![Calls increase for heat limits in B.C. rental housing](https://i.cbc.ca/1.6085101.1720222201!/cumulusImage/httpImage/image.jpg_gen/derivatives/16x9_620/heat-wave.jpg)
Calls increase for heat limits in B.C. rental housing
CBC
An environmental charity is calling for access to energy-efficient heating and cooling systems to be protected as a right.
In a recently released report, Ecotrust Canada makes several policy recommendations that would accelerate several existing policies and introduce new housing regulations.
In its report, released at the end of June, Ecotrust spoke to nine tenants across B.C. and found several relied on their ovens for heating and needed air conditioning to cool their homes because of a lack of insulation and shade.
"We are dealing with more and more extreme heat here in B.C. … as well as folks who have really uncomfortable situations in winter," Dylan Heerema, a senior policy adviser at Ecotrust, said. "It's possible to ensure that all rental suites are maintained at a safe and livable temperature."
Ecotrust is asking B.C. municipalities to adopt bylaws requiring rental units to maintain livable temperature ranges during periods of extreme heat.
It also recommends mandatory assessments of each unit's energy efficiency and financial support for rental unit retrofits and low-income household utility costs.
Landlords B.C., a landowner advocacy group, declined to comment. The B.C. Landlords Association and the B.C. energy minister did not respond to requests for comment in time for publication.
Last year, 11 people died of heat-related deaths, according to the B.C. Coroners Service.
In the long term, Environment Canada says it expects severe weather, including prolonged periods of intense heat, to become stronger and more frequent due to climate change.
Robert Patterson, a lawyer and advocate at the Tenant Resource and Advisory Centre, said the heat dome that blanketed B.C. in 2021 illustrates climate change is having an increasing effect on housing security and safety.
"I think we have to take that tragedy, and being unprepared for it, as a lesson and formulate a proper response to make sure people's housing safety and security is protected," he said. "This report talks about some important policy changes that are necessary to get there."
Some of the report's recommendations are already being considered by the province and several municipal governments.
The federal government's EnerGuide labels already promote energy efficiency assessments for homes. In its CleanBC Roadmap, the provincial government committed to developing a home-energy rating tool to let people see how efficient their homes are.
At a news conference about heat pump rebates on Wednesday, Josie Osborne, B.C.'s energy minister, said B.C. Hydro and the province are working toward an offer for individual tenants in rental buildings. She did not address specifics.