SOURCE: CBC News
DATE: March 25, 2019
SNIP: The B.C. government is introducing new legislation that it says would attract more LNG projects to the province, in part by granting tax credits.
Finance Minister Carole James said the proposed changes will bring thousands of jobs to B.C.
“British Columbians are counting on us to attract LNG investment that meets strict conditions: delivering jobs and financial benefits to B.C., creating economic partnerships with Indigenous peoples and protecting our clean air, land and water,” James said in a news release.
Green Party Leader Andrew Weaver said the new legislation sends mixed messages about the government’s commitment to addressing climate change.
“Continuing to push for LNG development is short-sighted and works directly against CleanBC objectives,” Weaver said in a statement. He described the decision as “a generational sellout” that will only serve to increase greenhouse gas emissions.
Karen Ogen-Toews, who heads the First Nations LNG Alliance, believes that project could be a windfall for Northern B.C. communities. “There’s a definite opportunity. Once the pipe is in the ground, our community will be seeing legacy payments.”
She says Northern B.C. towns have suffered wildfires, lost logging and mill jobs to pine beetles and watched mines close. She is applauding the tax breaks and tax credits which she says are needed to get B.C. gas to market.