Vancouver Council Reverses Gas Ban and Puts Multiplex Rules Under Review: What Builders and Buyers Need to Know Before the Election

Vancouver City Council voted last week to repeal the city’s zero-emission heating requirements for new homes, effectively ending the mandate that space and water heating systems rely exclusively on electricity or heat pumps. The decision, advanced by Mayor Ken Sim and ABC Vancouver councillors, directs staff to amend the Vancouver Building Bylaw to realign with the provincial BC Building Code and allow natural gas installations in new residential construction. Council also voted to scrap Energize Vancouver policies requiring large building owners and strata corporations to submit annual energy and carbon emissions reports. The moves come despite a letter from B.C. Housing Minister Christine Boyle urging delay until Fall 2026, when the province expects to complete cost and impact analyses for energy step codes.