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Mining takes centre stage as leaders dig deep in B.C. election campaign

Improved permitting pledged as Eby stops in Terrace, Rustad in Kimberley
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A person leaves a civic election polling station in Vancouver, on Saturday, October 15, 2022. British Columbia’s New Democrats and Conservatives issued their plans for the mining industry while campaigning in the province’s resource-rich communities. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Darryl Dyck

British Columbia’s New Democrats and Conservatives issued their plans for the mining industry while campaigning in the province’s resource-rich communities.

Both NDP Leader David Eby and Conservative Leader John Rustad say they will support the industry by improving permitting, with the NDP committing to permit review timelines and the Conservatives proposing “One Project, One Permit.”

In Terrace, Eby said an NDP government would upgrading key highway infrastructure in the northwest, while Rustad in Kimberley, in the southeast, said his government would invest in gaps in rural infrastructure.

Sonia Furstenau of the BC Greens will be the last party leader to announce plans for the carbon tax at an event in Victoria today.

Eby has said he would end the carbon tax on consumers if the federal mandate requiring such a tax is removed and Rustad has pledged “the complete removal of the carbon tax” in the province.

Furstenau, meanwhile, has said a price on carbon pollution is one piece of addressing the enormous costs that come with climate change.