Assurances that faster processes for mining and LNG development won’t compromise goals on environmental stewardship not backed up with funding

VICTORIA / UNCEDED lək̓ʷəŋən TERRITORY — The Wilderness Committee is alarmed that the B.C. government’s promise to speed up the extraction of fracked gas isn’t matched by increased funding to ensure adequate environmental oversight. While the Budget 2025 speech and background documents emphasize the government’s intention to ramp up resource extraction and increase new projects, the budgets for the Ministry of Environment and Parks, the Ministry of Forests, the Ministry of Energy and Climate Solutions, and the Ministry of Water, Land and Resource Stewardship see either minimal or no increase over the three year fiscal plan.

For example, the budget for the BC Environmental Assessment Office, tasked with reviewing new mines and fossil fuel infrastructure, sees an increase of less than $270K from last year.

“Promising a wave of new industrial projects with faster review processes, without also increasing the budget of the ministries and agencies overseeing this development, amounts to cutting corners, plain and simple. It’s an extremely reckless move that increases the risk of conflict here in B.C.,” said Associate Director Torrance Coste. “Responding to a problem by doubling down on extraction and weakening regulations is a shortsighted conservative policy direction better left in the last century.”

No additional funding is allocated for B.C.’s commitment to protect 30 per cent of land and water by 2030. The budget for the Ministry of Water, Land and Resources Stewardship, which oversees the 30x30 commitment, only sees a small increase from $219 million last year to $221 million per year for each of the next three years.

Strong promises need to be backed up with money, and the BC NDP government is not prioritizing biodiversity and protecting the ecosystems that make this province so special. 

- Torrance Coste, Associate Director 

There is only one mention of old-growth forests in the 2025 budget and it’s in relation to strengthening the forest industry.

“The goal of doubling the amount of protected area in the next five years is a good one, but the funding to back it up remains murky and unclear,” said Coste. “Strong promises need to be backed up with money, and the BC NDP government is not prioritizing biodiversity and protecting the ecosystems that make this province so special.”

The budget for the Ministry of Forests sees an increase of only $8 million from last year for wildfire management. The Wilderness Committee is critical of the province’s strategy of under-budgeting for wildfire response year after year. The budget for the Ministry of Emergency Management and Climate Readiness sees a $10 million increase from last year, before flat-lining at $125 million per year.

After welcome increases for the Ministry of Transportation in last years’ budget, new spending in Budget 2025 is limited to offsetting operational cost increases due to inflation. 

“It’s frustrating to see the province downplaying the true costs of climate change by continuing to fund its response to wildfires through contingency budgets and other general measures, rather than through the Forests or Emergency Management ministries,” said Forest Campaigner Tobyn Neame. “We need to be honest and realistic about the costs of the climate crisis, especially if Premier David Eby and his government continue to expand the industries that drive it.”

The Wilderness Committee will continue to review Budget 2025 and advocate for adequate funding to support the province’s stated goals on conservation and addressing climate change.

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For more information, please contact:

Torrance Coste – Associate Director, Wilderness Committee

250-516-9900, torrance@wildernesscommittee.org

Tobyn Neame – Forest Campaigner, Wilderness Committee

403-461-5151, tobyn@wildernesscommittee.org