The municipality of Prévost becomes the first city in Quebec to prohibit the installation of gas systems in new residences, which would include renewable natural gas.
In order to reduce its greenhouse gases, this municipality in the Laurentians will prohibit the use of propane and natural gas in future residential and institutional buildings in the municipality, as of December 31, 2023.
“We are proud to become the very first city in Quebec to implement such regulations which aim above all to achieve the government target of reducing GHG emissions attributed to the heating of buildings by 50% by 2030,” declared Paul. Germain, mayor of Prévost.
Citizens will therefore no longer have the right to install new gas-powered appliances.
However, gas stoves and outdoor cooking appliances (BBQs) are not covered by this new regulation.
Existing installations as of December 31, 2023 will also “benefit from an acquired right and may be maintained and repaired, without any restriction”.
10% of Quebec’s GHG emissions
“Initially, there were some concerns among the population […]but it’s incredible how we managed, in less than six months, to make our people aware of the impacts of natural gas on GHG emissions,” explained Mayor Germain.
The building sector (residential, commercial and institutional) is responsible for approximately 10% of GHG emissions in Quebec and is the third highest emitting sector.
“We are the first in Quebec, but we just want there to be others,” said the mayor, adding that the Quebec government’s target of halving building emissions before 2030 “does not It won’t happen on its own.”
The “Let’s get out the gas!” coalition ”, made up of environmental, union and citizen organizations, congratulated the City of Prévost for its “leadership and commitment” to the energy transition.
“This regulation is concrete proof that decarbonizing buildings is achievable when local authorities follow best practices,” the coalition wrote in a statement.
In recent years, several municipalities have announced their intention to ban the use of gas in new buildings. For example, in 2022, Mayor Valérie Plante declared that all buildings in Montreal will have to be powered exclusively by entirely renewable energies by 2040, and that new constructions will have to be “zero emissions” from 2025.
Regulation would ban renewable gas
The new regulations should also prohibit new connections to renewable natural gas (RNG) from Énergir, the main distributor of natural gas in Quebec.
“There is 0 to 2% GNR in the gas distributed by Énergir,” said Mayor Paul Germain, who finds it difficult to see how its use can be justified.
The Énergir network distributes 97% of the natural gas consumed in Quebec and supplies energy to just over 205,000 customers.
According to the company’s website, 80% of its natural gas comes from Alberta and British Columbia, and 20% from the United States.
RNG currently only represents more or less 1% of volumes in the Énergir network.
The company plans to reach 5% of RNG in its distribution volumes in 2025 and 10% in 2030.
In an email sent to The Canadian Press, Énergir indicated that it “will take the time to analyze the regulation to find out what its impacts are and clarify certain wording.”