Stand.earth reacts to the Conservative Party of B.C.’s election priorities

Unceded Musqueam, Squamish, and Tsleil-Waututh territories (Vancouver, B.C.)  — With just over a week to go before voters in British Columbia head to the polls, and without the release of a full platform, Stand.earth climate experts and advocates are responding to the platform planks that the B.C. Conservative Party has announced to date, with analysis focused on clean energy, building electrification, and forests.

Liz McDowell, Senior Campaigns Director at Stand.earth, said:

“It’s a relief that the B.C. Conservatives are finally acknowledging that climate change is in fact real and it is human-caused. However, denying the existential threat faced by British Columbia residents – who are living through increasingly worse wildfires, droughts, heat domes, floods and other unnatural disasters – is almost a worse kind of denial. The reality is that we’re paying for the impacts of climate change now, from billions a year spent fighting wildfires to devastating losses for Okanagan wineries and fruit tree farms, and claiming that ‘It isn’t a crisis’ serves no other purpose than to delay urgently needed action to phase out fossil fuel production and rapidly transition to a clean energy economy.”

Sven Biggs, Canadian Oil and Gas Program Director at Stand.earth, said:

“The Conservatives’ policy of  building more pipelines and more LNG terminals will lead to an explosion in the number of fracking wells in B.C. to supply gas to those new export facilities –. making it impossible to reach B.C. ‘s climate targets. In some cases their policy proposals, like not encouraging the electrification of new LNG terminals, are more emissions-intensive than what even the LNG companies are currently proposing.

The Conservative policy of focusing on nuclear power over renewable sources like wind and solar defies common sense. The cost of nuclear power is already significantly higher than wind, and solar and continues to rise while the cost of solar has dropped dramatically over the last decade. Furthermore the small modular reactor technology which is the focus of the Conservative platform is still in development and it is yet to be seen if it will be viable.

However I am pleased to see that the Conservative plan includes a commitment to explore the potential of geothermal power, a form of renewable energy that could be a significant source of clean electricity for B.C.”

Sunil Singal, Climate Campaigner for SAFE Cities Canada at Stand.earth, said:

“While it is encouraging that the B.C Conservatives have committed to expanding the transit system in key regions in B.C., it is disappointing that they also seem to call for the expansion of fossil fuel heating in homes. We need to accelerate the adoption of electric heat pumps for affordable, safe, and healthy ways of heating and cooling our homes – not move backwards. This will bring us further away from reaching B.C’s climate goals, and likely ensures we do not meet our building sector reduction targets.”

Tegan Hansen, Senior Forest Campaigner at Stand.earth, said:

“From the continued logging of irreplaceable old growth forests to devastating mill closures to destructive megafires, the next provincial government must come prepared with a decisive, bold plan to reverse decades of colonial, corporate mismanagement. The complete lack of commitments in Conservatives’ election announcements to meaningfully support Indigenous-led land use visions and management, as well the party’s regressive rhetoric on the rights of First Nations Title holders, is a major concern for both people and forests.

Without clear plans to implement tenure reforms and protect key at-risk forests, Conservative promises to streamline permitting appear designed to appease big timber companies, rather than support initiatives that truly benefit local communities.”

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Stand.earth’s climate experts and advocates are available for comment on B.C. environmental policy issues during the election campaign, and on the climate priorities the new legislative assembly must put at the top of their agenda.

Reaction to the B.C. NDP’s platform is available here. 

Reaction the B.C. Green Party’s platform is available here.

Media contacts:

For comment on oil, LNG, electrification and renewable energy –

Sven Biggs, 778-882-8354, sven@stand.earth and Kiki Wood, kiki@stand.earth, 604-757-7030

For comment on old growth forests, industrial logging, and forest biomass – 

Tegan Hansen, 250-354-3302, tegan@stand.earth

For comment on building electrification and progressive building policies – Sunil Singal, 604-368-3536, sunil.singal@stand.earth

For assistance with arranging interviews, please contact Stand.earth’s Canada Communications Specialists:

Kathryn Semogas, 778-653-2303, kathryn.semogas@stand.earth

Arin de Hoog, 613-978-7329, arin.dehoog@stand.earth