Open Letter Calling for a Bold Green Jobs Plan for BC

Open Letter Calling for a Bold Green Jobs Plan for BC

Dear Christy Clark/ John Cummins/Adrian Dix/Jane Sterk:

From the mountain pine beetle epidemic to a rise in extreme weather events, evidence of the rapidly increasing impacts of climate change and environmental degradation on our communities and economy have been a wake-up call to British Columbians. Reputable economists agree that the negative economic impacts of climate change and the cost of acting belatedly will be far greater than making change now.

British Columbians, and all Canadians, need a modern economy with plentiful, good, green jobs — a modern economy that will support and sustain our communities and the environment. To facilitate the creation of this economy BC needs a Green Jobs Plan.

Economic development policy must green existing industries, workplaces, infrastructure and public services as well as attract new and explicitly green industry. Today's British Columbians are looking for an approach that integrates environmental care with our economic development needs — rather than positioning the environment and the economy as opposing choices.

A Green Jobs Plan for BC must be:

Sustainable: Focusing on economic development that respects ecosystem health and the ecological values on which we depend;

Low-Carbon: Positioning BC near the front of the curve with respect to emerging economic opportunities in the low carbon economy;

Adaptive: Considering how best to help communities adapt to the impacts of climate change; and

Worker-focused: Incorporating training and skills building that assist with both employment transitions and economic development opportunities for youth and the existing workforce.

The tools required include:

• Supportive policy (training funds, educational support, research and development)
• Investment (use of royalties as legacy funds to kick-start renewable energy development and strategies to green existing industries)
• Taxation instruments (that encourage and incentivize sustainable, low carbon or carbon reduction initiatives), and
• Political will (setting comprehensive policy to achieve strong but measurable targets, with clear time-lines for the short, medium and longer term)

BC needs bold and purposeful policy and action to meet our climate goals. It requires political leadership, social license and economic investment to build an economy with plentiful, good, green jobs that support and sustain human communities and the ecosystems on which we depend and within which we live.

We, the undersigned, look forward to working with government to develop a Green Jobs Plan for BC.