With support from the ASPQ, the City of Montreal, and Dunsky Energie+Climat, the MUHC is strengthening its leadership in sustainable development by becoming the first healthcare institution in Quebec to adopt a decarbonization roadmap to guide its transition to carbon neutrality.
The McGill University Health Centre (MUHC) is continuing its commitment to reducing its environmental footprint by becoming the first healthcare institution in Quebec to adopt a decarbonization roadmap for its buildings. With the healthcare sector generating 3.6 % of global greenhouse gas emissions in Quebec, the MUHC recognizes its responsibility in the fight against climate change and is making sustainable development a priority to protect the health of the population and become a leader in sustainable practices.
Developed with the support of the Association pour la santé publique du Québec (ASPQ), financial support from the City of Montreal, and the expertise of Dunsky Energie+Climat, this roadmap provides the MUHC with a clear basis for better understanding its emissions and guiding its decisions on decarbonization.
"This roadmap will guide our decarbonization efforts by targeting the priority levers identified in our first carbon assessment, conducted in collaboration with Synergie Santé Environnement and the firm Shadow in March 2025. It reflects an organization-wide movement to pursue bold targets and take the concrete, structured and sustainable actions to achieve them," says Dr. Lucie Opatrny, President and Executive Director of the MUHC. "As a public institution and active member of the community, we want to demonstrate that it is possible to provide world-class care while reducing our environmental footprint."
A key issue for health and the resilience of the network
The ASPQ points out that climate change is now the greatest threat to health, according to the World Health Organization. Faced with this challenge, the Health and Social Services Network (RSSS) must be consistent and continue to pursue carbon neutrality by 2040, as proposed by the ASPQ and Dunsky Energy + Climate in 2023. The energy transition of RSSS buildings is also an important opportunity to achieve long-term savings in a context of rationalizing operating costs. It is with this in mind that the ASPQ would like to highlight the commitment of the MUHC and the financial support of the City of Montreal for this project.
"The ASPQ applauds the MUHC's leadership. This initiative is in line with the growing desire among healthcare professionals to do their part in addressing the climate challenge," said Cyril Frazao, Director of Health and Climate at the ASPQ. "To emerge from this crisis, we need boldness and responsible investment. This roadmap clearly shows the scale of the task ahead to meet the government's ambition to reduce GHG emissions, while strengthening the energy resilience of essential services and promoting public health."
Understanding our emissions, the measures envisaged and the anticipated results
The analysis shows that the majority of the MUHC's energy consumption and emissions come from its three main hospitals, with the Montreal General Hospital being the largest source due to its age and dependence on natural gas for heating. The Glen site consumes more energy but emits less thanks to more modern and electrified systems. This overview identifies where interventions will have the greatest impact.
To reduce emissions, the roadmap proposes a progressive sequence of measures. The first step is to optimize existing systems, notably through recommissioning, conversion to LED lighting, and improvement of the steam network. This will be followed by major electrification work, the installation of heat pumps for heating, and the replacement of natural gas and diesel-powered equipment.
Preliminary results for the Montreal General Hospital indicate a steady decline in emissions leading to carbon neutrality in 2040. The majority of the reductions come from the electrification of heating and efficiency gains, while renewable natural gas will eliminate the remaining emissions. Energy consumption is expected to decrease by approximately 25% once all measures are implemented.
"According to our analysis, more than 75% of the identified GHG emission reductions could be achieved at no cost to the MUHC," explains Stéphanie Breton, Senior Technical Consultant, Dunsky Energie + Climat. "This study is part of our team's ongoing work to support a cleaner and more resilient energy future for the healthcare sector."
Nevertheless, the roadmap notes that ongoing investment will be necessary to support the upgrades and adoption of technologies required to further reduce emissions.
This exercise builds on the many steps already taken by the MUHC to reduce its environmental footprint and strengthen a culture of sustainable care that combines human health with the health of the planet. From energy efficiency to responsible resource management, sustainable mobility, and waste reduction, the MUHC is taking concrete action to achieve its ambitious goals. (See appendix)
