A debate on gas raises questions about good governance and the public interest at Vancouver city council

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Good morning,

I don’t take many photos of myself. I find I become mortally embarrassed whenever I’m put in a position to take a selfie or even a group one. So I have very few photos of myself. 

But sometimes, it can be helpful to have photos of yourself. Case in point, a couple of readers commented recently that my photo in the introduction looked a little dour. So I searched through my photos (and I mean really searched) until I managed to find one remotely good enough to include. Hopefully, it’s a little more positive than the previous one. 

Today Nate has deep dive on a big vote coming up before council next week that’s raising a lot of concerns.

Let’s dive in!

— Geoff Sharpe, Lookout managing editor

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CITY HALL

A debate on gas raises questions about good governance and the public interest at Vancouver city council

Story written by Nate Lewis

During a late July city council meeting, staff delivered a seemingly routine report on Vancouver’s 2026-2030 climate action plan, intended broadly as a way for the city to set goals and establish processes to reduce carbon pollution and prepare for the impacts of climate change. 

Things took an unexpected turn after the presentation when ABC Coun. Brian Montague introduced a surprise amendment to the report, which caught some councillors off-guard, and required a 15 minute recess before proceeding to a vote. 

“I was actually shocked,” Green Coun. Adriane Carr recalled in a recent conversation with Vancity Lookout.

The controversial nature of the amendment — to scrap a provision of the city’s 2020 Climate Emergency Action Plan, which since 2022 has required new residential buildings to use electric equipment, rather than gas or oil, for space heating and hot water. 

The amendment in July passed narrowly, 6-5, with ABC councillors Lisa Dominato and Peter Meiszner breaking with their party to vote against it. Next Tuesday, staff will provide a report on the specific costs and benefits of the idea, and city council will vote again — this time with more information — on whether or not to keep the gas ban in place. 

It remains to be seen if significant opposition from environmentalists, building industry professionals, and the public will sway other ABC councillors to keep the current rules.

The surprise amendment, and lobbyist influence 

Carr elaborated on how this motion came up at council, describing how a staff report updating councillors on the city’s Climate Emergency Action Plan was turned on its head, with an amendment that went against civic best practices. 

“This was a motion that was tabled without any notice…  No notice to council, no public notice, no media notice, based on information which, as we have learned, was not correct,” Carr explained. 

In a conversation with Vancity Lookout in August, Green Coun. Pete Fry pointed to Montague’s surprise amendment as an example of the ABC party’s governance tactics at council during their term to date. 

“I think that's just a bad practice… and that leads me to a larger concern I have about how decisions are being made with ABC majority, because it seems that they are made not in the public, which is a very basic principle of local government in B.C.,” Fry said.

Prior to the surprise July amendment, a senior advisor to Mayor Ken Sim, David Grewal, was involved in discussions with a lobbyist from gas supplier FortisBC, according to Dan Fumano in the Vancouver Sun. Grewal himself is the co-founder of Absolute Energy and a director of Bluestream Energy, both of which are headquartered in Vancouver, and supply and manage natural gas for a range of clients. 

Trevor Ford, the mayor’s chief of staff, told the Sun they’re confident Grewal’s business interests don’t interfere with his duty at the city. 

That same FortisBC lobbyist, Gurpreet Vinning, met with councillors Montague, Mike Klassen, and Lenny Zhou — who all voted in favour of lifting the ban — in the months prior to the July meeting, according to their public calendars. 

“None of that was made transparent [at the time]... There are things we should be considering as councillors in terms of the way we conduct our business, the way we table motions, our own transparency, in order to ensure that there is public confidence in our decision making,” Carr said. 

Mixed reactions from business community 

In a press release, Mayor Ken Sim’s office said the move would offer residents and homebuilders more energy choices, lower utility bills, contribute to overall housing affordability, and build more homes faster.  

The move was endorsed by the Greater Vancouver Board of Trade and the Homebuilders Association of Vancouver, in a press release from the Mayor’s Office in July.  

The BC Coalition for Affordable Energy, a group advocating for the continued use of gas in BC buildings, said in a press release they “strongly support” the decision. Coalition members like the BC Restaurant and Foodservices Association, the Canadian Federation of Independent Businesses, and a number of propane and gas appliance companies are among those supporting the move.  

However, in October, a group of building industry professionals sent a letter to city council and Mayor Ken Sim asking them to reconsider the decision, refuting the claim that this move would make housing more affordable. 

“While Vancouver is clearly suffering from a housing affordability crisis, this is not the result of the current emissions limits for new buildings,” they said, according to Glacier Media. 

The Zero Emissions Innovation Centre, based in Metro Vancouver, shared their survey of over a hundred builders and people involved in the home construction industry with city council, according to Coun. Carr. 

The survey respondents verified that “it’s incorrect to say that it's going to cost more to get rid of gas in homes and go with electrification,” Carr said, adding that upfront costs may be slightly higher, but it “absolutely” saves money over the long-term.   

Ashley Zarbatany, a fossil gas campaigner with the environmental organization Dogwood, told Vancity Lookout that, in fact, electric-powered homes are often cheaper to build than those using gas. 

One study, which tested hundreds of design configurations for a large single family home, found that electric heating consistently costs less to build and is more energy efficient than gas heating. In terms of yearly utility cost, a BC Hydro report from 2022 found, for an average household in B.C., it cost about $90 less per year to heat their home with an electric heat pump compared to a gas furnace.

The province’s Clean BC policy is planning for a 2030 phase-out of gas heating anyway, Zarbatany added, so “it’s unfair to make homeowners foot the bill for expensive upgrades and retrofits later on, when developers could make it easy and affordable by building it right from the start,” she said. 

Another group of Vancouver businesses — companies in various industries including consulting and communications, food and beverage, architecture and home building, tech, and finance — signed a letter to city council urging them to uphold the 2022 policy.  

“As business leaders, we understand the importance of maintaining clear and consistent policies that provide a stable environment for economic growth and innovation. The sudden reversal of Vancouver’s climate bylaw creates confusion and uncertainty, not only for businesses but also for the residents who trust that their city government is working in their best interests,” the letter reads in part. 

Public outcry 

Dogwood’s campaign against the use of gas in residential buildings “seems to have struck a nerve because Vancouver has been a global leader on the climate front for so long and now the mayor is trying to destroy that,” Zarbatany told Vancity Lookout. “People are very upset and we’re seeing that in the record numbers of volunteers,” she said.  

“There's a fair amount of public input on this, in fact, probably more than I've seen on any other issue in a very, very long time,” Carr said. 

A week out from the vote, council has received “hundreds and hundreds of emails, and it’s still mounting,” Carr shared.

It remains to be seen if all that input will be considered in council’s decision next week.

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VANCOUVER NUMBERS

📈 2%: The inflation rate in October, up from 1.6 per cent in September, with gasoline driving the price increase. Even though inflation is near the Bank of Canada’s target, the bank is still expected to cut interest rates in the coming months. [Canadian Press]

✈️ 2: The number of days that a Vancouver airport runway will be closed after an Amazon cargo plane overran the runway Tuesday morning. If you have a flight today, you may want to check the schedule just in case. [CBC]

🖼️ $1.6 million: The amount the Vancouver Art Gallery received to study, display and amplify Asian art. It’s also the 10th anniversary of the Institute of Asian Art at the gallery, which will be remanded the Centre for Global Asias. [Stir]

THE AGENDA

⛈️ As of last night there were around 160,000 people without power on Vancouver Island and the mainland due to last night’s storm. Those numbers are likely to climb this morning as the aftermath of the storm is revealed. [CityNews]

🏢 On Friday we broke down a study on how an earthquake would impact privately owned buildings in Vancouver. You can read that here. The key problem is that many older, private buildings are at risk of failure, including most of the city’s rental stock. Now, a seismic planner who helped author the report, says that any recommendations are unlikely to require mandatory retrofits but rather inducements for voluntary upgrades. City staff say they hope to get the support of other levels of government to encourage more seismic upgrades. [Vancouver Sun]

🧑‍⚖️ Single-room occupancy building operators in the Downtown Eastside and the surrounding area are taking the city to court. 13 operators are asking the court to overturn vacancy control, which they say is leading to a decline in their property value and loss of rent. Vacancy control ensures SRO owners cannot jack up rents after a tenant leaves, ensuring rents stay affordable. [Vancouer is Awesome]

✈️ An Amazon cargo plane went off the runway at YVR on Tuesday morning. Investigators are looking into what happened, and YVR said it likely would affect travel. [CTV]

🏒 While Vancouver doesn’t have a Professional Women’s Hockey League team, the league is planning games in Vancouver and other cities next year as part of a test run of the viability of a team in those cities. The league says it’s planning to add two more teams in the 2025-26 season. The Montréal Victoire will play Toronto Sceptres on Jan. 8 at Rogers Arena. [CBC]

💰️ If something is supported by a government but doesn’t have any money, timeline or location for it, does it actually exist? While the Vancouver council unanimously voted in favour of building a cultural centre for the South Asian community, the key details remain unclear. But a future staff report will answer some of the more specific questions, like what it will cost. Meanwhile, Surrey is campaigning for the facility to be located there since they have one of the largest South Asian communities in the country. [Vancouver is Awesome]

Outside Vancouver

📜 Premier David Eby announced his new cabinet on Monday. In what appears to be a mission to shake things up, many of the ministers have changed. Brenda Bailey is now finance minister and Josie Osborne is now at health. One key minister that hasn’t changed is housing minister Ravi Kahlon, and in fact, he’s been given the additional responsibility of municipal affairs, a key part of the housing file. [Vancouver Sun]

🌽 It’s really hard being a BC farmer these days. They’re being forced to rethink the crops they plant, especially fruit, as the province deals with ongoing weather whiplash between hot and cold that destroys fruit farming, a phenomenon that has become more common in recent years due to climate change. [Vancouver Sun]

📉 Thind, a developer in Metro Vancouver, has been placed under receivership as it deals with $85 million in debt from its District Northwest project at 13438 105A Avenue in Surrey. [Storeys]

ARTS

Vancouver arts guide

Theatre

Canada’s oldest ballet company, the Royal Winnipeg Ballet, is back in town with The Nutcracker from Dec. 13-15. And it has a Canadian twist! 

Don’t say his name thrice — it’s Beetlejuice! The musical version of the TV show will be in Vancouver next year from Jan. 21-26. Tickets start at  $138.

Music

Music for the Winter Solstice is an “intimate, warm, and welcoming” show featuring piano, vocals and cellist music on Dec 11-12 at Heritage Hall. Tickets $25-$52.

We’re getting into the Christmas season (soon!) and Vancouver’s Bach Choir is performing Handel’s Messiah with the Vancouver Opera Orchestra on Dec. 14 at the Orpheum. 

Movies 

The Rio is hosting the Grind Film Festival, a showcase of Vancouver short movies, on Thursday. If you like amateur films, this is the event for you.

It’s getting into my favourite season for movies as movies focused on awards start releasing. Over at Odeon in International Village, A Real Pain with Kieran Culkin, Conclave and The Substance are all showing over the next few days. 

VIFF has an excellent set of movies coming out this week, including All We Imagine is Light, one of my favourites of the year The Chef & the Durma and dystopian thriller Starship Troopers.

Art

North Vancouverite, and now Los Angeles-based artist Andy Dixon, is turning heads, with his colourful large canvas art that’s been popular with celebrities like Versace and The Weeknd. [Vancouver Sun]

IMAGE OF THE DAY

Found this one on Reddit. I’m probably biased, but I still think this is the best brand in basketball (RIP).

VANCOUVER GUESSER

COMMUNITY HIGHLIGHTS

• This is an inspiring story about a Vancouver drag artist. [Vancouver Sun]

• Looks like Vancouver had its very first (if brief) snowfall. [Reddit]

• I’m still thinking about these Mexican-inspired coffee drinks I had on Granville Island.