Jan. 15, 2024
A shadowy new organization attacking the climate efforts of Canadian cities is infiltrating Google searches and ads in the New York Times and other publications online.
The group — Voice for Energy — bills itself as a platform for Canadians to "speak up" against municipalities implementing measures to reduce or ban natural gas to "protect" people’s so-called "energy choice."
The group keeps its provenance secret, with no phone numbers or staff listed on its website. A search of its metadata through the Whois database reveals the domain name was created in April 2023, but any information that could identify the website's owners is redacted.
The group did not respond to two requests for more details about the organization from Canada's National Observer.
Last week, some Canadian New York Times readers were greeted with an ad from the organization targeting Burnaby, B.C.'s recent decision to ban gas hook-ups in new buildings.
Canadian Google users have also been targeted by the group, as reported by DeSmog reporter Geoff Dembicki and according to the platform's ad transparency database. Those ads have been running Canada-wide since mid-October accompanied by photos of diverse, happy-looking families. The most recent ad was published on Jan. 10, 2024.
"It is a fear campaign. They're trying to get people scared that if we don't keep natural gas, then we won't have reliable electricity," said Julien Beaulieu, a Université de Sherbrooke lecturer. "That's what this campaign is about. It is about making people scared of renewables."
According to Voice for Energy's website, the group is a "national initiative of gas energy companies and stakeholders" who claim to be protecting Canadians’ "energy choice." The sleek site encourages visitors to contact their elected representatives and share information about the organization on social media.
However, Google's ad database lists them as belonging to CGA Enterprises, a venture of the Canadian Gas Association, Canada's largest natural gas lobby group. The group did not respond to two requests for comment from Canada's National Observer by deadline.
A shadowy new organization attacking the climate efforts of Canadian cities is infiltrating Google searches and ads in the New York Times and other publications online. - Twitter
The campaign marks the latest public move in an ongoing battle between Canada's natural gas industry and efforts by municipalities and environmental groups across the country to stop using the fuel. Preventing the infrastructure from being built is key to stopping gas from being embedded in communities, explained environmental lawyer Calvin Sandborn.
Natural gas is primarily made with methane — a greenhouse gas 80 times more potent than CO2 — and is extracted from fossilized gas deposits. Experts have warned we must not exploit the fuel if we want to prevent catastrophic global heating. The warning has prompted dozens of cities like Nanaimo, B.C., Montreal, and Prévost, Que. to ban new buildings or retrofits from using the fuel.
Voice for Energy represents only a fraction of the effort Canada's natural gas industry is making to remain in business as governments push for more sustainable alternatives, like electric heat pumps. In B.C., gas utility FortisBC is leveraging the minute amount of so-called "renewable natural gas," which is made from organic waste and manure, to run greenwashing campaigns against municipalities banning gas hook-ups in new buildings.
Further east, Ontario utility Enbridge has fudged numbers to avoid climate-focused restrictions. Quebec utility Énergir sued the 12,000-person community of Prévost over the town's decision to ban natural gas in new buildings and require retrofitted buildings to replace gas with fossil-fuel-free alternatives, with both parties reaching a settlement in December.
Voice for Energy's claim that it wants to give Canadians "energy choice" is a noteworthy rhetorical shift, said Chris Russill, a Carleton University communications professor. Faced with proliferating bans on natural gas infrastructure and growing consumer interest in electric alternatives like heat pumps, companies have started to "redirect the language of energy transition to energy diversification," he said.
The goal is to lock in gas infrastructure to protect their markets from economic change, consumer alternatives and regulation, he said.
Beaulieu agreed. "If you start investing in natural gas infrastructure, then you're postponing the transition," he said.
