Montreal moves to reduce carbon footprint, phase out heating oil by 2030

MONTREAL — The City of Montreal says it will move to ban the use of heating oil by 2030 as it seeks to reduce its carbon footprint.

Mayor Valerie Plante announced this week the city will have completed its conversion of municipal buildings by 2021 and will introduce a bylaw next year forbidding oil-burning furnaces in new construction.

Owners of existing commercial, industrial, institutional and residential buildings with oil-burning furnaces will have until 2030 to convert to a renewable energy source.

While the exact number of furnaces affected isn’t known, the city says fuel oil represents 28 per cent of carbon emissions from the city’s residential sector and about 14 per cent of emissions from commercial and institutional sources.

It’s the latest in a series of anti-pollution announcements the city has made, including a bylaw on wood-burning stoves that came into effect last Oct. 1.

That law only allows fireplaces and wood stoves that meet strict emissions standards and forbids their use altogether during smog alerts.

Last week, the city said it would introduce a bylaw next year banning single-use items such as plastics and polystyrene foam containers on its territory.

The Canadian Press