Montreal could soon ban the installation of new stoves and natural gas fireplaces in residences and businesses in the city.
This is at least what a commission of elected municipal officials, dominated by the troops of Mayor Valérie Plante, recommended on Thursday, who also welcomed the idea. In response, environmentalists are jubilant while others are worried.
The City Council’s Commission on Water, the Environment, Sustainable Development and Large Parks believes that the climate emergency requires strong action on the part of the City of Montreal.
The installation of new fixed indoor appliances, including gas cookers, using fossil fuels should be “prohibited as soon as possible”, indicate their recommendations, “and promote the replacement of existing ones with high-performance zero-emission appliances. energy in accordance with the highest standards of the day”.
The Commission also wants to “prohibit, as soon as possible, that any new building on the territory of the City be connected to a natural gas distribution network”.
Such a ban has existed for more than a year in New York, where it has sparked a controversy that has quickly taken on national proportions. Many elected Republicans have posed as defenders of gas stoves, pleading for the freedom of everyone to decide on their preferred cooking method.
In addition to the impacts of gas development on the environment, natural gas is being harshly criticized these days for its effect on people’s health. Scientific studies have thus established links between the presence of a gas cooker in a house and asthma problems in children.
“No more time for half measures”, says the administration
Montreal elected officials at the source of the recommendations unveiled Thursday have heard from many experts and environmental groups in recent weeks regarding the “roadmap to zero-emission buildings in Montreal by 2040” proposed by the administration.
In addition to the ban on the installation of new appliances and the ban on connecting new buildings to the gas distribution network, the Commission would also like the City to work actively to have the gas and oil heating systems replaced. to electrical systems.
The Plante administration has expressed great openness to these pressing demands. Even before the recommendations were officially adopted, the person in charge of the file reacted favorably.
“With the scale of the climate crisis, it is no longer the time for half-measures”, reacted Marie-Andrée Mauger, the elected official in charge of the environment on the executive committee of Valérie Plante. She spoke in a written statement sent by the office of the mayor.
We must all together understand how we are going to orchestrate the exit from fossil fuels in each sector, and what is the role of each one so that it becomes an inspiring collective project.
Marie-Andrée Mauger, responsible for the environment on the executive committee of the City of Montreal
“We will take the time to analyze all the recommendations and we will follow up on them in the coming months,” she added.
Contrasting reactions
Outside the walls of City Hall, reactions to the recommendations of elected officials were quick to take.
A group of environmental groups who presented a common vision to the Commission welcomed the outcome of the consultations.
“Montreal must move forward without delay and ban gas in new buildings in addition to banning the replacement of existing appliances no later than 2025 as recommended by the International Energy Agency,” said example argues Patrick Bonin of Greenpeace Canada. In addition, cities and the government of Quebec must immediately conduct a major awareness campaign on the health risks posed by gas stoves.
On the contrary, concerns are high at the Association Restauration Québec (ARQ), which represents thousands of establishments that cook with gas.
“In the commercial sector, there are very few[options] appliances for cooking food,” said Martin Vézina, spokesperson for the group. “It will be very difficult to open new catering establishments in new buildings. »
Directly affected by the measures, Énergir called on the City of Montreal for more flexibility.
By prohibiting the installation of certain gas appliances, “Montréal would be depriving itself of zero-emission solutions that are already accessible, at a good price and which make it possible to effectively manage the energy peak,” argued spokesperson Elaine Arsenault by email. “Énergir believes it is necessary to implement pragmatic solutions that will have the maximum impact on reducing GHG emissions and during peak energy periods. »