

Speakers:
Elisabeth Baudinaud, Principal, Carbon Wise

Elisabeth is the Principal and Founder of Carbon Wise, a group of energy and carbon advisors providing combined operational and embodied carbon services. Carbon Wise aims to bridge the gap between the realities of on-the-ground construction and the imperative actions needed to meet our climate targets.

Elisabeth and her team have established themselves as leaders in the field, with a strong commitment to sharing their knowledge, often publishing case studies to advance research on high-performance buildings and participating in policy development. Their leadership and innovation have been recognized through multiple awards, including the BC Embodied Carbon Award (2023 and 2024), the HAVAN Trailblazer Award (2024), the BUILD LCA & Policy Award (2025) recognizing their impact on driving sustainable construction practices forward.

Karin Eger-Blenk, CEO, Wilden Group

Karin Eger-Blenk is Co-Chair of the Wilden Group, a family-owned land development and homebuilding company based in Kelowna, British Columbia. Wilden is one of BC`s largest master-planned communities, recognized for its strong commitment to sustainability and the integration of natural landscapes and wildlife habitats into residential living.

Karin is also a co-initiator of the Wilden Living Lab, a collaboration between researchers and industry partners to explore solutions to low-emission single- and multifamily homes.

Rashmi Sirkar, Partner, Ha/f Climate Design

Rashmi Sirkar is a partner at Ha/f Climate Design, where her work encompasses life cycle analysis of buildings and landscape, material strategies for decarbonization, and advocacy for reuse in the built environment.

Rashmi’s grant-funded Master of Architecture thesis at University of Toronto proposed the creation of a circular economic model for Toronto’s postwar stick-frame housing stock and explored the various pathways of wood reuse for wood within the actor-network of a reuse economy. She continues to explore the potential for circular design practice through building reuse, material reuse and bio-based construction.

She has led research on the embodied carbon impact study of the City of Toronto’s Urban Design Guidelines, as well as work on Materials Guide for the Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation’s national low-rise housing design catalogue. Rashmi teaches at the University of Toronto, leading research seminars in both the architecture and landscape architecture departments and is a founding member of the Toronto Circularity Network and the Toronto Biobuild Collective.

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Project Breakdown: Steps and Lessons Learned

1:05 – 1:35 PM
A practical walkthrough of how project teams reduce embodied carbon during design and construction, including challenges, trade-offs, and lessons learned.

Speaker:
Kathleen Tiede, Associate, Crosier Kilgour

Kathleen Tiede is a Professional Engineer registered in Manitoba and an Associate with Crosier Kilgour. She graduated from the University of Manitoba in 1997 with a degree in Biosystems Engineering that focused on sustainability and food processing. Kathleen is a LEED AP, and was one of the first Whole Building Life Cycle Accredited Professionals from BCIT. Over the past 16 years as a Sustainability Consultant, Kathleen has helped over 75 LEED, Green Globes and Net Zero Carbon projects across the Prairie Provinces achieve their certification goals.

Kathleen is a member of the Expert Advisory Council for the Minister of the Environment and Climate Change, and sits on the Embodied Carbon Technical Advisory Group for the Canada Green Building Council to ensure the Prairie perspective is heard.

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Panel: Aligning Policy & Practice — Where Do We Go Next?

1:40 – 2:40 PM
This panel explores how policy, industry, and design practice are aligning to accelerate embodied carbon reduction in the building sector.

Speakers:
Stephanie Dalo, Program Manager, Carbon Leadership Forum BC

Stephanie is a licensed Professional Engineer in British Columbia and Ontario and is the Program Manager of the Carbon Leadership Forum in British Columbia (CLF BC), a program powered by the Zero Emissions Innovation Centre (ZEIC).

Starting her professional journey as a structural engineer, specializing in bridge rehabilitation, her passion for sustainability. After completing the UBC Master of Engineering Leadership, Urban Systems program, she began working on mixed-use, multi-family residential, commercial, institutional, and office buildings, guiding project owners in identifying their sustainability strategy, coordinating and facilitating communication between design teams to keep projects on track towards meeting their sustainability goals. This included conducting Whole Building Life Cycle Assessments to determine a project’s embodied carbon impact and proposing low-carbon design solutions.

Recognizing the intersections between waste, carbon, and affordability, Stephanie advocates for implementing circular economy strategies in the built environment as a holistic strategy for reducing both embodied carbon and construction & demolition waste and supporting social equity.

Kelly Alvarez Doran, Co-Founder, Ha/f Climate Design

Kelly is a father, architect, and educator. His work takes a whole-systems view of the built environment, shaped by practice across multiple geographies and sectors. Early experience in resource development, followed by his role as MASS Design Group’s East Africa Director, grounded his understanding of how design decisions compound across social, environmental, and economic scales.

In 2022, Kelly co-founded Ha/f Climate Design to help Canadian designers, planners, and policymakers cut emissions and improve resilience through practical, implementable guidance.

Kelly is an Adjunct Professor at the University of Toronto, a Senior Fellow at Architecture 2030, serves on the RAIC Committee on Regenerative Environments, and hails from Winnipeg.

Zahra Teshnizi, Senior Planner – Embodied Carbon, City of Vancouver

Zahra Teshnizi is a Senior Planner with the City of Vancouver, leading the City’s Embodied Carbon Strategy to achieve a 40% reduction in embodied carbon in new buildings by 2030. She led the publication of Vancouver’s first Embodied Carbon Guidelines, enabling the addition of whole-building Life Cycle Assessment (wbLCA) reporting and embodied-carbon limits in the Vancouver Building By-law. The Guidelines were later adopted as Canada’s National wbLCA Practitioner’s Guide, now referenced by leading jurisdictions and programs including the CAGBC Zero Carbon Building Standard.

Zahra pioneered North America’s first embodied-carbon reporting requirements through Vancouver’s 2017 Green Building Policy for Rezoning, laying the policy groundwork for today’s data-driven approaches embodied carbon reduction. She supports policy harmonization through advisory roles including the National Model Codes Embodied GHG Emissions Task Group and CAGBC’s Embodied Carbon Technical Advisory Group. She regularly speaks at events and conferences and helped organize the past two National Embodied Carbon Summits.

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Financing Our Future

2:40 – 2:55 PM
Efficiency Capital brings a paradigm shift to the climate finance dialogue by moving beyond traditional lending to a fully integrated “Infrastructure-as-a-Service” model. Erin will demonstrate how building owners can navigate increasing climate risk and carbon performance standards without depleting their own capital or taking on traditional debt.

By showcasing how Efficiency Capital develops, owns, and operates building-scale infrastructure, she will provide the audience with a concrete roadmap for converting deferred maintenance into high-performance assets. Attendees will gain insight into how third-party performance validation (like IREE certification) and institutional partnerships (such as the CIB) are de-risking the path to net-zero, making large-scale retrofits both bankable and executable today.

Speaker:
Erin Ellis, Senior Director, Development – Efficiency Capital
Erin Ellis is the Senior Director of Development with Efficiency Capital, and a recognized leader in sustainable building innovation, project finance and public policy.

With deep experience championing the adoption of made-in-Canada technologies—including smart building systems, energy efficiency solutions, and low-carbon construction materials—Erin helps building owners and organizations realize substantial economic and environmental gains through deep energy retrofit projects. Her collaborative work spans the public, private, and non-profit sectors, equipping stakeholders with the strategies and tools needed to deliver triple bottom line benefits: reducing costs, lowering carbon footprints, and fostering healthier, more resilient communities. Erin will share actionable insights on leveraging innovation and government frameworks to future-proof buildings, improve asset value, and accelerate progress toward a more sustainable real estate sector.

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Closing Thoughts

DAY 3: From Learning to Leadership

Wednesday April 22 | 5:00 – 8:30 PM | In Person
📍 King’s Head Pub, Winnipeg
Manitoba’s building community comes together in person to move beyond awareness and get honest about what it will take to drive real change.

Agenda

Arrival & Reception
5:00 – 5:30 PM

From Learning to Leadership: Top Gathering Takeaways

5:30 – 5:50 PM

Round Table Conversations

5:50 – 7:00 PM
Facilitated discussions exploring themes such as:
• Design
• Construction
• Materials
• Policy
• Finance
• Education

Participants will collaborate to identify practical next steps for reducing embodied carbon across Manitoba’s built environment.

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ATTEND ALL NINE (9) TALKS FOR ONLY $75.

25% off for Sustaining SBM members|FREE for SBM Super Sustaining Members

Certificates for this event are only sent to members as one of the many SBM member benefits.

FLEXIBLE TICKET STRUCTURE Buy for one day, any two days or the whole Gathering.

If cost is a barrier, please get in touch so that we can remove that barrier for you !

Special thank you to our event sponsors

Efficiency Manitoba, Manitoba Environmental Industries Association, and Assiniboine Credit Union

THANK YOU FOR SUPPORT FOR THIS EVENT FROM

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