New Westminster enforces maximum indoor temperature rule as B.C. renters sweat through summers
Health Canada recommends a maximum of 26°C indoors, but New Westminster is the only B.C. municipality with a bylaw enforcing it—other provinces are watching as climate risks mount.
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Update — August 03, 2026: The City of North Vancouver is considering a similar bylaw that would set a maximum indoor temperature of 26°C for rental residential buildings, with Councillor Angela Girard's motion also calling for mandatory cooling features such as larger windows, HVAC systems in common areas, and portable air conditioning options for tenants. The proposal was prompted by reports of landlords preventing tenants from using appliances or remaining in their units during extreme heat, and follows the June 2021 B.C. heat dome that killed over 600 people, with 98 percent of deaths occurring indoors.
New Westminster has become Canada's rare outlier in tenant protection: on June 8, it enacted a bylaw requiring rental units to maintain at least one living space below 26°C between 8 p.m. and 8 a.m. from April to October. Health Canada recommends that 26°C maximum, but few Canadian cities have made it law.
The move came after the 2021 heat dome killed 619 British Columbians, including 33 from New Westminster. The coroners' report found that more than 98 per cent of heat-related deaths occurred indoors, mostly among seniors and isolated people in deprived neighborhoods—nearly all without air conditioning.
Monica Bhandari, a New Westminster resident for ten years, said her apartment regularly exceeds the indoor temperature of the outside air. "The best thing for me to do is to actually leave," she said. Bhandari co-chairs the local branch of ACORN Canada, an advocacy group pushing municipalities across the country to adopt similar bylaws.
New Westminster Mayor Patrick Johnstone said the bylaw ensures people can "go home at night and actually be able to sleep securely in their bed." The city suggested landlords use ceiling fans, blackout curtains, and portable air conditioning units—but David Hutniak, CEO of Landlord BC, warned those low-cost measures may not satisfy the requirement. Landlords have raised concerns about electrical capacity in older buildings and the cost of upgrades, though the city plans to provide support for compliance.
B.C. has not updated its Residential Tenancy Act to mandate such protections. Ontario, however, updated its Residential Tenancies Act effective July 1 to allow tenants to install window or portable AC units. Across Canada, few other municipalities have followed New Westminster's lead.
The facts
When did New Westminster's indoor temperature bylaw take effect?
June 8, 2026. The bylaw requires rental units to maintain at least one living space below 26°C between 8 p.m. and 8 a.m. from April to October.
How many British Columbians died in the 2021 heat dome?
619 British Columbians died in the 2021 heat dome, including 33 from New Westminster. The coroners' report found that more than 98 per cent of heat-related deaths occurred indoors.
Is New Westminster the only Canadian municipality with such a temperature bylaw?
New Westminster is Canada's only municipality with a bylaw enforcing a maximum indoor temperature of 26°C, though Health Canada recommends this maximum. Across Canada, few other municipalities have followed New Westminster's lead.
