Environment

British Columbians already feel the effects of a changing climate. Our summers are hotter and heat waves are more intense. Severe flooding is more likely and we are seeing longer and more intense forest fire seasons.

Some people say that if we’re supporting strong action on climate change, it costs jobs and opportunity. The opposite is true in our province. Our clean energy advantage, and low carbon building products mean if the world continues to move to a low carbon future, we’re going to have a huge advantage.

Through predictable calls for power, we’re encouraging innovation in the industrial electricity sector as BC Hydro partners with innovative and productive firms that can deliver reliable electricity in every corner of the province. Through partnering with the private sector in attainable and affordable housing, we’re providing stability in a time of global uncertainty to help firms keep workforces intact for when interest rates come back down.

We’ve also seen that by allowing reforms like single stairway buildings, higher wood frame buildings, and tall mass timber buildings, we can bring down costs while moving to lower carbon footprints and creating jobs across the value chain in our province. That’s why we’ve been leading in private sector job creation across Canada for the last twelve months, foreign direct investment in major projects, and why we have the highest GDP growth of big provinces since forming government and post-pandemic.

– British Columbia New Democratic Party