Quebec to ban fossil fuel natural gas heating in homes by 2040
CBC
Environmental groups are praising Quebec's plan to ban fossil-fuel-based natural gas heating in homes by 2040 in an effort to significantly reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
"Basically the idea is to stop the hemorrhage," said Jean-Pierre Finet, analyst with Le Regroupement des organismes environnementaux en énergie (ROEE), which advocates for sustainable energy in Quebec and a shift away from fossil fuels.
"We need to reduce our greenhouse gas production and it's not by adding gas to the grid that it will work."
Tens of thousands of homes in Quebec have natural gas heating, but by 2040 all will be required to use renewable gas, which is generated by organic waste. Making the switch won't be easy.
That's because, as of now, only two per cent of the natural gas generated by Quebec's main supplier, Énergir, is renewable.
"There's not enough, and it's way more expensive," said Finet, who estimates fossil fuel is around 10 cents a cubic metre whereas renewable natural gas is more like 70 or even 90 cents per cubic metre.
Énergir, the private company that distributes approximately 97 per cent of the gas consumed in Quebec to more than 200,000 customers, is backing the province's targets.
On its website, the company says renewable natural gas can be produced at specialized facilities that break down waste such as cattle manure, human biosolids or food residue.
Quebec City and Montreal both have new biomethanation centres which turn food compost and wastewater into natural gas.
The new regulations will only restrict residential, commercial and institutional buildings from being heated by fossil fuels. Industrial buildings are exempt, and they use 60 per cent of the natural gas generated by Énergir.
Because of the complications of switching to renewable natural gas, the provincial government is hoping many fossil fuel users will convert to electric heating, which brings other challenges.
"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 Quebec is in a situation where we have a shortage of electricity. The government admits it. Hydro-Québec admits it."
In a news release, both Hydro-Québec and the province say they're confident the electricity grid will be able to handle the increased load, but only if Quebecers embrace energy conservation and efficiency.
A Calgary dentist who defrauded five insurance companies over a decade should spend up to three years in prison, the prosecution argued Friday.
B.C. Conservation Officer Service says it has called off its search for a bear responsible for an attack on a group of school children in Bella Coola, B.C. on Nov. 20.
The union president called it a rally for solidarity as Iqaluit Housing Authority employees gathered Friday while negotiations are ongoing between the Nunavut Employees Union and the employer.
The federal government is stoking Quebec separatism by walking back its climate commitments — including in its recent deal with Alberta — Liberal MP and former cabinet minister Steven Guilbeault says.
Four more Alberta MLAs are facing recall petitions organized by their constituents, including the first NDP representative to be caught in the province's ongoing wave of recall efforts.
Frank Gehry, the Canadian-born renegade architect behind some of the world's most recognizable buildings, has died at 96.
Hundreds of P.E.I. parents can't find child-care spaces, especially for infants. The provincial government says expanding those spots remains a top priority — and it recognizes the concern.
An Alberta judge says a referendum proposal on Alberta separating from Canada goes against Charter and and Treaty rights, in a decision given less than 24 hours after the provincial government introduced legislation that would have ended the court proceeding.
The architect of Alberta's politician recall legislation says it was never meant to be used as a political weapon, but as an "ultimate tool of accountability" if a politician engages in illegal or unethical behaviour.
The Government of Saskatchewan has introduced its long-promised involuntary treatment legislation on the final day of the fall sitting.
The Law Society of Ontario has suspended the licence of Deepak Paradkar, one of seven Canadians arrested in connection with alleged drug lord Ryan Wedding’s cocaine smuggling ring.
London Health Sciences Centre (LHSC) is getting rid of unlimited mental health benefits for staff, blaming ballooning costs and former administrators for implementing it without proper due diligence or oversight.
Netflix has agreed to buy Warner Bros. Discovery's TV and film studios and streaming division for $72 billion US, a deal that would hand control of one of Hollywood's most prized and oldest assets to the streaming pioneer that has upended the media industry.