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Climate Change & the Environment platforms

Here's what the candidates in Victoria-Beacon Hill, and their parties, are promising.

BC Parks

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BC Liberals

  • Double number of provincial park campsites in areas with growing demand.
  • Improve safe parking & amenities in high-use day areas.
  • Create a Work Experience for Students programme to provide work-experience opportunities for young people in provincial parks.
  • Improve reservations.

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Improve the [...] BC Parks camping reservation system, to provide short-notice camping options for local residents, and make the reservations process fairer for all.

— From Restore Confidence. Rebuild BC.

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BC NDP

Expand popular provincial parks with new campgrounds, trails, and protected areas while increasing funding to improve infrastructure and protect park ecosystems.

BC Greens

  • Enhance funding for BC Parks and the Conservation Officer Service.
  • Improve infrastructure and ensure natural ecosystems are not being degraded.
  • Create more campgrounds to meet demand, ensuring grounds don't cut into existing protected areas.

Carbon tax

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BC Liberals

Work with federal government to review scheduled increases in the Carbon Tax in light of the current economic recession.
We don't have any BC NDP policies on Carbon tax.

BC Greens

Immediately reinstate the schedule carbon tax increase and return to regular and predictable increases in the carbon tax of $10/year.

Climate resilience

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We don't have any BC Liberals policies on Climate resilience.
We don't have any BC NDP policies on Climate resilience.

BC Greens

  • Provide $100 million over 4 years to fund climate adaptation initiatives.
  • Build capacity in communities so they can respond safely and effectively to extreme weather and natural disasters.
  • Protect communities from wildfires and flooding through forest management & fuel treatment.

Conservation

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BC Liberals

  • Ensure no net loss of wetlands in BC.
  • Take more aggressive control of invasive species.
  • Ensure ongoing restoration of wildlife populations.
  • Accelerate reforestation programmes.
  • Appoint a Minister for Fisheries and Coastlines.

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Work with federal, municipal and First Nations partners, as well as outdoor recreation and conservancy organizations, to ensure the ongoing restoration of wildlife populations.

— From Restore Confidence. Rebuild BC.

Ensure hunting and other wildlife fees are used to fund enhancement of our wild spaces and wildlife populations.

Accelerate reforestation programs with priority to high-value fish-impact watershed reclamation.

Adopt robust salmon and steelhead conservation measures [...]

Support food share programs to keep food out of landfills, and get it to people who need it, to reduce both hunger and landfill methane.

Implement enhancements to Okanagan Lake Water Level Management for flood control and mitgation.

From Restore Confidence. Rebuild BC.

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BC NDP

  • Work with adjacent jurisdictions to protect shared wildlife and habitat corridors.
  • Implement recommendations of the Old Growth Strategic Review to protect further old-growth stands.
  • Develop a new coastal strategy.

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[...] we will seek a partnership with the federal government to establish a Watershed Security Fund to fund Indigenous, local, and regionally led clean water initiatives - and create good, sustainable, local jobs for British Columbians in watershed restoration, monitoring, technology, and education.

— From Working for You.

We'll make sure owners of large industrial projects are bonded moving forward, so that they - and not BC taxpayers - pay the full cost of environmental cleanup if their projects are abandoned.

— From _Working for You_.

We will develop a new provincial coastal strategy — in partnership with First Nations and federal and local governments — to better protect coastal habitat while growing coastal economies. A priority will be working with the federal government to address freighter traffic management and anchorage through southern Vancouver Island and the Gulf Islands.

— From Working for You.

We'll work with the federal government to develop new strategies that:

 - Protect and revitalize BC's salmon populations by building on the successful Broughton process and supporting innovation in fish hatcheries.

 - Step up protection of fish habitat through our biodiversity strategy.

 - Ensure BC processing of BC-caught fish.

— From Working for You.

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BC Greens

  • Establish a strategy to manage wetlands.
  • Ensure legislative oversight through legislated objectives for fish and wildlife.
  • Enhance funding for wildlife conservation, habitat protection, & habitat acquisition.
  • Provide legal protection for endangered species.

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Prioritize protection of wildlife and their habitat across government including through:

 - Establishing a strategy to manage our wetlands;

 - Protecting coastal ecosystems with a Coastal Law and Strategy;

 - Ensuring appropriate legislative oversight through creating legislated objectives for fish and wildlife;

 - Moving the fish and wildlife branch from FLNRO and the Ministry of Environment;

 - Urgently match and exceed historic provincial funding levels for the fish and wildlife branch to match the unprecedented challenges we now face;

 - Ensuring that science about the status of our wildlife and environment is independent from political interference and made freely available to the public;

Enhance funding for wildlife conservation, habitat protection and habitat acquisition and dedicate all fishing, hunting, guide-outfitting, and trapping license fees for this purpose.

Create an endangered species law that establishes legal protection of species and their habitat to ensure their recovery and survival.

Take action on fish farms to protect wild salmon:

 - Support the full implementation of the Wild Salmon Advisory Council recommendations and Cohen Commission recommendations, working urgently to enforce all measures within provincial jurisdiction;

 - Negotiate strongly with DFO to complete the recommendations under federal jurisdiction;

 - Working with DFO, First Nations, local communities, and industry, provide stimulus and incentives to create a close-containment land based fish farming industry and cancel open-pen fish farm tenures.

Establish a made-in-BC Environmental Charter that lays out:

 - Substantive rights to clean air, clean water, and healthy ecosystems

 - Procedural rights that allow everyone to participate in decisions that affect the environment;

 - Information rights that ensure we all have the access to all information relevant to decisions that affect the environment;

 - Application of the precautionary principle to decisions that affect the environment.

— From The BC Greens' Plan for a More Equitable and Sustainable BC.

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Electric bikes

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We don't have any BC Liberals policies on Electric bikes.

BC Greens

  • Remove PST from electric bikes.
  • Require offices and commercial premises to provide secure bike parking with charging capabilities.
  • Create more safe storage options including bike lockers at key locations like transit hubs.

Electric vehicles

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BC NDP

  • Provide a new income-tested incentive on new and used zero-emission vehicles.
  • Increase public vehicle charging availability with incentives and "right-to-charge" legislation for stratas and apartment buildings.

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Expand CleanBC and our zero-emissions vehicle program to industrial vehicles: [...] We will expand CleanBC's SUVI program to get more trucks, buses, ports, airports, and marine vessels off fossil fuels.

— From Working for You.

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BC Greens

  • Require 100% 0-emission non-commercial vehicle sales by 2035.
  • Remove PST on electric vehicles.
  • Work with industry on new incentive programmes.
  • Build public charging infrastructure on all highways.
  • Require multi-unit buildings to have charging infrastructure.

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Work with industry to set new [zero-emission vehicle] targets for commercial vehicles and on and off-road medium and heavy duty vehicles

— From The BC Greens' Plan for a More Equitable and Sustainable BC.

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Emissions

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BC Liberals

  • Support investments in renewable energy and technology solutions such as carbon capture.
  • Ensure a comprehensive greenhouse gas strategy that reduces emissions while allowing resource development and Indigenous land use.

BC NDP

  • Pass legislation requiring BC to reach net-zero emissions by 2050, either through no emissions or through carbon offsets.
  • Invest in made-in-BC carbon capture technology.
  • Empower local governments to set their own carbon pollution performance standards for new buildings.

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[...] we will require realtors to provide energy efficiency information on listed homes to incent energy-saving upgrades and let purchasers know what energy bills they will face.

— From Working for You.

We'll provide additional funding for our CleanBC industrial emissions strategy so that more mines, pulp mills, oil and gas processing plants, and other industrial facilities can reduce harmful emissions and more to cleaner operations.

— From Working for You.

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BC Greens

  • Commit to being carbon neutral by 2045.
  • Set sectoral targets.
  • Set an interim target for 2025.
  • End oil and gas subsidies, and redirect money to innovation & businesses to help meet our commitments.
  • Develop an accountability framework to ensure targets are met.

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Support the creation of a biofuels strategy and clean hydrogen roadmap as part of the energy mix we use to replace fossil fuels in our transportation sector.

Integrate a GHG emissions lens into all government procurement processes.

— From The BC Greens' Plan for a More Equitable and Sustainable BC.

Enact Property Assessed Clean Energy (PACE)-enabling legislation.

— From The BC Greens' Plan for a More Equitable and Sustainable BC.

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Plastic waste

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BC Liberals

Implement a programme to engage the public on reducing plastic and Syrofoam waste in oceans and waterways.
We don't have any BC Greens policies on Plastic waste.

Retrofits

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BC Liberals

  • Encourage retrofitting of homes and businesses.
  • Improve the provincial building code to maximize energy-efficiency while avoiding one-size-fits-all costs.

BC NDP

Spur energy-efficiency upgrades with programmes and incentives for both residential and commercial buildings, including allowing homeowners to take out loans for efficiency upgrades and pay them back overtime through property taxes.

BC Greens

  • Increase short-term incentives for retrofits.
  • Partner with colleges, technical institutes, and private organisations to develop training programmes to expand employment in green retrofits, focusing on supporting sectors impacted by COVID & a just transition for oil & gas workers.

Water

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We don't have any BC Liberals policies on Water.

BC NDP

Create a watershed security strategy to protect local watersheds.

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[...] we will seek a partnership with the federal government to establish a Watershed Security Fund to fund Indigenous, local, and regionally led clean water initiatives - and create good, sustainable, local jobs for British Columbians in watershed restoration, monitoring, technology, and education.

— From Working for You.

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BC Greens

  • Allocate $50 million for a dedicated Watershed Security Fund.
  • Expand watershed boards across the province.
  • Implement a Water Sustainability Act.
  • Work with local governments and school districts to upgrade municipal infrastructure and replace household pipes.
  • Ban fracking.

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Allocate $50 million to create a dedicated Watershed Security Fund that will create sustainable jobs in communities across BC in watershed restoration, monitoring, technology, training, and education.

Expanding the model of the Cowichan Watershed Board across the province and establishing shared decision-making authority with watershed boards, with watershed sustainability as a core mandate.

Conducting comprehensive watershed planning in conjunction with First Nations, communities, government agencies, stewardship organizations and industry and including watersheds as a part of a landscape-level ecosystem-based management approach to development.

Implementing the Water Sustainability Act to secure the environmental flows needed to sustain healthy and functioning rivers, lakes and watersheds.

Working with local governments, school districts and other stakeholders to upgrade municipal infrastructure and replace household pipes through grants and incentives.

Exploring science-based solutions to reduce water acidity.

Implementing a ban on fracking, a [...] process that has been shown to contaminate freshwater, trigger earthquakes, leak methane, and poses an unacceptable risk to human health.

— From The BC Greens' Plan for a More Equitable and Sustainable BC.

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