A reversal of the City of Vancouver’s ban of natural gas to heat new homes and water will not come to fruition.
The proposed change failed in council chambers Wednesday, with a 5 to 5 vote.
The change would have allowed builders to choose between natural gas and electricity for home heating and hot water in new construction builds starting in March.
Tuesday’s meeting began with city staff answering questions from councillors about re-introducing natural gas heating into new homes.
Members of the public shared their thoughts with councillors both Tuesday and Wednesday due to the high number of speakers.
In its report, city staff noted that allowing gas would make it far more difficult for the city to meet its 2030 climate targets.
Staff also stated while removing the ban would provide choice, the change would likely not improve affordability or speed up housing approval processes.
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The city has not allowed natural gas for heating and hot water in new homes since 2022. However, the ban still allows for some uses, including cooking and fireplaces.
ABC councillors Peter Meiszner, Lisa Dominato, and Rebecca Bligh voted against removing the ban, joining two Green councillors.
All other ABC councillors voted in favour, along with mayor Ken Sim.
OneCity councillor Christine Boyle was the only councillor to not vote on the option. Boyle is on leave and plans to resign from council as she was elected as the NDP MLA for Vancouver-Little Mountain.
The inital amendment to remove the ban was introduced by ABC councillor Brian Montague in July, raising concerns about the rising demand of electricity and how it could impact heating.
The overall demand for electricity in BC is forecast to increase by 15 per cent or more before the end of the decade.
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