City of Vancouver Reverses Ban on NG Heating in New Homes
In a surprise move, Vancouver City Council vote last week reversed a controversial by-law that prohibited the use of natural gas for home heating in newly built homes.
After hearing a report from the city’s Planning, Urban Design and Sustainability department, Councillor Brian Montague proposed the motion
That Council direct staff to be guided by the objectives, scope, and process described in this report, as they develop the City’s 2026-2030 climate action plans and a financial framework, to reduce carbon pollution and prepare for the impacts of climate change.
In providing greater clarity about the City’s role in climate action, and to support other Council priorities such as housing affordability, Council resolves to allow natural gas for heating and hot water for new construction, including homes that fall within the Missing Middle Housing Framework given the rapid decarbonization of BC’s gas system such as provincially-stated RNG percentage targets (15% by 2030), hydrogen gas blends, and the adoption of new technologies that would allow for greater choice and more resilient pathways to achieving the City’s desired emission reduction and decarbonization outcomes;
The vote passed 6-5, with Mayor Ken Sim casting the tie-breaking vote.
Montague stated that the change would reduce barriers for building middle-income and multiplex housing and make Vancouver more affordable.
People want to have the choice on how to cook their food. They want to have a choice on how they heat their homes and how they heat their water, and they want to have a choice on how much they pay to do that.
It should be noted that city staff later stated that Vancouver does not have any policies, regulations or bylaws banning the use of natural gas for cooking in new or existing buildings. The focus of the gas reduction strategy was only on heating in new homes.
For more, see: https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-columbia/vancouver-city-council-natural-gas-reversal-1.7274783
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