Regional council stays neutral in dispute over home heating

‘We need to mitigate the effects of climate change with urgency,’ Huson says

Concerns about housing affordability versus protecting the environment collided in Niagara Region council chambers over a motion in support of an Ontario Energy Board (OEB) decision ending subsidies for new natural gas pipeline construction in housing developments.

The OEB decision would require developers to pay upfront for new connections in 2025, which it said would incentivize builders to choose the most cost-effective and energy-efficient option, such as heat pumps.

Last Thursday, in a 14-12 vote, regional councillors defeated a motion put forth by Pelham Coun. Diana Huson that would have directed Chair Jim Bradley to write the province in support of the OEB.

“Ontario will fall behind if it doesn’t embrace this,” Huson said. “We need to mitigate the effects of climate change with urgency. That includes how we heat our homes. It’s not something we can put off for future generations.”

For its part, the province tabled legislation early this month that would reverse OEB’s decision because it believes ending the subsidy could increase the cost of new homes by tens of thousands of dollars.

Enbridge is taking OEB to court. The utility wants homeowners to continue paying the cost through their monthly utility bills amortized over about 40 years.

Fort Erie Mayor Wayne Redekop said he was inclined to support the motion but voted against it, suggesting it might have been better to ask staff for a report.

“I don’t know whether the OEB made a good decision,” Redekop said. “I don’t know whether the minister made a good decision trying to roll back that decision.

“I don’t know what the courts are going to do, but I do know that, eventually, somebody’s going to pay the cost of this, and if it’s not the general customers of Enbridge, it’s going to be the people who are buying the new homes.”

Niagara-on-the-Lake Lord Mayor Gary Zalepa said he shares the environmental concerns but thinks a gradual withdrawal from a subsidy is a better approach.

“I can’t help but think that some reasonable solutions will come forward, so I am not prepared to support a motion that dictates the zero subsidy today,” Zalepa said.

Herb Sawatzky, a Pelham resident spoke for 50 by 30 Niagara, an environmental conservation group that wants greenhouse gas emissions reduced 30 per cent by 2050., partly by ensuring developers build new homes without using fossil fuels for heating and cooling. He said if builders are required to pay the connection fee, which some estimate is more than $4,000, they will start looking for less expensive options.

Canadian Association of Home & Property Inspectors estimates a geothermal system for a 185-square-metre (2,000square-foot) home would cost about $25,000 to install in exchange for a monthly saving of about 50 per cent on heating bills, Sawatzky said.

He said there are many ways to heat buildings without fossil fuels, which can’t happen if Enbridge is allowed to keep expanding the gas grid.

“It just gets hotter and hotter every year, and 2023 is the hottest year on record,” Sawatzky said.

“Climate change is real, and we are dealing with it and seeing the effects,” Sawatzky said.