A five-hour session of Nanaimo city council that ran into Monday night narrowly passed a staff recommendation to move to the top level of the province\u2019s Zero Carbon Step Code six years earlier than the provincial timeline.<\/p>\n
The 5-4 vote means that new homes being built in Nanaimo will have to meet stringent emissions requirements by July 2024. Natural gas is not banned outright in the new code and is still allowed as a backup heating system or for gas stoves and fireplaces.<\/p>\n
Jason Wolfe, director of energy solutions at Fortis BC, said that in practice these new rules will amount to a ban on natural gas on new buildings.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhile technically you can still use gas for things like fireplaces, the practical effect is builders won't choose that,\u201d he said,\u201dBecause they know the easiest path is to use all electricity, they'll get their permits faster.\u201d<\/p>\n
The new rules will not affect existing homes that use natural gas and city staff estimate it will mean roughly 160 new homes a year, the vast majority of which are single-family homes, will have to meet the new standard.<\/p>\n
Nanaimo follows the City of Victoria and the District of Saanich in implementing the Zero Carbon Step Code.<\/p>\n
In the marathon meeting, over 25 presentations to council were made by environmental activists, energy companies, homebuilders and small business owners.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis summer is going to be for all of us, the mildest wildfire season for the next 100 years,\u201d said Howard Breen, an organizer with Extinction Rebellion Nanaimo. \u201cThe reality is, climate change is no longer a threat. It's a state of emergency for all of us.\u201d<\/p>\n
After hearing the presentations, council debated the motion by Coun. Ben Geselbracht to adopt the zero carbon rules.<\/p>\n
\u201cI think that there has been a certain form of denialism of the actual leaps that we have to make,\u201d he said. \u201cWhen we hear things about delaying time, we are putting forward solutions that aren't really solutions. We have to cut through that and just get down to business.\u201d<\/p>\n
Coun. Paul Manly, a former Green MP, chose to quote the leader of the Conservative Party of Canada in his argument in support of the motion.<\/p>\n
\u201cI don't often like to quote Pierre Poilievre, but I will,\u201d he said, prompting laughter from other members of council. \u201cWe need technology, not taxes. Carbon taxes aren\u2019t incentivizing people to make the change.\u201d<\/p>\n
Coun. Ian Thorpe noted that reports by both Fortis BC and Hydro BC were among the documents submitted to council on the issue.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe at this table are not scientists and I don't think there's any point in debating what we believe or don't believe in those reports, because everybody is going to believe what they want to believe and not accept what they don't want to accept,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
Nanaimo Mayor Leonard Krog also opposed the move saying it won\u2019t have a significant impact on climate targets.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe're asking the potential of 160 homeowners basically to forego the possibility of using natural gas,\u201d he said. \u201cIf we want to do heavy lifting, we should be petitioning the province to ban the import of the vegetables we all love to eat year round. When they're not in season in British Columbia, we should all be eating turnips and carrots and potatoes through the winter and living on our carrots and our greens in the summer.\u201d<\/p>\n
Coun. Hiliary Eastmure argued in favor of adopting the Zero Carbon Step Code.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe've heard from residents, business owners, developers, builders and energy providers who are saying yes, it's doable, it's desirable, and there's no time like the present,\u201d she said. \u201cBecause literally, there is no time left to make decisions like this, we're in a climate crisis.\u201d<\/p>\n
Councilors Brown, Eastmure, Geselbracht, Hemmens and Manly voted in favor of the motion while Armstrong, Perrino, Thorpe and Mayor Krog voted against it.<\/p>\n
Council also adopted plans to require all building permits to meet measure-only Level EL-1 and that wood-framed residential buildings be required to meet Step 3 of the Energy Step Code for energy efficiency by January 2026.<\/p>\n
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