The 2011 “placeholder” BC Budget maintained the status quo and contained little good news for the environment. Expectations were low - the budget, due to the leadership race in the provincial Liberal Party, does not set a new direction for the upcoming fiscal year.

“This is status quo budget, and unfortunately the status quo is bad news for BC’s environment,” said Gwen Barlee, Policy Director for the Wilderness Committee. “People who care about our environment are looking for vision and leadership to protect our natural heritage - and that was missing in action today,” said Barlee. “This year is the 100th anniversary of our park system and we actually see a decrease in the BC Park budget - on top of years of staff and funding cuts.”

The 2011 budget continues to include ongoing subsidies and tax breaks to the fossil fuel sector. The future of the carbon tax and other deterrents to fossil fuel dependence is still unknown. Also investments in highway expansion continue to far exceed investments in public transit. Automobile exhaust continues to be the number one source of climate changing pollution in the province and emissions from industrial sources continues to grow.

“BC’s government seems to have lost its appetite to combat global warming,” said Ben West, Healthy Communities Campaigner for the Wilderness Committee. “I see no evidence of a plan to meet our emission reduction targets.Where are increases in the price per ton of the Carbon Tax in this budget? All I see is more highways and more fossil fuel extraction,” said West.

Yesterday President Obama laid out a US budget that proposed cuts of over 60 billion dollars in fossil fuel subsidies over the next 10 years, while the US Environmental Protection Agency is regulating mandatory reductions of carbon dioxide pollution.

“We seem to be asleep at the wheel in BC,” said West. “Whoever becomes our next Premier has a legal responsibility to reduce climate changing pollution 33% in the next 9 years and the clock is ticking,” said West. “Nothing we have seen in this budget or coming from the leadership candidates gives us reason to believe we are going to stop the increase in emissions let alone get to our reduction targets,” said West.

When the new Premier of BC is elected they are expected to bring forward new economic priorities.

“Really what we are seeing today is what you could call a ‘lame duck’ budget,” said Barlee. “We don’t have a Premier right now and we don’t have a real budget either,” said Barlee. “What we really need now is for some one with some environmental vision to get in there and realize that investing in the environment is a smart investment in the future,” said Barlee.

Contact:

Gwen Barlee, Wilderness Committee, Policy Director, 604-202-0322 (c)

Ben West, Wilderness Committee, Healthy Communities Campaigner, 604-710-5340 (c)