Maple Ridge delays tougher zero-carbon building rules by one year, citing need for local data

Maple Ridge council has voted to delay the next phase of its Zero Carbon Step Code by a year, with a majority of councillors saying they need local construction data before requiring new homes to meet the province’s highest municipal emissions standard.

Council voted 5-1 on July 14 to postpone implementation of emissions level 4 (EL-4) requirements from Sept. 1, 2026, to Sept. 1, 2027, following a recommendation from staff.

Mayor Dan Ruimy said he remains committed to the city’s climate goals but could not support moving ahead without more local evidence.

“As much as I want to not delay this, I don’t have the answers that I need to support it,” he said. “I know we should be going to EL-4, I still can’t defend it because I don’t have the backup data.”

The Zero Carbon Step Code is a provincial building standard that establishes greenhouse gas emissions targets for new residential construction. Maple Ridge currently requires new homes to meet EL-3, which generally requires electrified primary space heating, cooling and hot water systems while still allowing gas cooking.

Under EL-4, new residential buildings would also generally be required to electrify cooking appliances, with natural gas permitted only as a backup energy source in limited circumstances. The code applies only to new residential construction and not existing homes.

Tuesday’s decision follows a policy adopted by council in February 2025 that introduced emissions level 3 (EL-3) for all new residential buildings beginning July 1, 2025, while directing staff to return with a progress report before advancing to EL-4.

The debate revealed a council largely united in supporting climate action, but divided over whether enough evidence exists to justify moving to the next step.

Ruimy noted council had agreed to review EL-3 after a year before proceeding to higher requirements.

While acknowledging other municipalities have already implemented EL-4, he said Maple Ridge must chart its own course.

“We’re not other communities. We have to take our own approach. We have to do things the way that we do it here and justify it to the people that elected us.”

The central issue throughout the debate was the lack of completed EL-3 buildings.

According to the staff report, 68 residential building permits have been issued under EL-3 since it took effect last July, but none of those projects have yet reached occupancy, meaning the city has no completed buildings from which to measure actual construction costs, greenhouse gas performance or builder experiences.

Once buildings are occupied, staff said they will be able to determine whether projects achieved their projected emissions reductions, costs, and identify issues encountered during construction and evaluate where additional builder education or municipal support may be needed.

Staff also said the additional year would allow the city to determine whether improvements are needed to the implementation process itself.

The report notes construction projects can take up to 18 months from permitting to occupancy, leaving little completed local data available before the originally scheduled EL-4 implementation date.

Coun. Sunny Schiller said she could see merit in both moving forward and delaying.

She also argued substantial evidence already exists elsewhere, citing research from the Zero Emissions Innovation Centre showing many Lower Mainland projects already meet EL-4 standards and developers have publicly stated the requirements are not a major construction cost driver.

“I have concerns that delaying the implementation of EL-4 could lead to questions about our commitment to climate action,” Schiller said.

She noted the city has become a climate leader in the region through its climate initiatives, pointing to measures including emergency preparedness, the city’s tree protection strategy, Zero Carbon Step Code implementation and the recently approved residential retrofit program.

Schiller also warned the decision could send an unintended message at a time when governments elsewhere are scaling back climate initiatives amid economic pressures.

“We are also in this moment… where in some spaces, climate is getting pushed down because governments are responding to economic challenges.”

Instead of abandoning the timeline, Schiller proposed using the next year to clearly identify what information council wants collected.

She also urged staff to begin collecting comparable information from neighbouring municipalities now, rather than waiting another year.

Coun. Korleen Carreras described the decision as one of the more difficult council has faced.

She praised the city’s climate accomplishments over the past four years and said Maple Ridge has become recognized by provincial and federal officials for its environmental leadership.

Ultimately, she said the additional year would allow the city to better support builders and ensure the transition succeeds.

“I think my only worry now is that we rush it without the data, and that we don’t do a good job of it,” Carreras said. “I think this is a good move. Giving it a year to make sure that we can make sure it’s implemented properly.”

Coun. Onyeka Dozie said council had explicitly directed staff last year to return with evidence before proceeding.
Instead, he said, staff had returned explaining the data simply does not yet exist.

“I strongly believe in data-backed decisions,” Dozie said. “I don’t have the data, therefore I’m not making that decision at this time.”

Coun. Judy Dueck echoed that position, reminding council the original policy specifically called for a review of costs and unintended consequences before moving to EL-4.

“It was to understand any negative or unintended impacts, also the costs — and that’s the important piece,” Dueck said, adding she’s heard conflicting opinions from local developers on potential costs.

Coun. Jenny Tan was the lone vote against a delay.

She argued council should not allow the absence of local information to outweigh the broader body of evidence supporting EL-4, stating that good governance does not always require perfect information.

She pointed to council’s previous decision to impose a development moratorium along the future Bus Rapid Transit corridor before all impacts were fully known.

“We’ve taken many large steps as a council without complete information because we understand the value for which we act.”

Tan said advancing from EL-3 to EL-4 represents only a modest technical change but carries significant symbolic importance.

She argued delaying implementation risks undermining Maple Ridge’s reputation as a climate leader, noting that environmental stewardship consistently ranks among residents’ highest priorities.

“If we do delay this… it signals to our community, it signals to our staff, it signals to the wider community within which we sit, that we as Maple Ridge are willing to delay,” Tan said. “Environmental stewardship is one of the top things that we value in Maple Ridge, and it’s one of the key reasons why people move here.”