Apartments can become sweltering in summer. Why heat bylaws could be coming to a city near you – CBC

New Westminster, B.C., passed landmark max temperature bylaw in June

Jun 29, 2026

When you think of extreme weather in Canada, thigh-high snow drifts may no longer be the first image that comes to mind. Instead, heat waves and wildfires are steadily emerging as a threat to our health and the environment.

Despite this, most residential bylaws only account for cold weather, requiring buildings to have heat in each unit and adequate insulation.

But as temperatures and deaths connected to heat keep climbing, more tenants, politicians and climate advocates are calling for comparable cooling rules. During municipal debates — from councils in British Columbia to Newfoundland — the same question keeps coming up: who should pay for the upgrades?

The first maximum heat bylaw
On June 8, New Westminster, B.C., is believed to become the first Canadian council to enact a maximum heat bylaw: all rental units must have at least one living space — not including the bathroom — with a “safe indoor temperature of an average of 26 C” between 8 p.m. and 8 a.m.

Read more: https://www.cbc.ca/radio/whatonearth/heat-bylaws-climate-change-9.7250910