When companies greenwash, people and the planet lose.
That’s why our clients are taking gas utility FortisBC to court for greenwashing its gas through misleading advertising.
Represented by lawyers at Ecojustice and Slater Vecchio LLP, our clients — Stand.earth and concerned B.C. residents Lori Goldman and Eddie Dearden — have filed an action in BC Supreme Court, alleging that FortisBC’s ads and webpages are misleading consumers about the climate impacts and affordability of using gas to heat B.C. homes.
What’s the problem?
From TV ads to radio spots, in movie theatres and even municipal council meetings, British Columbians have seen FortisBC promote the affordability and climate benefits from using FortisBC’s fossil gas and “renewable natural gas” to heat their homes.
But the case alleges that FortisBC’s words don’t match up with its actions. For example:
- The company advertises that consumers can request “renewable natural gas” and other renewable gases to “decarbonize” the gas network. However, it leaves out that the majority of what is delivered to any gas customer in B.C. is fracked fossil gas, which is a significant contributor to the climate crisis. That’s because the availability of renewable natural gas is limited and most of it is not produced or delivered to consumers in B.C.
- By locking customers into gas heating, FortisBC is directly contradicting B.C.’s climate goals and municipal commitments to advancing to zero-carbon buildings. This messaging is getting in the way of transitioning home heating and cooling to efficient electric heat pumps
- The company claims to care about climate action and affordability. Yet, it continues to add 10,000 new gas consumers a year (who mostly receive fossil gas), while advertising gas as a source of home heating that aligns with our climate goals.
Why this case matters
Electric heat pumps are aligned with a climate-safe future, offering a truly low-emission alternative that can be more cost-effective and keep people cool in summer and warm in winter. But with a near monopoly on the supply of gas to homes in B.C., FortisBC stands to benefit from encouraging the public to buy new gas furnaces — which locks people into using gas for decades.
On behalf of our clients, we’re alleging that FortisBC is promoting gas over electric heat pumps — and misleading the public to do it.
This lawsuit is the first of its kind in Canada, offering a unique opportunity for the courts to examine how greenwashing harms everyday people across British Columbia.
