BC Throne Speech

September 2009

As BC legislators regroup for another session, fiscal constraints loom large. With substantial cuts expected in the September 1 new budget, are we still on target to meet our climate goals? And what about other environmental issues? If slashing and trimming is on the agenda, we can suggest some strategic areas - those hefty subsidies to the carbon-emitting oil and gas industry, for one.

Some initiatives announced in the throne speech include:

• Establishment of a species at risk task force to report to the government with recommendations by June 2010. “We’re relieved that the government has recognized the need for action on endangered species,” said Sierra Club BC Campaigns Director Susan Howatt. “With an astounding 2,000 species at risk in this province, we are overdue for a law that protects critical habitat and the ecosystems that sustain them."
• Establishment of a “green energy task force” to complement the work of the BC Utilities Commission. The commission recently rattled the government when it ruled, after hearings that lasted almost a year, that BC Hydro’s long-term acquisition plan is “not in the public interest.” Central to that plan is the development of controversial “run of river” power projects, including Plutonic Power’s massive Bute Inlet project. If approved, the Bute Inlet project would export energy to California and encompass 17 stream diversions, 445 kilometres of transmission lines, 314 kilometres of roads, 142 bridges, 16 powerhouses, and a substation. The BCUC ruling raises the question of whether the government has overestimated the amount of power BC needs in order to justify development of private power projects like Bute.

• Action to outlaw the international export of BC’s landfill and garbage waste. This doesn’t address problem of toxic waste coming to BC. The Vancouver-based Aquilini Investment Group has applied for rezoning to build a toxic waste recycling plant in BC’s Christina Lake with waste coming from as far away as southern California and the Alberta tar sands.
• Electrification of Highway 37 to connect part of northern BC to the North American power grid. Under the guise of weaning some northern communities off diesel as a power source, the electrification of Highway 37 will open up the north to oil and gas development and mining for gold, copper and carbon-emitting coal.

Read the throne speech.

Representatives from Sierra Club BC will attend the September 1 budget lock-up. They will be watching to see if the government invests our shrinking tax dollars in building a low-carbon economy through a green stimulus package.

We are especially concerned about recent cuts to programs that enable families to make greener lifestyle choices - such as Live Smart - particularly in view of BC's ongoing commitment to cut emissions 33 percent by 2020, the target that placed BC as North America's climate leader.

We will also be watching to see if subsidies to the oil and gas industry continue to soar. The February 2009 budget contained a 57 percent increase in subsidies to the oil and gas sector—to a whopping $1.5 billion over the next three fiscal years.

Additionally, we'll be monitoring any cuts to environmental stewardship. The February 2009 budget contained a 15 per cent cut to environmental stewardship—down to $34 million from $41 million.