'It's beyond inappropriate': B.C. Green leader calls out Alberta 'war room' attacks on Nanaimo
B.C.'s Green Party Leader is dismayed Alberta's fossil fuel “war room” is targeting Nanaimo, B.C., for its leadership in phasing out natural gas hookups to reduce the community's emissions.
After a summer of record-breaking wildfires and sustained heat and drought, every level of government needs to be seeking solutions to the climate crisis, not sabotaging those that do, said Sonia Furstenau, the Greens' leader and MLA for Cowichan Valley on Vancouver Island.
“What is needed from all leaders, governments, across all jurisdictions right now are tangible solutions,” Furstenau said.
“It's beyond inappropriate and undermines how democratic decisions are meant to be made if an external influence is inserting itself into a municipality's decision in a different province.”
Alberta's infamous energy “war room” - the Canadian Energy Centre (CEC), armed with $32 million in tax dollars by the United Conservative government in 2023 to protect and promote the fossil fuel industry - put Nanaimo in its crosshairs after the city council voted to accelerate the phaseout of FortisBC's natural gas hookups from new buildings to meet B.C.'s zero-emissions targets.
Both the federal government and the B.C. government have certainly been subject to general lobbying by CEC and its offshoot website, Support Canadian Energy, on behalf of the oil and gas interests, Furstenau said.
But it's not entirely clear why Nanaimo, a city scratching 100,000 residents, is the only local government getting heat from Alberta's war room to reverse a decision with limited impact on FortisBC's and the oil and gas sector's interests.
Nanaimo's city hall staff reported that after the ban goes into effect in 2024, approximately 160 homes annually would be affected by the new rule.
The neighbouring communities of Saanich and much larger cities like Victoria and Vancouver, along with other B.C. municipalities, have also shown leadership in taking similar decisions or are expected to enact similar measures, Furstenau noted.
Nanaimo city councillors told Canada's National Observer the CEC's campaign on behalf of FortisBC was an affront to the democratic process, meddling in local government decisions by an outside province, and an effort to intimidate other municipalities considering reductions to emissions caused by the burning of fossil fuels.
Furstenau agreed, saying a large fossil fuel lobbying effort backed by a province might pose a chill effect for small municipalities.
“Nobody wants to be the target of a campaign like this,” she said. “I can see that being a concern.”
As of Monday, the pro-oil website stated it had generated 2,450 letters urging Nanaimo to reverse the decision.
“The good news is that the vote on Nanaimo [city council] was very tight - it came down to a single vote,” the campaign page reads.
“These letters make a real difference. Councillors need to know what the majority of people think.”
The CEC refused an interview request from Canada's National Observer on its campaign to reverse Nanaimo's decision. As did Alberta Premier Danielle Smith's office and the province's justice, environment, and energy ministries - whose ministers make up the CEC's three-person board.
B.C. Minister of Environment George Heyman's office declined an interview request or to comment if it was appropriate for another provincial agency to push to reverse a decision made by a local government in British Columbia.
Minister of Municipal Affairs Ann Kang's office also declined to comment if the CEC's targeted campaign against Nanaimo was appropriate.
“Local governments in British Columbia operate with a high level of autonomy within their jurisdiction,” said Kang's office in an email.
“They are democratically elected and accountable to their constituents for their actions and have the legal authority and responsibility for making decisions on behalf of their communities.”
Buildings are responsible for 10 per cent of B.C.'s C02 emissions, most generated by burning fossil fuels for heat.
B.C. showed leadership in taking and supporting decisions that dramatically scale back the burning of fossil fuels like natural gas and in supporting local governments in making decisions to contribute to the province's net-zero targets, Furstenau said.
The electrification of buildings and using heat pumps, which are market-ready now and, unlike natural gas, drastically reduces emissions and can both cool and heat a home as the climate crisis advances, Furstenau said.
“B.C. should be encouraging the use of electric heat pumps, which can not only provide warmth in the cold winter months, but can provide essential, and often life-saving, cooling in the summer,” she said.
“It would be good for the province to support elected officials who have made those decisions at their council table and to speak out against interference from another province and, ultimately, from what appears to be oil and gas interests.”
Rochelle Baker / Local Journalism Initiative / Canada's National Observer
- With files from The Canadian Press / Canada's National Observer
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Who is Abu Mohammed al-Golani, the leader of the insurgency that toppled Syria's Assad?
Abu Mohammed al-Golani, the militant leader of the insurgency in Syria, has spent years working to remake his public image, renouncing to ties to al-Qaida.
A timeline of the murder of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson and the search for his killer
The search for the killer of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson's has stretched beyond New York City and continues. Here's what we know so far.
Trump calls for immediate ceasefire in Ukraine and says a U.S. withdrawal from NATO is possible
Donald Trump on Sunday pushed Russian leader Vladimir Putin to act to reach an immediate ceasefire with Ukraine, describing it as part of his active efforts as U.S. president-elect to end the war despite being weeks from taking office.
Suspect wanted after victim forcibly confined, assaulted, and threatened with death in Scarborough
Police have released images of an individual who allegedly forcibly confined, and assaulted and threatened to kill another person in southwest Scarborough over the weekend.
Baby found dead in south Edmonton parking lot: police
Police are investigating the death of an infant in south Edmonton.
Do you recognize these men? RCMP seek Metro Vancouver grandparent scam suspects
Mounties in Metro Vancouver have released photos of two men alleged to have been involved in “numerous” so-called grandparent scams earlier this year, hoping the public can help identify them.
Pantone names its colour of the year for 2025
Pantone has named an 'evocative soft brown' its colour of the year for 2025, continuing a tradition that has now run for more than a quarter of a century.
Quebec Premier meets with Trump, Zelenskyy and Musk during Paris trip
Quebec Premier François Legault met up with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, U.S. president-elect Donald Trump and billionaire Elon Musk while visiting Paris this weekend.
Trudeau says fall of Assad 'ends decades of brutal oppression' for Syria
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau says a new chapter for Syria can begin that's free of terrorism and suffering for its people.