Vancouver City Council Passes Zero-Emissions Strategy

On May 17^th, 2022, Vancouver City Council passed regulations to set annual carbon pollution limits for existing commercial buildings. (Come to the BOMA BC June Luncheon on June 23^rd, 2022, to learn all about the new regulations directly from the City!).

The regulations set Greenhouse Gas Intensity limits starting in 2026, Heat Energy limits starting in 2040, energy and carbon reporting requirements starting in 2024, building owners supports, a regulatory roadmap, and streamlining existing regulations.

From the start of the City’s consultations for a zero-emission strategy, BOMA BC has advocated for policies that will allow our industry to take the next step in decarbonization, including:

 

1. Flexible implementation to accommodate different building circumstances and ensure building resilience.

2. Support for building owners to help implement new changes.

3. A defined roadmap to ensure building owners can plan in alignment with capital upgrades.

4. Reasonable carbon pollution targets that recognize our industry’s existing proactive approach to reducing carbon pollution and balance the needs of industry and government.

 

Through reasonable targets, flexibility, owner supports, and a defined roadmap, the City of Vancouver’s draft regulations took BOMA BC’s advocacy into consideration. There are a series of owner supports in the proposal, and BOMA BC supports these measures.

We thank the City of Vancouver for acknowledging BOMA BC’s concerns and encourage the City to continue this collaborative approach to help us reach our shared goals.