Quebec embraces climate extremism with 2040 ban on fossil fuel heating
Tens of thousands of Quebec homes use non-renewable natural gas to keep warm. By 2040, they must either use renewable gas or electric heaters instead.
The Government of Québec will ban residential natural gas heating by 2040 in order to reduce building emissions — a plan some say is doomed to fail.
The decision comes despite tens of thousands of homes across the province using natural gas to keep warm, as reported by CBC News. At the end of the next decade, those households will be forced to use renewable gas or electric heaters instead.
But the transition appears risky, according to experts, given Québec has much longer, colder winters than other provinces.
Health Canada considers a ban on personal electric heaters
— Rebel News (@RebelNewsOnline) February 28, 2024
The Liberal government wants you to shiver in a cold office while trying to type on your computer while wearing a pair of mittens.
FULL REPORT by @SheilaGunnReid: https://t.co/sQV2dWvWZW pic.twitter.com/q4JOsTLs3O
“We think the government's announcement is misguided,” said Renaud Brossard, spokesperson for the Institut économique de Montréal, a nonpartisan economic think-tank.
“It's no secret that Québec is in a situation where we have a shortage of electricity,” he added. “The government admits it. Hydro-Québec admits it."
The provincial government, recognizing its plan is fraught with complications and ignoring this shortage, has urged households to use electric heating in place of natural gas.
A Monday news release maintains that Quebecers must embrace the targets, with Statistics Canada saying about two-thirds of Québec households used either electric baseboard heaters or electric radiant heating last year.
“We will implement measures to ensure an orderly transition to renewable energy while providing a gradual adaptation for consumers,” Benoit Charette, the Environment Minister, said in a statement.
Montreal announced a ban on natural gas in new buildings up to three storeys starting in October 2024, with plans to extend the ban to larger new constructions.
— Rebel News Canada (@RebelNews_CA) May 22, 2024
MORE by @Robertopedia: https://t.co/hk7gWNkark pic.twitter.com/ggv8JrJ5Im
Meanwhile, almost half of the province’s municipalities have already banned non-renewable natural gas for heating new buildings, a ban that includes residential gas-powered stoves, indoor gas fireplaces, water heaters and furnaces that emit greenhouse gasses, as well as barbecues and pool or spa heaters that draw from gas lines.
The ban entered into effect in October, with plans to extend it further to include larger new constructions, though it exempts industry.
As it stands now, residential, commercial and institutional buildings more than three stories may still use renewable natural gas.
Énergir, the private company that distributes most of the natural gas to heat homes, says only 2% of its yield is renewable. Renewable natural gas can only be produced by breaking down cattle manure, human biosolids or food residue at specialized facilities, according to its website.
Québec City and Montréal already have biomethanation centres that convert food compost and wastewater into natural gas.
As of 2025, Victoria will no longer permit the construction of housing heated by natural gas, after implementing a gas prohibition for new homes last August.https://t.co/4KFxZN6VeT
— Rebel News (@RebelNewsOnline) June 5, 2023
Heather Exner-Pirot, senior fellow and director of natural resources, energy, and environment with the Macdonald-Laurier Institute, previously told True North that the province should expect “major shortfalls in power supply” as the ban is implemented in the coming years.
“Forcing homeowners to rely only on electricity for heating in such a cold climate is dangerous,” she said.
However, Hydro-Québec and the province remain confident that the transition to renewable energy will not overload the grid.
The same news release Monday says the plan follows significant consultations from municipalities, developed with energy distributors in mind.
Representing 82 municipalities, the council of the Metropolitan Community of Montréal submitted draft regulations to Québec’s environment ministry for approval, last Fall. Montreal City Council aims to reach carbon neutrality by 2050, noting buildings account for one-fourth of their greenhouse gas emissions.
Alex Dhaliwal
Calgary Based Journalist
Alex Dhaliwal is a Political Science graduate from the University of Calgary. He has actively written on relevant Canadian issues with several prominent interviews under his belt.
COMMENTS
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Ruth Bard commented 2024-11-21 21:39:43 -0500After a big ice storm some years back the first thing we heard out of Quebec was a lot of squealing about running out of propane. Let them freeze in the dark for a while. They’ll change their tune.