Biography:
Councillor Joe Pantalone is a political veteran with a compelling track record in serving the City of Toronto. He is well known for his dedication to a beautiful and safe city, efforts in greening the city, and service to constituents. As Chair of the Board of Governors for Exhibition Place, Joe has worked tirelessly to make the site an environmental, heritage and festival showcase. Besides pioneering the position of the City’s Tree Advocate, which plants tens of thousands of new trees in Toronto yearly, Joe, as Chair of the Roundtable on the Environment, is leading Toronto’s efforts to become North America’s leader in the environmental field. 

Policy Development:
Joe Pantalone played a central role in the City of Toronto’s adoption of the first comprehensive set of green roof policies in North America. This extensive set of policies will help to establish Toronto as a leader in environmental initiatives, while also setting the stage for public-private partnerships that will result in significant improvements to the quality of life in Toronto. 

Joe Pantalone is being recognized for his unfailing resolve to keep green roofs at the forefront of Toronto’s Environmental Plan. As Chair of the Roundtable on the Environment, Joe enthusiastically drove the development of green roof policies at City Hall and also made sure that green roofs were a hot topic during Roundtable meetings. 

With a grant from the Federation of Canadian Municipalities Green Municipal Funds and Earth and Environmental Technologies, the City was able to commission Ryerson University to conduct a study of municipal level benefits and costs of implementing green roof technology in Toronto. The resultant Report on the Environmental Benefits and Cost of Green Roof Technology for the City of Toronto was released in November 2005 and made several recommendations based on expected benefits that could be quantifiably measured using a model that assumed at least 75% green roof coverage on flat roofs more than 350 sq. m. 

The Ryerson study attributed many positive and heartening environmental and financial benefits resulting from widespread green roof implementation in Toronto, inspiring Joe to continue his quest to green the city through a second report Making Green Roofs Happen. This subsequent report incorporated feedback from stakeholder forums and outlined the Roundtable on the Environment’s preliminary recommendations to City Council . The Roundtable then held a public meeting in November 2005 to receive public deputations. The meeting was well attended with over 200 present and 31 deputations that were overwhelmingly positive. 

In January 2006, the Roundtable on the Environment’s recommendations were sent to the Finance and Policy Committee for consideration. With only two minor amendments all the recommendations were passed by the Policy and Finance Committee, and then City Council in early February 2006.

The scope of polices now available in Toronto to encourage green roof implementation include; Incentives through the Green Roof Incentive Pilot Program with a $200,000 budget for the first year providing a $10/sq.ft. financial incentive up to a maximum of $20,000 per project, and green procurement by government facilities requiring that green roofs be installed on new City owned buildings and on retrofit projects where feasible. 

The framework has also been laid for a multitude of additional policies. A report is scheduled for July 2006 on the feasibility of implementing a stormwater utility charge. The City is working with the Toronto Atmospheric Fund and the Better Buildings Program to determine the feasibility of incorporating green roofs into green loans with low or no interest. Toronto Hydro will be requested to develop a program that benefits projects that integrate green roofs into an overall energy saving strategy. Also being considered is lowering water rates for properties with green roofs, and density bonuses for developers. The City will also make several efforts to educate and provide information about green roofs to their staff and the public. 

Councillor Joe Pantalone, with the support of the Roundtable on the Environment and Mayor David Miller, has been selected for the Green Roof Civic Award of Excellence because his strong belief in the benefits of green roofs and his tireless efforts have resulted in a comprehensive set of green roof policies that have accelerated the City of Toronto’s green roof agenda. His efforts will also drive the green roof industry in Toronto and allow Torontonians to enjoy cleaner air and water, energy savings, potential new amenity space, and beautiful green vistas.