Nanaimo city council voted 5-3 to adopt changes to Nanaimo’s building bylaw banning natural gas heating in new buildings at its meeting on Monday. 

The bylaw will require homes and small buildings as well as large complex buildings to meet the highest level of the Zero Carbon Step Code by July 1, 2024 and all large complex buildings to meet Step 3 of the BC Energy Step Code by January 2026. It also requires all permit applications to immediately meet measure-only requirements.

Patrick Littlejohn, a resident of Nanaimo, spoke to council in support of the bylaw, raising concerns about lobbying efforts by a pro-oil and gas Alberta government corporation, first reported by the National Observer.  

“Nanaimo City Council has been targeted by the Canadian Energy Centre, colloquially known as Alberta's war room,” he told council. “I think it's just really important to note that these are large corporate interests, fossil fuel interests, that will try and influence people all over the place.”

Coun. Ben Geselbract said that the bylaw is necessary if the city is going to meet its emissions reduction targets.

“Our consultant that we hired to look at our emissions very clearly said that you're not going to reduce your emissions if you continue heating homes using fossil fuels, you have to fuel switch,” he said.

Coun. Janice Perrino said that she’s concerned about people who buy newly built homes having to choose between heating their home and putting food on the table.

“I've heard comments like heat or eat, and that for me is a major concern that people are forced to just do what they can to abide by this bylaw,” she said. “The cost for families will be considerably higher using electricity alone and, for me, this bylaw is unfair.”

Coun. Paul Manly supported the changes to the bylaw saying that local builders want certainty about what would be permitted in the city.  

“There's been wide consultation with builders in this community and construction companies, and they wanted certainty,” said Manly. “They say it's more feasible to do this, in one go rather than a bit at a time.” 

Coun. Ian Thorpe said he disagrees with Manly about what he heard from local builders. 

“We've had dozens of letters from local contractors, developers, builders, tradesmen, all saying the same thing,” he said. “They're willing to go along with the step code, but they need time to adjust their practices to learn how to do it properly. So rushing is not what they want.”

Coun. Thorpe said that if the bylaw was put to a referendum, something that the Local Government Act only allows for services operated by municipal governments, it would be voted down.

“We all have our own personal opinions and our beliefs,” he said. “We're not here to push those. We're here to try and represent what's best for what we feel is the best interests of ordinary Nanaimo citizens. I am absolutely confident that if this issue was put to a referendum, it would be soundly defeated.”

Coun. Tyler Brown, who also attended the meeting virtually, said the city should be making decisions based on factual evidence.

“We can say it’s opinion and we can say if we put it to referendum, ordinary citizens who we must represent, whatever that means, be voted down — and that very well could be true,” he said. “But at the end of the day, this has been a matter that's been well-studied for decades. Some of the world's smartest people have concluded that there's significant changes occurring and it's a result of energy choices.”

The amendments to the bylaw passed 5-3 with Couns. Brown, Geselbract, Manly, Hilary Eastmure and Erin Hemmens, voting in favour and Couns. Perrino, Thorpe and Sheryl Armstrong opposed. Mayor Leonard Krog was absent.  

Listen to CHLY’s story below: