In August 2026, First Things First Okanagan Board wrote a comment to the BC Utilities Commission on the Fortis Energy Inc (FEI)’s 2026 Long Term Gas Resource Plan.

FTFO is concerned about information being presented by FEI. "FEI tends to cherry pick and interpret facts to suit their storyline, and omits

data that doesn’t fit with their goal of continued growth of gas use in BC.

A key concern is that FEI compares gas and electricity at a 1 to 1 energy ratio, failing to include the fact that electric heat pumps (EHP) are 2-5 times more efficient than gas4. This omission results in skewed data and leads to incorrect conclusions."

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You can read the entire FTFO LETTER to the BCUC as a PDF. 

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As well, in the upcoming October 2026 Science Direct site joutnal Energy Policy, scientists Laura Tozer UofT and Salma Elmallah Arizona State U. published a report "Obstructing decarbonization through efficiency: Gas utilities and demand side management politics in Canada."

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"Despite commitments to decarbonization, gas infrastructure expenditures continue to grow in North America. This trend raises concerns about how carbon lock-in and fossil fuel obstruction influence energy transition trajectories. However, even fairly comprehensive accounts of fossil fuel obstruction do not consider gas utility demand-side management like energy efficiency programming as a component of lock-in. Demand-side interventions are ostensibly climate-friendly, especially compared to increased natural gas extraction, and therefore have received less scrutiny to date. Our paper asks whether and how gas companies are using energy efficiency regulatory structures and decarbonization imperatives to entrench gas infrastructure."  READ MORE