Yesterday was the Toronto Chapter's monthly meeting featuring a special presentation from GBCI & CaGBC. The free event packed the room and gave me a better idea of the Chapter's member-base. I even ran into one of my Schulich classmates at the event! A good 100-150 folks showed up to learn more about the changes that are taking place with LEED certification in Canada.
The transition is complex- in short, there will now be specializations of LEED that you can test for- for example, LEED AP Neighborhood Development, and LEED AP New Construction, etc. You will also be required to test for LEED Green Associate designation, in order to become LEED certified. There are also backend transitions that are occurring, and important to know for Canadians in particular: not all LEED exams are currently available yet- so you have to travel to the States to get LEED certified at the moment. More information can be available at CaGBC.org.
Hi Minh Huyen, sorry for the monster comment here, I have a few questions for you.
ReplyDeleteI'm curious about the changes in the certification process back in Canada. I was going to write my LEED NC change before the change, but got busy with school and spazzed on that, so now I'll have to do my LEED Green Associate first :(
The way it used to be, you took one of the specializations (LEED CI, NC or EB, there were less back then) and then you got your LEEP AP designation and more or less got grandfathered into the others.
Is that still the case? For example, if I went and got my NC certification, would I still count as LEED AP if I were to work on a Neighbourhood Development or Existing Building project down the line ?
Also, you mention going to the US to get LEED certification. I know that GBC Brasil is currently working from a slightly modified version of the USGBC's LEED standard, and that I could get a Green Associate and/or LEED AP certification here, but it would be under the USGBC system, not the Canadian custom version. Would I still count as LEED AP in Canada? Would that cause any problems? Has anyone there commented on this?
Sounds like there's some exciting stuff going on back home! Keep us posted!
Hey Minh!
ReplyDeleteSounds like you are definitely being kept busy! It's cool that you had the chance to see a presentation from GBCI. They really are such a great group of people here so its good they are active in Toronto as well. Hope you're enjoying your time and I'll definitely keep messaging you :P
Hi Lee,
ReplyDeleteThanks very much for the comment- glad to see you are thinking ahead. I'll try my best to answer your questions based on what I know- but definitely check GBCI.org or CaGBC.org for more detailed information. Moving forward, GBCI is now the primary party responsible for administration of the LEED creditation. First, regardless of which specialization you select, you will be LEED AP and the creditation is recognized world-wide, regardless of location of the exam. So, taking USGBC LEED AP means you will still be recognized as LEED AP in Canada- the plus side of taking the test in Canada is that the content is tailored to reflect the Canadian green building environment. To maintain your LEED AP status, you will need to demonstrate 30 continuing education credits every 2 years (either through classes, training, etc). I'm not sure how it works exactly if you are LEED AP NC, but then go and work on ND and want to have ND designation. Again, definitely check the GBCI and CaGBC websites, as I am no expert (2 weeks on the job!). Hope that helps though!
Cheers,
Minh-Huyen