Montreal, November 18, 2024 — The Sortons le gaz coalition is pleased to note that, taking advantage of COP 29, the Quebec government has finally moved from words to action to remove fossil gas from the new and existing building sector by 2040. setting a clear horizon for the elimination of fossil fuels in all our buildings, the government is sending a strong signal to the markets, the Quebec population and the entire planet. However, the coalition notes that the government continues to get bogged down in the pitfalls of dual energy and renewable gas (GSR).
Andréanne Brazeau, senior policy analyst at the David Suzuki Foundation:
“This significant victory for the environment once again demonstrates the strength of the mobilization of Quebec civil society and the growing commitment of municipalities in favor of removing gas from our buildings. The fossil era is well and truly behind us »
Charles-Edouard Têtu, climate and energy policy analyst at Équiterre:
“Today’s announcement is critically important, marking a determined commitment from the Government to decarbonising the buildings sector. However, vigilance will be required to ensure that recourse to GSR does not become a crutch to continue supplying the network with fossil gas”
Through its regulation, the government of Quebec supports the climate ambition of the numerous municipalities which, for two years, had already shown the way forward and published their own regulations prohibiting fossil gas in new constructions in the residential sector (600 m2 and less , 3 floors and less), commercial and institutional. It also gives it a new dimension, by also attacking existing buildings, which will still make up the vast majority of Quebec’s real estate stock in 2040. It will be crucial that the provincial regulation allows municipalities to put in place more precise regulations. ambitious if they wish.
To reinforce the coherence of this turning point, the government must base its decarbonization strategy on the least GHG-emitting and least expensive solutions such as heat pumps and heat accumulators. These alternatives are also necessary to avoid the illusion of a sustainable solution through GSR, which in reality delays the transition to truly renewable energy sources.
Finally, as the coalition recently recalled, the gas/electricity dual-energy agreement promises to be a failure and involves several issues. “To eliminate 100% of fossil gas by 2040, it is not enough to ban it in new buildings. The crux of this transition is the replacement of gas systems at the end of their life. These absolutely need to be replaced with electrical systems, combined with peak management and energy efficiency programs. Allowing their replacement by systems using GSR means dooming the population to depend on an energy source whose volumes will be very uncertain and whose costs will skyrocket,” adds Emmanuelle Rancourt, coordinator of the Get Out the Gas! coalition.
Anne-Céline Guyon, Climate-Energy analyst for Nature Québec:
“We are finally preparing to unify the exit of fossil gas from the sector of new and existing buildings. This is excellent news because it is a solution that will allow us to concretely tackle 7% of the province’s GHG emissions. On the other hand, it is clear that the government continues to let itself be guided by the mirage of dual energy and GSR. However, we will never have the capacity to produce the necessary volumes sustainably if we persist in wanting to waste it in the residential sector”
For more information, please contact:
Emmanuelle Rancourt, coordinator of the Let’s take out the gas!
418-999-5121 | [email protected]
