The Government of Canada, the Government of British Columbia (B.C.), and the First Nations Leadership Council are working together to build a net-zero economy and create good, middle-class jobs across British Columbia.
The Canada-British Columbia Regional Energy and Resource Tables (B.C. Regional Table) is the primary forum for this collaboration. The Regional Energy and Resource Tables are partnerships between the federal government and individual provinces and territories, in collaboration with Indigenous leaders, to align efforts and seize key economic opportunities enabled by the global shift to net zero. These Tables seek robust input from partners including industry and labour.
Today, the Honourable Jonathan Wilkinson, Canada's Minister of Natural Resources; the Honourable Josie Osborne, B.C. Minister of Energy, Mines and Low Carbon Innovation; Robert Phillips, Political Executive, First Nations Summit; and Chief Don Tom, Union of British Columbia Indian Chiefs, announced a groundbreaking Collaboration Framework outlining key areas of collaboration and a range of action items to be pursued. Minister Wilkinson also announced over $100 million in federal and provincial investments to advance British Columbia's low-carbon economy.
The British Columbia Regional Energy and Resource Table: Framework for Collaboration on the Path to Net Zero (Collaboration Framework) identifies six strategic areas of opportunity that have the potential to contribute significantly to building a prosperous economy in an increasingly low-carbon world: clean fuels/hydrogen, electrification, critical minerals, forest sector, carbon management technology and systems, and regulatory efficiency.
The Collaboration Framework is the first of its kind to emerge from the nine Regional Tables launched to date. It lays out a long-term vision for building an inclusive and prosperous net-zero future in British Columbia.
Central to the B.C. Regional Table is an acknowledgment that the integration of First Nation perspectives is critical to realizing a low-carbon economy that is grounded in respect, recognition and reconciliation, and that First Nations are full participants and beneficiaries. This approach will also align with Canada and British Columbia's adoption of the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples Act.
Canada and B.C. have agreed to:
work with First Nations, and with the participation of industry, on an approach to accelerate the regulatory and permitting processes for clean growth projects in a manner consistent with the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples Act;
advance intra-provincial clean electricity infrastructure with a particular focus on the North Coast; and
advance the Equal by 30 campaign, which B.C. has committed to join.
As part of the Government of Canada and the Government of British Columbia's commitment to build a competitive and clean economy, the Collaboration Framework is complemented by initial federal and provincial investments of over $100 million that include:
Up to $48.7 million to support production projects and feasibility studies related to hydrogen and other clean fuels from Natural Resources Canada's (NRCan) Clean Fuels Fund. This includes $14.4 million for Andion and Semiahmoo First Nation's Renewable Natural Gas Facility and $10.5 million for EverGen Infrastructure Corp.'s Pacific Coast Renewables RNG Expansion Project.
A $15 million contribution from the Strategic Innovation Fund for AVL Fuel Cell Canada Inc. to support a portfolio of innovative hydrogen fuel cell technologies and world-class engineering solutions for customers in the global transportation sector.
Up to $10.8 million from NRCan's Clean Energy for Rural and Remote Communities program to support capacity building, demonstration projects and feasibility studies in rural, remote and Indigenous communities to reduce their reliance on diesel through renewable energy projects, enhanced energy efficiency, and local skills and capacity building.
More than $12.3 million for projects, research and development, and promotional activities to strengthen the provincial forest sector's competitiveness and sustainability while encouraging greater use of wood in non-traditional construction.
Over $6.7 million for projects from the Smart Renewables and Electrification Pathways program to support clean energy projects and critical regional priorities, including capacity building, and feasibility studies to support Indigenous communities.
On May 2, 2023, the First Nations Energy and Mining Council and First Nations Forestry Council hosted a First Nations workshop that provided early perspectives on the opportunity areas and action items. As work progresses, partners will continue to seek the expertise and insights of First Nations. Broad engagement with industry, labour groups and key stakeholders will also continue to be an integral part of the process.
Through these collaborative efforts, we can position British Columbia to be a global energy and technology supplier of choice in a net-zero world, creating good jobs and lasting prosperity here at home.
