Premier Eby said the tariff threat remains and speeding up projects is meant to deliver an economic boost to remote regions most at risk of a potential trade war.
Industry representatives welcomed Premier David Eby’s vow to expedite $20 billion in resource projects in the face of tariff threats as a step that was overdue, while environmental advocates worry it will wind up giving development a pass on rigorous evaluation.
Eby unveiled Tuesday what was characterized as an “initial list” of 18 mine expansions and natural gas-related infrastructure and renewable power developments that the province would look at expediting, despite putting other retaliatory tariff measures on hold.
U.S. President Donald Trump gave Canada a one-month reprieve from punitive 25 per cent tariffs, but Eby said the threat remains and the intent of speeding up projects is to deliver an economic boost to remote regions most at risk of a potential trade war.
“This is work that needed to be done anyway,” said Laura Jones, CEO of the Business Council of B.C., the lobby group for some of B.C.’s biggest industries.
“Tariffs aren’t our only threat. We came into this (potential trade war) with an economy that needed strengthening. That’s a consistent message you’ve been hearing from across the business community.”
The business council has been sounding the alarm about a dearth of new major projects being green lit to follow multibillion-dollar developments, such as B.C. Hydro’s Site C dam or LNG Canada’s liquefied natural gas plant being completed in Kitimat.
However, Jones said Tuesday that Eby is “hitting all the right notes with the business community,” both with speeding up specific projects and signalling he wants to tackle “deeper structural issues,” such as interprovincial trade barriers and streamlining rules.
Jones added that Trump’s administration is also “rolling out the red carpet for investment,” so B.C. needs to likewise stay focused on things that will keep the province competitive, such as taxation and regulation that is comparable with other jurisdictions.
“Business leaders pay a lot of attention to what our leaders say, so what the premier says right now matters a lot,” Jones said.
Eby’s list includes permitting on the Haisla First Nation-backed Cedar LNG project near Kitimat, which has already received an environmental approval, and two expansions of natural gas infrastructure in B.C.’s northeast.
It also singles out B.C. Hydro’s $3 billion transmission line to power development on the province’s North Coast and the same nine renewable power projects that the province said in December would be fast-tracked to deliver electricity.
The list’s four mining related projects include the proposal to reopen the Eskay Creek gold mine near Stewart, as well as three expansions of existing mines spanning from the northwest to the southern Interior.
The Mining Association of B.C.’s Tim McEwan said “the initial list is a good first step.”
However, McEwan, the association’s senior vice-president, said the industry has 17 critical mineral projects under development in B.C., including projects that should enter the permitting process in the next year.
“Beyond the four mines announced on the B.C. government’s initial project list, it is imperative the provincial government work to expedite approvals for other critical mineral, precious-metal and steelmaking coal mine opportunities,” he said.
Some of the projects, however, face the objections of First Nations, such as Teck Resources’ application to expand its Highland Valley copper mine at Logan Lake.
In November, the Stk’emlupsemc te Secwepemc Nation said it wouldn’t give its consent because the mine’s impact had already harmed its ancestral territory and its expansion was “neither reasonable nor sustainable.”
In a statement, B.C. Assembly of First Nations Regional Chief Terry Teegee said Nations “see the importance of standing together against the bullying behaviour of the United States.”
“We are ready to be full partners in a collaborative trade strategy (and) bring innovative perspectives to the table,” Teegee added.
However, Teegee said any development still needs to take place “in accordance with our rights, title and interests, (and) must align with the Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples Act.”
From the environmental perspective, advocate Jessica Clogg said people fear corporations are taking advantage of the moment of uncertainty presented by tariff threats.
“At the moment, Premier Eby has not made clear what steps that companies are asking for or that might be delivered,” said Clogg, executive director and lead counsel for West Coast Environmental Law. “We do know that the premier has talked about exempting whole classes of projects from environmental assessment. If that type of exemption were applied to major mining or pipeline projects, that is a significant cause for concern.
“(Environmental assessment) is our tool for, essentially, looking before we leap,” Clogg added. “And it’s not just environmental assessment, it’s the social side of things, the health side of things, the Indigenous rights side of things.”
However, Energy Minister Adrian Dix said the province is focused on projects that already have approvals or are already in the environmental assessment process.
“We’re obviously focused on ensuring that standards remain high,” Dix said. The effort is more about “that we get to yes, or even no, more quickly,” he added.
Dix said that 12 of the 18 projects, including the 10 renewable power proposals that are being exempted from full environmental assessment, have more than 50 per cent ownership by First Nations.
“We’re looking at these projects and we’re saying, ‘OK, these provide important opportunities for us to diversify both our markets and our economy,’ ” he said.
With files from The Canadian Press
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