British Columbia Minute: Voting Opens, EV Mandates, and a Vacancy Tax Challenge

British Columbia Minute - Your weekly one-minute summary of British Columbia politics.

This Week In British Columbia:

• Advance polling stations are closed today, on account of the Thanksgiving holiday, but will reopen tomorrow and Wednesday from 8:00 am to 8:00 pm. If you don’t vote during these two advance voting days, your next opportunity will be election day, October 19th. Elections BC has a full list of where you can vote, and what you need to bring with you in order to do so.
  
  
• A proposed class-action lawsuit claims that both the Canadian and BC governments have discriminated against Indigenous children by placing them in state care instead of funding necessary family support services. The lawsuit seeks compensation for First Nations, Inuit, and Métis children who faced inadequate health and social services between 1992 and the present. Lawyers argue that governments failed to address the overrepresentation of Indigenous children in care and prioritize their removal over community-based solutions.
  
  
• Western Forest Products Inc. is temporarily cutting its lumber production by approximately 30 million board feet from October to December 2024 due to market challenges. This reduction follows earlier curtailments in the year, resulting in a total annual decrease of about 90 million board feet, or 10% of the company’s capacity. The company attributes these cuts to weaker lumber demand, increased US softwood lumber duties, and limited log supply at certain sawmills in BC. Western Forest Products has urged the government to implement supportive policies for the forestry industry as US lumber duties are expected to rise in 2025.

Last Week In British Columbia:

• A recent poll showed that half of British Columbians oppose the Province’s plan to phase out gas-powered vehicle sales by 2035. The legislation requires 90% of new cars sold by 2030 to be zero-emission vehicles, with 100% by 2035, but many residents are concerned about higher costs, limited range, and insufficient charging infrastructure. While 31% support the mandate, two in five respondents said they would not consider an electric vehicle for their next purchase. The BC Conservative Party has committed to ending the mandate, if elected.
  
  
• The flurry of election promises continued. The Conservative Party of BC announced plans to implement a "fully open and competitive procurement process" for sourcing vessels in an overhaul of BC Ferries. The Conservatives are also proposing to establish measures to hold ferry management accountable, establish a flat fee for frequent travellers, and address bottlenecks on key ferry routes. Meanwhile, the BC NDP announced $500 million over two years to create more child-care facilities and provide educational assistants for Kindergarten through Grade 3 classes.
  
  
• A Vancouver developer has challenged a $1.3 million vacancy tax imposed by the City for not renting out two dilapidated houses slated for redevelopment near Oakridge Mall. The City argues that the properties, which are contaminated with asbestos and mold, should have been repaired and rented out, but the developer claims they were uninhabitable. After initially failing to claim a redevelopment exemption, the developer paid the tax but later filed a complaint, asserting that the properties should be exempt as they were undergoing development permitting. A review panel upheld the tax, citing that the properties could have been maintained for occupancy. The developer is now seeking a judicial review.