The Latest from Montreal

In the Spring of 2009, despite a strong campaign by APC that was well supported by HPBA and HPBAC, the Montréal City Council voted in favor of banning the installation of all new cordwood fueled heating appliances within the city. APC subsequently launched a legal challenge against the new by-law, based on the premise that it had no credible scientific basis. The first hearing by the Québec provincial court regarding APC’s legal action against the city occurred in November. The judge ruled that the case had sufficient merit to go forward to a full hearing, probably sometime this summer. The by-law stays in force until then. It should be noted that no other Canadian jurisdiction has indicated it has any plans to follow Montréal’s lead. Four Canadian manufacturers have contributed a total of $10,000 towards APC’s mounting legal costs.