The B.C. government’s $200-million contribution to the electrification of Cedar LNG is facing sharp criticism from environmental advocates, who say the public funding contradicts the province’s climate goals and extends reliance on fossil fuels.
“The BC NDP’s decision to financially support another liquefied natural gas (LNG) project is irresponsible,” Jeremy Valeriote, interim leader of the B.C. Green Party and MLA for West Vancouver–Sea to Sky said. “It prolongs our dependence on fossil fuels and contradicts the Province’s legislated emissions-reduction targets—which we have already failed to meet.”
Announced July 29, the provincial funding will support the infrastructure needed to connect the Haisla Nation–led Cedar LNG project to the provincial electricity grid. The floating LNG facility, located near Kitimat, is majority-owned by the Haisla Nation in partnership with Pembina Pipeline Corporation. The federal government has also committed $200 million to the project.
Critics, however, argue the public should not be subsidizing fossil-fuel infrastructure. “Why is the public on the hook, yet again, to subsidize the LNG industry?” asked Shannon McPhail, co-executive director of the Skeena Watershed Conservation Coalition. “If LNG were a viable economic option, it wouldn’t require billions of dollars in public money.”
McPhail noted that key infrastructure—such as the North Coast Transmission Line—is still years away, with no scheduled completion before 2030. “We’re racing to the bottom by tying ourselves to a volatile, polluting industry that is on life support even with public funding,” she said.
Valeriote also accused the province of greenwashing, saying officials repeatedly claim B.C. produces the “lowest-emission LNG in the world” without offering data. “Publicly subsidizing LNG expansion is not a ‘clean’ way forward and harms climate and communities upstream from fracking,” he said.
He went on to criticize what he described as a recent policy shift, saying LNG facilities are no longer required to be net-zero by 2030, but only to have a plan in place by then.
“Instead of funnelling public money into LNG,” Valeriote said, “the Province should invest in economic pathways that support long-term sustainability, public health, and community well-being.”