Environmental protection and follow-through on past promises missing from ministerial direction

VANCOUVER/UNCEDED xʷməθkʷəy̓əm (MUSQUEAM), Sḵwx̱wú7mesh (SQUAMISH) AND səlilwətaɬ (TSLEIL-WAUTUTH) TERRITORIES — The Wilderness Committee is appalled by the deeply concerning mandate letters the B.C. ministers released late last week. The letters outline a range of ministerial priorities for supporting extractive industries and fast-tracking environmental reviews, and they lack any real commitment to address some of the most urgent environmental challenges facing the province, including safeguarding species at risk, protecting old-growth forests and taking meaningful action on climate change.

Species at risk: No clear path forward

Overall, the mandate letters represent a big step backwards when it comes to action to protect species at risk. B.C. is home to a diverse array of at-risk species, yet the letters offer absolutely no mention of species at risk or the Biodiversity and Ecosystem Health Framework, a major NDP policy they promised to release this year. 

"These aren't just gaps in the mandate letters — this is a deliberate and near-total exclusion of any commitments to biodiversity and species-at-risk protection,” said Conservation and Policy Campaigner Lucero Gonzalez. "Despite what Premier David Eby seems to believe, B.C. is not immune to the biodiversity crisis, and prioritizing logging, mining and oil and gas corporations over ecosystems in the midst of an extinction crisis isn’t just negligence — it’s an environmental and moral failure."

Old-growth forests: Missed opportunity for protection

The mandate letters are disturbingly silent on the need to protect irreplaceable old-growth forests. Despite widespread calls from Indigenous communities, scientists and the general public to halt logging in these ecologically vital areas, and previous commitments from the government to protect old-growth, the letters do not include any specific actions or timelines for old-growth protection. 

"Old-growth forests in B.C. are globally irreplaceable, and yet the BC NDP government doesn’t seem to have the interest or courage to ensure their survival," said Forest Campaigner Tobyn Neame. "By failing to prioritize the protection of these forests and instead focusing on bolstering the logging industry, the government is destroying any chance it had of supporting a balance between logging and ecosystems in this province." 

Climate change: Urgent need for action

What’s most troubling is the sparse mention of climate change. Fracking and liquified natural gas (LNG) — B.C.'s biggest climate challenges — are glaringly absent from the letters, even as critical decisions on the Prince Rupert Gas Transmission, Ksi Lisims and other LNG facilities loom. Despite the ongoing climate emergency and its direct impact on communities across the province — from catastrophic wildfires to devastating floods — the mandate letters contain minimal reference to climate action. 

"The push to fast-track permits and remove environmental assessments raises concerns about whether these serve industry or the public. Electrification projects should be prioritizing homes and communities, not powering LNG facilities at the expense of ratepayers,” said Climate Campaigner Isabel Siu-Zmuidzinas. “The BC NDP needs to make it clear they will prioritize the public over the fossil fuel industry — no matter how many times fracking companies come lobbying."

It’s not what you read, it’s what you don’t read

These mandate letters clearly bolster short-term extractive industries and are glaringly neglectful on combatting biodiversity loss. For example, in the Minister of Water, Lands and Resource Stewardship’s mandate letter, B.C.’s commitment to the national and global goal to protect 30 per cent of lands and waters by 2030 is mentioned as part of the province's push to develop critical minerals. The Wilderness Committee is alarmed as this signals new environmental protections will only go ahead in areas where it doesn’t affect resource extraction, not in the areas of greatest ecological value, as promised.

“Weakening and even removing environmental assessments while simultaneously pushing for increased critical mineral mining in this mandate shows absolute neglect for anything beyond environmental exploitation. The people of B.C. expect and deserve a government that will protect their future," concluded Protected Areas Campaigner Joe Foy. "The time for talk has long passed. We need clear, actionable steps to address these critical biodiversity issues now."

-30-

For media inquiries, please contact:

Tobyn Neame | Forest Campaigner
403-461-5151, tobyn@wildernesscommittee.org

Isabel Siu-Zmuidzinas | Climate Campaigner
781-572-2795, isabel@wildernesscommittee.org

Lucero Gonzalez | Conservation and Policy Campaigner
604-700-3280, lucero@wildernesscommittee.org

Joe Foy | Protected Areas Campaigner
604-880-2580, joe@wildernesscommittee.org