ENVIRONMENTAL RECOGNITION FOR REGINA CORRECTIONAL CENTRE

The Government of Saskatchewan continues to receive growing recognition for reducing its environmental footprint. The Regina Provincial Correctional Centre has achieved a silver certification under the Canada Green Building Council's Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) rating system.

The LEED system evaluates and recognizes building projects for sustainable design that surpasses normal building practices. Buildings are evaluated on five key environmental factors: sustainable sites, water efficiency, energy and atmosphere, materials and resources and indoor environmental quality.

"We are making a concerted effort to reduce the impact of all areas of government operations on our environment, with significant progress made particularly in sustainable building construction and maintenance," Central Services Minister Nancy Heppner said. "I think it's important that government set a good example as our province prepares for economic and population growth."

The sustainable design of the Regina Provincial Correctional Centre has resulted in numerous environmental benefits over normal construction practices, including reductions of:

• Water usage by 31 per cent;
• Energy consumption by 38 per cent; and
• Landfill waste by 76 per cent.

In addition, 33 per cent of materials used for this project contained recycled material and 81 per cent of the wood products used during construction were from sustainable sources. The Ministry of Central Services continues to undertake initiatives that will result in even further environmental benefits at the facility.

"Ministry staff worked hard to ensure that the Regina Provincial Correctional Centre followed the LEED system, so we are pleased to have achieved this certification," Corrections and Policing Minister Christine Tell said. "We are committed to environmentally sustainable practices and I am confident that we will maintain these standards on future projects."

Central Services is working to reduce government's overall environmental footprint by focusing on greening operations and building more environmentally-friendly buildings across the province.

To date, 25 government or jointly-operated buildings have received or are being evaluated for either LEED certification or BOMA BESt (Building Owners and Managers Association of Canada - Building Environment Standards) certification, which provides recognition for buildings that are maintained and operated in a green manner.

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For more information, contact:

Art Newton
Central Services
Regina
Phone: 306-787-2215
Email: anewton@gov.sk.ca
Cell: 306-535-1175

Judy Orthner
Corrections and Policing
Regina
Phone: 306-787-5883
Email: Judy.Orthner@gov.sk.ca