Ontario Construction News staff writer
ST. CATHARINES — The City of St. Catharines has opened its first net-zero facility, a new Fire Station 2 built to the Canada Green Building Council’s Zero Carbon Building Standard.
Located on Linwell Road, the station replaces a 1950s-era building and was funded with $440,000 from the federal Green Municipal Fund.
The structure was designed by G. Douglas Vallee Limited, an Ontario architectural and engineering firm that specializes in fire and paramedic facilities.
Features include a 53-kilowatt rooftop solar array, electric heating and cooling systems, triple-glazed thermal windows, two electric vehicle charging stations, and high R-value insulation. Officials say the design reduces greenhouse gas emissions by improving efficiency, generating on-site renewable energy and lowering embodied carbon in building materials.
The new station also has larger vehicle bays, gender-inclusive washrooms and changing areas, a barrier-free washroom, and accessibility upgrades. A specialized bunker gear washer and dryer, funded with nearly $50,000 from an Ontario Fire Protection Grant, will help reduce firefighters’ exposure to contaminants linked to higher cancer risks.
At the opening, Fire Services also unveiled a new pumper tanker truck equipped with a larger on-board water tank and a portable tank to improve rural firefighting capability.
City officials say the project aligns with environmental goals outlined in the city’s Strategic Plan, Energy Conservation and Demand Management Plan, and Corporate Climate Change Adaptation Plan.
