Vancouver City Council is preparing to consider a rezoning application for 1444 Alberni Street and 740 Nicola Street that would remove the requirement for Passive House certification.
How can adding social housing come with abandoning the very building standard that would benefit its future residents the most? Passive House buildings keep people healthy, comfortable and safe. Those are benefits every family deserves regardless of income level. People living in affordable and social housing, often have the fewest options during extreme weather or utility cost increases.
If Vancouver is warning residents during this summers heat waves to seek out cooler spaces and cleaner air, why would it remove the internationally recognized certification that independently verifies a building can provide exactly those things? Our goal should be to build more homes to this standard – not fewer.
Every family deserves a home that protects them from heat, smoke, noise and rising energy costs. But if we’re serious about housing equity, then social housing should lead the way, not fall behind.
All housing – especially social housing – deserves our highest-performing buildings, not our lowest expectations.
Read the official letter that Passive House Canada sent to the city council.
Take Action
Submit comments to Vancouver City Council before the meeting on July 28 at 9:30am!
https://vancouver.ca/your-government/contact-council.aspx
To view documentation about this project, click here.
To look at other rezoning applications in Vancouver for opportunities to advocate for Passive House, click here.
