Calgarians rally for maximum indoor temperature regulations

Calgarians rallied in the Beltline on July 31 to advocate for legislation regulating maximum indoor temperatures in Alberta rental properties.

The rally comes in the wake of a prolonged heat event throughout the province that saw temperatures climb above 30 degrees Celsius, remaining near 20 degrees throughout the night. In Calgary and elsewhere in the province, the heat coincided with heavy smoke from wildfires in Alberta and British Columbia, which prevented many from opening their windows to cool off at night.

Both heat and smoke are serious health risks and can be deadly, especially when extreme or prolonged.

Organized by the Association of Community Organizations for Reform Now (ACORN), the rally involved Renters Union members and housing and climate leaders from around the city, including Calgary Climate Hub’s executive director, Jared Blustein, and co-founding member Steve Bentley.

Speaking of the need for maximum indoor temperature regulations, the Hub’s Steve Bentley noted, “We have to do these sorts of things or we’re going to lose Canadians.”

Advocates point out that rental housing legislation in Alberta lays out landlords’ responsibilities to provide safe housing to tenants. It specifically includes the requirement that tenants be able to safely heat their units to a minimum of 22 degrees. It does not, however, include any specific stipulations about indoor temperature maximums.

This means that today, if tenants need to cool their apartment to make it livable, it will likely be on their own dime—something that contrasts with heating regulations and conflicts with safe housing requirements.

Courtney Walcott, Ward 8 councillor for the City of Calgary, says that this apparent legislative gap underlines how much Alberta’s climate has changed since the legislation was first drafted in 2004.

All signs point to heat continuing to be a significant health hazard of western Canadian summers.

Organizers in Alberta are proposing that the province update its residential tenancy legislation to include a 26 degree maximum indoor temperature requirement. In Ontario, Toronto and Hamilton are already exploring bylaws that would implement similar maximums.

The dangers of extreme heat especially affects those in city centres with little green cover—an issue the Calgary Climate Hub is tackling through its Calgary Tree Equity program. Advocating for indoor temperature limits was also a campaign focus for the Hub in 2023/2024, and the Hub plans to continue our advocacy on this issue in partnership with organizations like ACORN and others.

Written by Kay Rollans