City of Vancouver lowers natural gas usage
It will be cooler than usual in City of Vancouver buildings thanks to measures officials are taking to reduce natural gas use due to last week's pipeline rupture north of Prince George.
The city says it has lowered thermostats in all city-staff occupied buildings, recreational centres and Vancouver Public Library branches.
The decision came after one of Enbridge's pipelines exploded and caught fire northeast of Prince George on Oct. 9.
The Park Board says it has not reduced temperatures in pools or arenas or childcare centres.
FortisBC has asked British Columbians to reduce natural gas usage when possible due to the incident.
Several school districts — Burnaby, Surrey, Langley, North Vancouver and Delta — have also cut down on natural gas use by lowering their thermostats to 19 C and reducing hot water use.
There is currently no timeline for a fix on the main line.
Social, housing services not impacted
In a statement, the city says it "does not foresee an impact to its housing operations or social service centres.
"We will continue to assess the situation and work to ensure that services for the city's most vulnerable residents are not affected," it read.
Nevertheless, it said it encouraged all residents to reduce natural gas usage when possible by turning down thermostats, reducing the use of gas-powered hot water and cooking appliances and turning off gas fireplaces.
