Big dollars earmarked for climate action

More than $900 million in environmentally friendly measures formed part of the B.C. government’s 2019 budget, unveiled Tuesday.

Among the highlights are cash for clean-energy retrofits, electric-vehicle rebates, and climate-action tax credits that will open doors to “new, clean opportunities,” Finance Minister Carole James said.

The spending is intended to fund initiatives under CleanBC, the NDP’s and Green Party’s recently announced climate action plan, James said.

“With CleanBC, we are building a strong, sustainable, low-carbon economy for the future. We are protecting the place we call home,” she said.

Included in the budget are $42 million in point-of-sale incentives for zero-emission vehicles, $6 million in lightduty fleet rebates and $10 million in incentives for clean buses and heavy-duty vehicles. Another $30 million is budgeted for fast-charging and hydrogen filling stations.

Those items are part of the government’s push for 100 per cent of new cars to be zero-emission by 2040.

The cash incentives could save buyers up to $6,000 on the purchase of a zero-emission vehicle, according to the government.

Blair Qualey, the head of the New Car Dealers Association of B.C., applauded the financial and capital project support for clean vehicles.

“These key investments will help continue B.C.’s nation-leading adoption of clean-energy vehicles in the next three years,” he said.

Another $168 million is intended to help large industries reduce greenhouse gas emissions, and $58 million in the budget is earmarked as capital funding to make buildings more energy efficient.