Montreal should ban the installation of new fixed appliances, including gas stoves, that use fossil fuels as soon as possible, according to a report by the city’s Water, Environment and Sustainable Development Commission.
The Commission also recommends phasing out fossil fuel heating systems in existing buildings and banning new buildings from being connected to natural gas pipes as soon as possible.
It is also recommended that the decarbonization of Montreal’s buildings be coupled with other energy efficiency measures, such as B. promoting the installation of heat pumps.
The report, which contains 25 recommendations, will be presented by the commission, made up of mayors and county councillors, at the March municipal council meeting.
These recommendations come after the city mandated the commission to organize a public consultation and find ways to ensure Montreal buildings are zero-emissions by 2040 — a pledge made by Mayor Valérie Plante at the Montreal climate summit last summer .
Catherine Cadotte, a spokeswoman for the mayor, said the administration will take time to analyze each recommendation before making decisions.
The goal of the summit is to accelerate the transition to becoming a greener city, and buildings are responsible for 30 percent of Montreal’s greenhouse gas emissions, she said.
Of these, according to the commission, commercial and institutional buildings emit 57 percent of greenhouse gases, despite accounting for just 4.1 percent of buildings.
Marie-Andrée Mauger, Montreal Executive Committee chief for the environment, said given the scale of the climate crisis, “there is no more time for half measures”.
“We will take the time to analyze all the recommendations and we will follow them up over the coming months,” she said.
The commission’s recommendations quickly found support from environmental organizations such as the Association Québécoise des medicines pour l’environnement (AQME), Greenpeace Canada, the David Suzuki Foundation and Nature Québec.
However, gas supplier Énergir has spoken out against the recommendation. Énergir’s natural gas network includes nearly 10,000 kilometers of underground pipelines serving more than 300 communities, including Montreal.
In a statement, the company said Montreal would no longer have access to renewable natural gas as a clean energy source if it opted for the recommended bans.
“Recommendations aimed at banning certain types of devices rather than encouraging renewable energy consumption would deprive Montreal of zero-emission solutions that are already available at a good price and allow energy spikes to be managed effectively,” it said in the statement.
Énergir is pleased to continue working with Montreal and Hydro-Québec to achieve carbon neutrality in buildings.
