Thoughts on BC Politics and More

Ten years ago, one of the arguments against Site C dam was that BC would be spending billions for more power generation than it could possibly use.  Industrial power demand had fallen, thanks to the shuttering of big energy users like pulp mills. Now there is such a growing demand for industrial power in BC that Premier David Eby’s government is now having to ration it to select industries—namely mines and LNG—while shutting out or limiting other energy intensive industries like green hydrogen production, bitcoin mining and data centres. And it is circumventing a lot of its own rules to get new power lines and generation to resource projects ... CLICK HERE for the full story

Prime Minister Mark Carney is set to announce a second set of “nation-building projects,” including at least three focused on critical mineral extraction, one for exporting liquefied natural gas (LNG) and at least one transmission project, sources told CBC News.  They said there will be a total of at least six projects, including: The Sisson Mine, for critical minerals, in New Brunswick. The Crawford Nickel project in Ontario. The Ksi Lisims liquefied natural gas project in British Columbia. An Iqaluit hydro project. The Nouveau Monde Graphite Phase 2 project in Quebec.  Of the remaining two, at least one will be a transmission project, the sources said. CBC News is not naming them because they are not authorized to speak freely about internal government decisions ... CLICK HERE for the full story

The federal government will unveil the next round of major projects that will get fast-tracked approvals later this week, Prime Minister Mark Carney said Monday, as Canada tries to stimulate economic activity amid the ongoing U.S. tariff fight. Carney said the list will be unveiled in Prince Rupert on Thursday. The Indigenous-proposed Ksi Lisims liquified natural gas (LNG) project near that city was approved by Ottawa in September and it has since received all the necessary permits to start construction ... CLICK HERE for the full story

Two First Nations in northwest BC are taking the federal government to court to quash a decision approving the Ksi Lisims floating natural-gas facility and marine export terminal near Prince Rupert.  The Lax Kw'alaams Band and the Metlakatla First Nation filed separate judicial reviews in Federal Court earlier this month, alleging the minister of environment and climate change ignored their concerns about the adverse impacts of the massive LNG project. The  Impact Assessment Agency of Canada announced last month that the minister had given the green light to the facility off the northwest coast of BC ... CLICK HERE for the full story 

This month, British Columbia approved the environmental certificate for the Ksi Lisims liquefied natural gas terminal—the latest in a string of decisions signalling a new appetite for industrial expansion in the province.  Eva Clayton, president of Nisg̱a’a Lisims Government, hailed the project as a "transformational opportunity" and a symbol of Indigenous reconciliation. But for others, it has highlighted a growing divide—only two of the 10 other First Nations consulted gave their consent for the project. The dissent mirrors the recent approval of the Prince Rupert Gas Transmission (PRGT) pipeline, which will feed the terminal ... CLICK HERE for the full story

Some First Nations backed the new route while others maintained concerns around the cumulative effects of the project and insufficient baseline data.  BC has approved an amendment to the Prince Rupert Gas Transmission (PRGT) pipeline project, greenlighting a new, shorter route that will impact a different part of the province’s landscape ... ... The province's latest decision comes amid a Canada-wide push from industry to boost fossil fuel infrastructure as a remedy to U.S. tariffs. Opponents of such projects say it would pull public dollars away from long-term renewable energy projects and risk investing in assets that could soon be stranded as the world moves away from fossil fuels. In its decision, the EAO classified the amendment as "complex" due to its significant deviation from the original plan ... CLICK HERE for the full story

Amid his push to strengthen energy and economic ties with Europe, Prime Minister Mark Carney revealed Tuesday that the federal government will imminently be unveiling major new investments in port infrastructure. “Our government is in the process of unleashing half a trillion dollars of investment in energy infrastructure, port infrastructure, particularly intelligence infrastructure, as well, with AI,” Carney said Tuesday. Speaking alongside German Chancellor Friedrich Merz in Berlin, the prime minister said the first of those investments will be announced “in the next two weeks” and pointed to building up the Port of Montreal and “a new port, effectively, in Churchill, Manitoba,” as examples ... CLICK HERE for the full story 

Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre says Prime Minister Mark Carney's development agenda is stalled — and he's promising to "legalize" pipelines through new legislation to speed things up. Poilievre said his party's Canadian Sovereignty Act, if passed, would ensure two pipelines, a new LNG project and a road to Ontario's Ring of Fire will have begun construction by March 14 — the one-year anniversary of Carney becoming prime minister.  "Not a single major pipeline or natural gas facility, a new one, has been identified for approval by the Carney government and we're going in the exact wrong direction," Poilievre said ... CLICK HERE for the full story 

A decade after a promised boom in the liquified natural gas industry failed to materialize, Canada has arrived at the starting line, rekindling some aspirations of becoming a major LNG player. The long-awaited LNG Canada project is now up and running — and there are six more projects in various stages of development. If all of them come through, together they would represent $109 billion in capital investment, according to Natural Resources Canada.  This comes amid renewed political appetite to build major infrastructure, bolster the Canadian economy and diversify exports away from the US ... CLICK HERE for the full story 

Recent developments south of the Canada-U.S. border have kicked off a much-needed public conversation about economic sovereignty that we have not seen for many years. It has brought to light conversations on how BC can reconcile energy development, climate action and reconciliation with Indigenous peoples that have long been deferred or carried out in silos. The status quo approach yields policy confusion and polarization, with covert tradeoffs that jeopardize prosperity for all. The choices we must make now as a province will determine whether we can truly stand on our own feet. Fortunately, there are valuable lessons that can be learned from a region that has remained largely invisible to urban decision-makers, despite quietly powering our prosperity for decades ... CLICK HERE for the full story

I sometimes catch myself staring out over the waters of British Columbia’s coastline — so calm, so vast, so brimming with unspoken opportunity — and I can’t help but wonder how anyone could fail to notice the promise that Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) represents for our nation’s future. This country sits atop some of the largest gas reserves on Earth, and we have two coasts eager to connect our product to global markets. I’m a quietly enthusiastic type by nature, and I don’t often indulge in the “I-told-you-so” routine, but whenever I encounter someone who just hasn’t cottoned on to the excitement around LNG, I feel compelled to stage a gentle intervention. In my day-to-day role as CEO of Resource Works, I work with communities from Fort St. John to Kitimat, and beyond. Let me assure you, if you want to see Canadians at work, proud of their craft, and eyeing a brighter future, you’ll find them along the pipeline routes and port terminals that are part of our budding...

The ongoing threats posed by U.S. tariffs on the Canadian economy have caused many Canadians to reconsider the need for national oil pipelines and other major resource projects. The United States is Canada’s most significant trading partner, and the two countries have enjoyed over a century of peaceful commerce and good relations. However, the onset of tariffs and increasingly hostile rhetoric has made Canadians realize they should not be taking these good relations for granted. Traditional opposition to energy development has given way to a renewed focus on energy security and domestic self-reliance. Over the last decade, Canadian energy producers have sought to build pipelines to move oil from landlocked Alberta to tidewater, aiming to reduce reliance on U.S. markets and expand exports internationally. Canada’s dependence on the U.S. for energy exports has long affected the prices it can obtain. One province where this shift is becoming evident is Quebec. Historically, Quebec politic...

The BC Chamber of Commerce welcomes plans to speed up 10 existing resource projects, but calls for additional steps to unlock the province's full potential. "We therefore welcome the provincial government’s commitment to expediting project approvals," Fiona Famulak, president and CEO of the BC Chamber of Commerce said. "In fact, we would encourage the province to identify more projects that can be fast-tracked, sending a signal that BC is prioritizing its economic stability" ... CLICK HERE for the full story

... Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has refused to sell clean Canadian liquefied natural gas (LNG) to allies like Germany, Japan, and South Korea while not halting the shipment of filthy coal to China. The sale of Canadian LNG to friendly democracies would give a massive boost to the Canadian economy ... CLICK HERE for the full story

British Columbia’s natural resource industries—forestry, mining, energy and agri-food—are being buffeted by many challenges. A weaker global economy is weighing on some commodity prices. Multiplying and increasingly complex regulatory requirements continue to raise operating costs. In forestry, the aftermath of the pine beetle infestation, forest fires and government logging deferrals are all hurting the industry. The vaunted low-carbon transition is routinely linked to upside opportunities in some resource-based industries, but it also brings a risk that Canadian jurisdictions will lose out to competing jurisdictions that prefer to advance emission-reduction goals using “carrots” rather than the battery of “sticks” that appeal to Ottawa and Victoria. Capital investment is already shifting to other jurisdictions because of costly and uncertain climate policies ... CLICK HERE for the full story

The BC government is trying to sugar-coat bad climate news with good after making back-to-back fossil fuel announcements last week, environmental groups say. On Thursday, BC pledged to roll out a “backstop” regulatory emissions plan in 2026 in case the federal government’s proposed oil and gas emissions cap isn’t implemented, is scrapped or doesn’t meet provincial reduction targets. However, BC’s renewed vow to tackle fossil fuel emissions came hard on the heels of a decision Wednesday giving the environmental green light for the Tilbury marine jetty liquified natural gas (LNG) project in Delta near the mouth of the Fraser River . . . . CLICK HERE for the full story

Indigenous communities are increasingly becoming partners and owners in major natural resource projects across the country. Resource Works has been excited to be involved in that movement through our annual Indigenous Partnerships Success Showcase, where we convene Indigenous experts to discuss Indigenous partnerships in major projects and across the Canadian economy. Under a proposed federal program, even more, Indigenous communities could become partners and even owners in major natural resource projects, from oil to natural gas and liquefied natural gas (LNG) ... CLICK HERE for the full story

In this post I am republishing a commentary originally published on the brand new BC Green Caucus website . Going forward you will be able to find all the legislative work of the BC Green Caucus, including videos of our work in Question Period and on Bills to media releases, statements and commentaries. In the future, commentaries such as the one below, will be used to provide greater clarity, insight and detail that cannot be captured in a media release or statement. Over the coming weeks and months our legislative communications team will be populating the website with our work from prior to the its launch. Finally, we also have a new BC Green Caucus Twitter account . I hope you will follow us to track our work in the British Columbia Legislative Assembly. Throughout the COVID-19 pandemic we have continued to work with the provincial government. We are providing them feedback and input on our values and priorities to inform their initiatives on the economic recovery resulting f...

BC Liberal MLA, for the riding of Skeena, Ellis Ross I’m a 55-year-old Aboriginal man born and raised on a reserve on the west coast of British Columbia. I had no intention or desire to be a leader but was always asked to step into these roles as I grew up. There is nothing remarkable or outstanding about my history. In fact, in looking at my younger years, including my younger adult days, my story is typical of thousands of Aboriginals that came before me and continue on to this day. My first realization of hopelessness came when I was approximately 14 years old standing in front of our condemned fire hall and it occurred to me that I had no future and that I would be doomed to wander the streets of my village doing drugs, drinking alcohol and getting into trouble. I decided right there that I would quit doing drugs. Instead, I poured my physical and mental health into basketball. In our village, basketball is highly popular, and it is the same with neighbouring communities. I...