In response to CleanBC details in Budget 2019, Georgia Strait Alliance’s Community Organizer Anna Barford, said:
“We were very glad to see that this budget supports the measures outlined in CleanBC to reach 75 percent of our pre-Paris 2030 target.
This budget includes funded measures that are very exciting, including: investments that support transitioning Indigenous and remote, communities from using diesel, expansion of transit, incentives for those looking to purchase new electric vehicles and make home energy efficiency retrofits, and incentives to our province’s heavy industry that use a portion of their own, carbon tax payments to reduce their emissions and get off of fossil fuels.
However, there are many opportunities still to be realized within our economy, as well as pathways for a variety of different British Columbians, such as those who do not own the home that they live in, to reduce greenhouse gas.
While the budget advances CleanBC, it continues to rely heavily on LNG Canada as a revenue generator. It is as though we are revving our engines while we are parked.
In addition, we cannot ignore that the last 25 percent of reductions (which amount to 6.1 Mt) that are necessary to reach our pre-Paris 2030 goal are left to be determined in future budgets. We look forward to seeing that gap diminished through discussions already underway.
Georgia Strait Alliance is committed to continuing to work with the government and with local communities to reduce our collective impacts. We are mindful of the challenges we face to succeed and aware of the risks we will face if we fail.”