VICTORIA — Evan Pivnick, associate director of public affairs at Clean Energy Canada, made the following statement in response to the 2026 B.C. budget:
“The B.C. government is facing a choice that all of Canada faces: in the midst of global insecurity and a changing trade environment, will B.C. position itself to seize growing opportunities in the clean economy or tie itself to the status quo? On this question, Budget 2026 sends mixed signals.
“On the one hand, there are major steps forward. B.C. rightfully centres the role that clean electricity can play, both in directly creating prosperity, with over $6 billion in already announced projects, and by underpinning the growth of other sectors. It also confirms an additional call for power planned for 2028.
“The province is additionally giving itself new tools to support the build-out of emerging sectors and better leverage federal investments with a $400 million Strategic Investment Fund. It’s essential this fund be used to help attract and support investments in growing clean economy sectors, instead of underwriting established, polluting industries.
“But B.C. continues to place too much emphasis on LNG, despite the uncertainty this industry represents. LNG is heavily featured as the type of major project the B.C. government is hoping to support, while there is little reference to the economic opportunities that transformative sectors such as critical minerals and electrification present and how these might be further unlocked.
B.C. maintains important programs for households, while additional no-cost options should be implemented
“At a time when affordability concerns still top the list for most British Columbians, the B.C. government has a major opportunity to leverage the cost-saving potential that household clean energy technologies offer. Recent modelling from Clean Energy Canada showed that households across B.C. with heat pumps have lower energy bills than those heating with natural gas or electric baseboards, while we already know EVs save drivers thousands of dollars on gas.
“Budget 2026 takes some positive steps in this regard, protecting—commendably at a time of fiscal restraint—key funding for low- and moderate-income households accessing heat pumps alongside investments in public EV charging. But there is more B.C. can do, at no cost to the government, to accelerate clean energy adoption and ultimately unlock more savings for British Columbians.
“This includes developing and implementing a modified Highest Efficiency Equipment Standard and regulations that make fixed-ACs a heat pump by default; advancing a province-wide EV readiness requirement for all new homes (rather than delegating expensive retrofits to future homeowners); preserving an effective EV mandate that ensures British Columbians have the best access to affordable EVs in the country; and implementing a clear, staged and pragmatic timeline for the Energy Step Code and Zero Carbon Step Code for new builds.
“All of these ready-made measures were identified in the recent CleanBC review and would require no government spending. Together, they would help streamline standards, lower household energy bills, and reduce climate emissions.
“B.C. can’t afford to deprioritize climate action. It is a key tool the government has to remain competitive in a changing world, drive energy security, and help reduce energy bills for households. While Budget 2026 doesn’t abandon climate action, it also does not adequately centre B.C.’s many, many opportunities in the clean economy.”
