How people power defeated the gas industry in Vancouver
Published on December 4, 2024Thanks to the efforts of the Stand.earth community and its allies, the gas industry was handed a devastating defeat in Vancouver.

Against all odds and a stacked city council, Vancouver not only defeated a dangerous gas industry proposal to allow gas in new buildings, but also strengthened the city’s climate and community safe building electrification policy.
How did we win? Two words: People. Power.
Since the Vancouver City Council’s surprise vote to allow gas in new buildings back in July, the Stand.earth community sent over 21,000 letters in protest. It kept councillor phone lines ringing off the hook. With support from allies, it turned out more than 100 people on a weekday to rally and speak in defense of a better future for the city and the world.
This victory belongs to the people of Vancouver.
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To many political observers, this should have been a cake walk for the gas industry and its allies on Vancouver City Council – instead, it’s the biggest defeat they’ve suffered in a long time.
In July, the Vancouver City Council voted in 6-5 for staff to develop a plan to allow gas in new buildings, and things looked grim. The proposal caught many people by surprise, and was pushed through with little to no time for public input. In addition to the consequences it would have for Vancouver, there was also concern that it could lead to ripple effects across Canada and see other cities give in to the gas industry and rescind their policies for healthier, cleaner, and more affordable buildings.
But instead of panicking, the Stand.earth community, our allies, and the people of Vancouver buckled down. We sent thousands of letters in protest to the city council, and began to formulate a strategy on how we could best fight back. We seized on news that a senior advisor in the mayor’s office had monetary interests in the gas industry, and that a FortisBC lobbyist met with the councillor who proposed bringing gas into new buildings just prior to introduction. We worked together to get more than 200 business leaders to pen an open letter in opposition to allowing gas in new buildings. We worked with the local building community to speak up at Council. We identified which votes on the council were most likely to change their position and began a targeted campaign to educate them on the dangers of gas and the benefits of building electrification. We ran a full court press in the media landscape to let the public in Vancouver know what was at stake.
It paid off.
When staff came back with their report, they offered two pathways for councillors to vote on. Path A, which would introduce stricter building electrification standards that would make our buildings even cleaner and safer (without significantly increasing costs) and Path B, that would allow gas to be used in new buildings – to the tune of 65,100 tons of climate pollution per year by 2035.
Because of the work of the Vancouver community, the letters, the calls, the hours upon hours of testimony that made the hearing stretch over multiple days – we managed to show multiple members of council that using clean electricity to power buildings is better for our health and the planet. And, crucially, that gas is a harmful fuel that should be left in the past and transitioned away from.
That meant that – despite losing a progressive member of the council to higher office (best of luck new MP Boyle!) – we had the votes we needed. Path A (stronger building electrification standards) passed 6-4, and Path B (allowing gas in new buildings) failed 5-5.
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We’ll let Councillor Rebecca Bligh, the crucial vote that switched, explain in her own words:
“As councillors, people expect us to make decisions that are best for them, best for the city. And most importantly, they expect us to make decisions that are grounded in fact. I believe we made the wrong decision. The fact is, the initial policy of using electricity for heat and hot water in new buildings is the right one for people in Vancouver. I’ve also heard from young people who felt disappointed and let down by the vote in July. They saw what I see now. Electricity is at least the same cost as gas to operate for this kind of heating, and estimates show it will actually be cheaper in the long run for owners and renters. A clean and clear move to electric heating will not only be good for our city, but will be good for all other municipalities who embark on the same journey. And for those reasons, I’ll be voting in favour of a cleaner and more affordable Vancouver.”
This is yet another reminder of how powerful people can be when we come together and fight for what matters. We’re changing minds and impacting decisions in ways that will resonate across long distances and longer timelines. We’re making the planet safer for the people and places we love.
A massive thank you to everyone who was a part of this push or who is fighting for the same things across Canada and the world – we see you. None of this is possible without your work.