Vancouver council rolls back climate bylaws, opens door to natural gas heating

Vancouver Mayor Ken Sim pauses while speaking during an announcement about a fan zone during the FIFA World Cup, in Vancouver, on Wednesday, March 4, 2026. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Darryl Dyck

Vancouver city council has voted to pause or roll back climate bylaws aimed at phasing out natural gas heating in buildings.

Mayor Ken Sim’s motion directs staff to lift a ban on installing gas-powered hot water systems.

It will also align Vancouver’s building code with the province, as opposed to the city having a distinct code.

Sim says the changes will improve housing affordability.

“When the prime minister and our B.C. government are going in a direction where we’re trying to balance affordability with energy security and climate action, there is a balance,” Sim said during a heated exchange with Coun. Sean Orr, who repeatedly asked the mayor if he believed in human-caused climate change.

OneCity Coun. Lucy Maloney also questioned whether the change would actually lead to cost savings.

“This motion does not contribute to affordability,” Maloney asserted. “Green Energy Canada has done the maths on this using modelling. The research group found that individual B.C. households using a heat pump can save about $160 annually compared to natural gas water heating.”

Earlier this week, B.C. Housing Minister Christine Boyle asked Vancouver to delay the vote until the fall to allow for the completion of a cost and impact analysis of the “Energy and Zero Carbon Step Codes.”

That request was condemned by Sim as an “11th hour” attempt to intervene in municipal business and on Thursday, his motion passed on party lines.