BC Liberals reintroduce legislation to provide relief from rising taxes

With new NDP tax increases coming into force on April 1, 2023, and as British Columbians continue to struggle in the face of a worsening affordability crisis, BC Liberal MLA Peter Milobar has reintroduced legislation that would give people much-needed relief from paying the highest fuel prices in North America.

“B.C.’s affordability crisis has only grown more severe in the past year — from housing, to food, to fuel, everyday costs are putting incredible strain on British Columbians,” said Milobar, BC Liberal Shadow Minister for Finance. “Rather than implementing measures to provide people with relief, David Eby and his NDP government are increasing taxes, with these new rates taking effect in just a few days. What people actually need are tangible solutions to address affordability and help them make ends meet right now. That’s why I am reintroducing this private members’ bill, which would allow the NDP government to temporarily suspend provincial gas taxes and immediately leave more money in British Columbians’ pockets at a time when they need it most.”

The Miscellaneous Statutes (Gas Price Relief) Amendment Act, 2023 would enable government to suspend provincial gas taxes as well as those applied to gas being brought to B.C. from Alberta, relieving pressure on both consumers and the supply chain. These measures would help to offset the impacts of the NDP’s impending increase of the carbon tax, set to go up by another 3.26 cents per litre on April 1, 2023.

“High fuel prices do not just impact commuters and vehicle owners, they also contribute to rising grocery and housing costs, affecting every part of our supply chain,” added Milobar. “People should not have to choose between buying groceries to feed their family or filling their vehicle with gas. Instead of putting more pressure on people during a crisis, David Eby should call this bill for debate and give people the help they desperately need and deserve.”

Province makes it easier for stratas to greenlight EV charging stations

Press release

VICTORIA - More people living in strata buildings will soon be able to charge their electric vehicles (EVs) at home as the Province has introduced legislation to make it easier for strata corporations and owners to install charging stations.

“Many B.C. strata residents are eager to make the switch to electric vehicles, but the lack of charging stations in their buildings is holding them back,” said Ravi Kahlon, Minister of Housing. “Our government is committed to help people reduce their carbon footprints by improving access to EV charging stations in residential buildings. That’s why we’ve introduced legislation to make it easier for strata corporations to greenlight charging stations.”

The proposed amendments to the Strata Property Act, introduced on Thursday, April 6, 2023, will improve access to EV charging stations in residential strata buildings by: threshold from 75% to 50% approval for expenditures and changes to common and personal property that are needed to install EV charging stations; corporations to obtain an electrical planning report to help understand the building’s electrical capacity and plan for the expansion of EV charging stations; and to approve owners’ requests to install EV charging stations at the owners’ expense, when reasonable criteria are met.

“B.C. has one of the largest public electric vehicle charging networks in Canada, but we need to make it easier for more people to charge their EVs at home,” said Josie Osborne, Minister of Energy, Mines and Low Carbon Innovation. “When people have access to EV charging stations at home, they’re much more likely to purchase electric vehicles. This new legislation builds on our ongoing work to get more EVs on the road, reduce our reliance on fossil fuels and meet our climate goals.”

The Province has introduced several initiatives to encourage people to purchase electric vehicles, including the CleanBC Go Electric Passenger Vehicle Rebate program and a provincial sales tax exemption on used EVs. As a result of these initiatives, the number of EVs on B.C.’s roads has increased from 5,000 in 2016 to more than 109,000 as of December 2022.

Contact:

Ministry of Housing Media Relations

236 478-0251