Courtenay won’t force the city’s 13 gas stations to install global warming warning stickers on fuel pump nozzles.
Instead, the city will encourage gas station owners to follow the lead of Petro Canada in putting stickers on nozzles voluntarily.
City council has been delaying a decision on this issue ever since receiving a presentation back in September, 2015, from Matt Hulse, campaign director for “Our Horizon”.
Later that month, the Union of British Columbia Municipalities supported legislation requiring gas retailers to install warning labels on pump handles for all fossil-based liquid fuels.
One year later, council asked for a report from staff on the costs and implications of requiring the gas pump labels.
That report was presented to council in February, 2016. Councillors decided then to wait and see how legislation passed in North Vancouver worked out. And more importantly, if that city was threatened with any legal action over the required stickers.
In the meantime, Petro Canada has introduced its own labels Canada-wide.
“City of Courtenay staff have confirmed that the Petro Canada in Courtenay has installed the labels,” said the latest report from John Ward, Director of Legislative Services.
Council had mixed feelings on the entire issue at their June 19 meeting.
“I feel like, of course, it’s great that Petro Canada stepped up on their own … I don’t think (they) would have done this without pressure. I do like the labels,” said Counc. David Frisch.
But Mayor Larry Jangula asked what do the labels change at all. It becomes a bylaw issue, with city staff running after gas stations to enforce compliance.
“Letting the market decide is way more sensible,” he said.
Counc. Doug Hillian agreed that passing a bylaw requiring the labels could be “onerous” in terms of city enforcement.
“I also applaud Petro Canada for their corporate responsibility in this. I think that I’m always in favour of a volunteer approach to things rather than coercive,” he said.
Hillian suggested a compromise in which the city contact the gas vendors and share with them the information the city has on the matter, including the initiative taken by Petro Canada.
“It would be a useful information process to share this with vendors and ask them to pass it on to their head offices where decisions are made,” he added.
Subsequent voting on a motion to require the stickers failed, with only Councillors Frisch and Rebecca Lennox voting in favour.
A second motion put forward by Hillian, to write to city gas station owners encouraging them to follow Petro Canada’s example, passed.