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Summary<\/p>\n
Canada\u2019s updated national building code puts limits on new buildings\u2019 greenhouse gas emissions, though provinces can choose whether or not to implement them.<\/p>\n
The new rules could reduce the use of natural gas, a fossil fuel, to heat Canadian buildings.<\/p>\n
Documents obtained by The Narwhal reveal an effort by the Canadian Gas Association to lobby against the changes.<\/p>\n
Natural gas companies lobbied against federal building guidelines that could help weaken the fossil fuel industry\u2019s iron grip on Canadian communities, according to documents obtained by The Narwhal.\u00a0<\/p>\n
In December 2025, a federal-provincial body published a new national building code<\/a> that, for the first time<\/a>, limits the volume of greenhouse gases that can be emitted by a building, whether from a gas-burning stove, heating system or hot-water tank. As they developed the code, officials held years of consultations<\/a> with groups including the gas industry, to hear thoughts on changes that could set a precedent that limits natural gas use in new builds.<\/p>\n These limits are called \u201coperational greenhouse gas emissions provisions.\u201d In practice, they mean builders have to consider whether the heating, cooling and cooking systems they outfit a home with will produce emissions\u00a0that push it beyond that threshold.<\/p>\n Natural gas, a fossil fuel mostly made up of the greenhouse gas methane, represents almost half the energy used in residential buildings in Canada \u2014 and almost two-thirds of their carbon pollution. Burning natural gas to heat Canadian homes and water is a big reason why buildings here are the third-largest climate polluter<\/a> by economic sector, after other fossil fuel-dependent industries like transportation and oil and gas production.<\/p>\n Natural gas also poses threats to public health<\/a>. While the industry takes steps to limit human exposure, research shows oil and gas fracking can impact birth and respiratory outcomes<\/a>. When gas is used in the house, it exposes the occupants to air pollutants<\/a>. When it\u2019s liquefied for export, that\u2019s often done at a facility that flares off excess gas, which also releases pollutants that affect human health<\/a>. Methane itself, which traps heat in the atmosphere and drives climate change, is on Canada\u2019s toxic substances list<\/a>.<\/p>\n Coupled with the government\u2019s push to fast-track large-scale housing projects<\/a> nationwide, the new code could represent a big change in how many Canadians rely on fossil fuels in their homes. That is, if provincial governments play along. The new guidelines aren\u2019t likely to be enforced nationwide anytime soon. It\u2019s up to the provinces to pick and choose what parts to implement, if any; Ontario\u2019s building code, for example, hasn\u2019t been updated in years<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n What\u2019s more, the new limits may not even impact new gas hookups for buildings at all: the code offers a range of standards, and the least restrictive still accommodate \u201ccurrent construction practices using natural gas for space and water heating,\u201d according to the documents, which were obtained through access to information law.<\/p>\n None of that, however, stopped the lobby group Canadian Gas Association from complaining about the new rules.<\/p>\n The industry group has a board of directors<\/a> made up of executives at companies in the business of distributing gas. During the consultations, it \u201craised concerns about newly introduced operational greenhouse gas emissions provisions and their potential impacts on housing affordability and energy costs,\u201d according to a January 2026 briefing note for Canada\u2019s deputy minister of housing, infrastructure and communities.<\/p>\n According to the industry group, the rules \u201ccould effectively ban natural gas, increase housing and energy costs and favour electrification without considering affordability or infrastructure feasibility,\u201d the briefing note continued.\u00a0<\/p>\n The building code development process is governed<\/a> by a federal-provincial body called the Canadian Board for Harmonized Construction Codes, while the National Research Council provides support<\/a> once the codes are developed. Both of those organizations were \u201caware\u201d of the gas lobby group\u2019s concerns and were \u201cworking to address them,\u201d the briefing note said.<\/p>\n The Narwhal asked the office of federal Housing and Infrastructure Minister Gregor Robertson how the government planned on addressing the industry\u2019s lobbying. A spokesperson for the ministry responded that it \u201cis one of several government institutions that have been lobbied on the issue of building codes, as per private groups\u2019 and individuals\u2019 right to communicate with elected or appointed government officials,\u201d adding that records of that lobbying are publicly available. The department \u201cwill continue to work with its partners at all levels of government and all industries to help ensure that Canadian infrastructure and housing reflect the diverse needs of communities across the country, while continuing to support Canada\u2019s commitments on climate mitigation and resilience.\u201d<\/p>\n The Canadian Gas Association did not respond to a request for comment.<\/p>\n Cities and provinces say natural gas limits will hinder homebuilding<\/p>\n If provinces enforce the highest performance levels in the building code, it\u2019s possible natural gas hookups wouldn\u2019t pass muster, according to Kevin Lockhart, the director of the Pembina Institute\u2019s buildings program.<\/p>\n But it was a \u201cmischaracterization to call it a ban,\u201d he said, since builders have different options in the code to help them meet different aspects and building requirements.<\/p>\n Dive deeper on this topic<\/p>\n The difficulty of reducing emissions in older buildings is a key reason limiting natural gas in new buildings is important, Betsy Agar, director of buildings policy at Efficiency Canada at Carleton University, said.\u00a0<\/p>\n New builds are a tiny portion of Canada\u2019s overall building stock, she said, \u201cless than two per cent of square floor area every year, and 80 per cent of our buildings that exist today will still exist in 2050. Those are the ones that are hard to electrify.\u201d<\/p>\n The enormous task of retrofitting older buildings is one reason it\u2019s difficult to justify rules that would let brand-new construction continue to install natural gas, when other options are available, Agar said. Especially since infrastructure and agreements that allow gas companies to access land and customers are proving hard to dislodge<\/a>.<\/p>\n B.C. has previously strived for ambitious building code standards<\/a>. But in Vancouver, where an estimated<\/a> three-fifths of carbon pollution comes from burning gas for heat, city council voted<\/a> in May to pause rules that tracked emissions and limited natural gas heating in new homes.\u00a0<\/p>\n Vancouver Mayor Ken Sim argued that allowing gas heating in new homes would catalyze new home construction, but critics say the city is rolling back climate action.<\/p>\n In Ontario, the Doug Ford government has also been a strong defender of natural gas<\/a> as an energy source delivered to both buildings for heating, and to power plants to generate electricity. Early in its tenure, the Progressive Conservatives cancelled hundreds of renewable energy contracts<\/a> and then awarded new contracts to natural gas plants in 2022.<\/p>\n Dive deeper on this topic<\/p>\n In late 2023, the province\u2019s energy regulator found gas hookups in new builds may not be the most economical option for the ratepayers that foot the bill for those connections. The regulator ruled developers should pick up that cost, urging them towards cleaner and more cost-effective systems.\u00a0<\/p>\n Within days, and after much communication with Enbridge Gas<\/a>, the Ford government vowed to overturn the ruling<\/a>, and made good on that promise in August 2024.<\/p>\n Agar said in most cases, industry is \u201creally resistant to strict regulations.\u201d Building codes that drive toward electrification, she said, have particularly been in industry\u2019s crosshairs.<\/p>\n \u201cThere\u2019s just been this visceral response to it,\u201d Agar said. But, she added, \u201cthe sooner that you adopt these codes, it means that people are living in better, more efficient, more comfortable homes, then all those new builds that we\u2019re building don\u2019t need to be retrofitted years down the line.\u201d<\/p>\n Dive deeper on this topic<\/p>\n Build Canada Homes will \u2018encourage\u2019 energy efficiency \u2014 but feds still support natural gas<\/p>\n The January briefing note was prepared for a meeting scheduled between the deputy minister of housing, infrastructure and communities and two members of the Canadian Gas Association, documents show. At that meeting, the deputy minister was expected to ask gas companies about their alternative proposals to the building code rules.<\/p>\n None of the lobby group\u2019s proposals listed in the briefing note were focused on eliminating gas access in new builds. They included \u201creducing emissions from the gas supply stream,\u201d meaning reducing methane escaping from pipelines that deliver the gas to markets. Another was \u201chybrid heating,\u201d or pairing an electric heat pump with a natural gas furnace.\u00a0<\/p>\n There was also a proposal to blend more \u201crenewable natural gas\u201d \u2014 methane captured from food waste and compost, for example \u2014 into the system, which may reduce underground extraction of natural gas, but won\u2019t necessarily make a big dent in emissions. And there was mention of blending in hydrogen, which is commonly produced with fossil fuels<\/a>. There was no comment in the briefing notes about how the government received these proposals.<\/p>\n Build Canada Homes, the federal agency meant to respond to the housing crisis, has said<\/a> it will \u201cfavour projects that demonstrate energy efficiency and climate performance.\u201d The briefing note said Build Canada Homes \u201cwill encourage proponents to meet higher energy efficiency tiers\u201d of the building code, but only \u201cwhere practical and cost-effective.\u201d<\/p>\n Lockhart, at the Pembina Institute, said the federal government could try harder to \u201cdrive higher performance in buildings.\u201d That could include making emissions standards in the building code a formal prerequisite for any new homes that receive Build Canada funding.<\/p>\n It\u2019s difficult to predict how Prime Minister Mark Carney\u2019s government will respond to industry\u2019s displeasure with the code. His election platform promised to phase out fossil fuel use in government-owned buildings<\/a> by 2030, as well as ensure \u201cnew federal buildings\u201d would adopt the top performance tiers for energy efficiency and emissions reductions.\u00a0<\/p>\n His platform also committed to \u201creforming and simplifying national building codes,\u201d a promise reiterated in his spring economic update as a way to speed up construction.\u00a0<\/p>\n![\"Natural](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/Ont-naturalgas-_Davis-130-WEB-1024x683.jpg\"\/)
If provinces choose to enforce the strictest emissions standards in Canada\u2019s new building code, it\u2019s possible natural gas hookups wouldn\u2019t pass muster, according to one expert. But the code offers a range of standards and builders have a variety of options to meet them. Photo: Carrie Davis \/ The Narwhal<\/p>\n![\"A](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/Ontario-Hurontario-Osorio1044-WEB.jpg\"\/)
Buildings are a significant source of greenhouse gas emissions in Canada, and natural gas heating is a big reason why. Photo: Carlos Osorio \/ The Narwhal<\/p>\n