February 19, 2019

BACKGROUNDER
CLEANBC

To put British Columbia on a path to a cleaner, better future, Budget 2019 invests $902 million
over three years for CleanBC programming — making B.C. the leader in Canada in tackling
climate change and protecting our clean air, land and water.
The CleanBC programs in Budget 2019 will help B.C. achieve its target to lower our carbon
pollution by 18.9 megatonnes by 2030 with $354 million in operating funding, $299 million for
programs in development, and $26 million in capital investments to help people and businesses
reduce pollution.
Additionally, Budget 2019 invests a further $223 million over three years to increase the climate
action tax credit in 2019, 2020 and 2021. Effective July 1, 2019, the maximum annual climate
action tax credit is increased by 14% for adults and children, meaning low and middle-income
families of four will receive up to $400 this year. As a result of the annual increases, the climate
action tax credit amounts on July 1, 2021 will be almost 70% higher than on July 1, 2017.
The B.C. government undertook consultations with the Green Party Caucus on Budget 2019,
as committed to in the Confidence and Supply Agreement. The government is particularly
appreciative of the Green Party Caucus’ partnership in the development of CleanBC and the
program reflects many months of collaborative work.

CleanBC Programs
The CleanBC plan is a pathway to achieve the Province’s legislated climate targets of reducing
greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions by 40% by the year 2030, based on 2007 levels.
Budget 2019 funds dozens of initiatives as part of government’s CleanBC plan to tackle climate
pollution, including:
• $107 million to help British Columbians switch to cleaner transportation through point-of‑sale
incentives; funding for new charging stations; training and research; active transportation
initiatives and a new Zero-Emission Vehicle (ZEV) standard.
 • $58 million in addition to capital funding to make buildings more energy efficient,
including incentives for homes and businesses to install high-efficiency heating equipment
and building envelope improvements.
• $18 million to work with Indigenous and remote communities to move to cleaner energy
sources.
• $168 million over three years to assist large industry in reducing greenhouse gas emissions
through an industrial incentive and clean industry fund to make their operations cleaner.
• $3 million over three years to support the implementation and monitoring of CleanBC
by the Ministry of Environment and Climate Change Strategy.

A detailed list of Budget 2019 funding for programs to meet GHG targets follows.

Quick Facts:
• The investments in CleanBC will provide significant incentives and savings to
British Columbians, such as:
––Saving British Columbians up to $6,000 on the purchase of a zero-emission vehicle,
and approximately $1,500 per year in fuel costs by switching to electricity.
––Providing up to $14,000 for homeowners to switch to high-efficiency heating equipment
and to make building envelope improvements. People can receive $2,000 to replace a fossil
fuel (oil, propane or natural gas) heating system with an electric air-source heat pump;
up to $1,000 to upgrade their windows and doors to be better insulated; and up to $700
toward a high efficiency natural gas furnace.
––Providing a family of four up to $400 this coming year through the enhanced climate
action tax credit.

Learn More:
For more information on CleanBC, visit: cleanbc.gov.bc.ca
For CleanBC highlights, visit:
https://cleanbc.gov.bc.ca/app/uploads/sites/436/2018/12/CleanBC_Highlights_Report.pdf

Contact:
Media Relations
Ministry of Finance
250 387-1248
CleanBC Backgrounder Table: Budget 2019
BUDGET 2019 GHG Mt
INITIATIVE DESCRIPTION NOTES
($ MILLIONS) in 2030
CLEANER TR ANSPORTATION
Bring down the price Just over 20 years from now, every new car will be a zero-
of clean vehicles emission vehicle
• $3 M - Implementation of new ZEV Standard 3 1.3
• Mandate 100% of new cars to be zero-emission vehicles (ZEVs) by 2040;
30% ZEV by 2030 and 10% ZEV by 2025.
Help people to afford cleaner cars and save money on gas bills
• $42 M - Point of sale incentives
with zero-emission vehicle (ZEV) incentives
• $6 M - Support for light-duty fleets 49
• Continue to provide rebates for light-duty vehicles
• $1 M - Implementation and public outreach 0.3

• Expand incentives for clean buses and heavy-duty vehicles • $10 M - Incentives for medium and heavy-duty
10
vehicles
Make it easier to charge an electric car or fuel a hydrogen car • $20 M - Support for new public fast-charging and
• Expand the charging network with home, work and public fast-charging hydrogen fueling stations
stations and additional hydrogen fueling stations • $5 M - Supporting home and workplace charging
30
• Enable private investment in charging and hydrogen fueling infrastructure stations
to get more stations faster • $5 M - Charging stations at highway rest areas
and B.C. Government buildings
Speed up the switch Phase in more renewable fuels for the gas we use
to cleaner fuels • Make our fuel cleaner by increasing the low carbon fuel standard to 20%
by 2030 • Legislation in 2019 – 4.0
• Increase the supply of cleaner fuels by ramping up new production in B.C.
of 650 million litres of renewable gasoline and diesel by 2030
• Make vehicles run cleaner by increasing tailpipe emissions standards for
• Regulations in 2020 – 0.4
vehicles sold after 2025
Get to work • Help people get around with a long-term strategy to increase active
on getting rid transportation and look at better commuting solutions. • $6 M - Initiatives to support active transportation 6
of gridlock

IMPROVE WHERE WE LIVE AND WORK

Better Buildings Make every building more efficient
• Improve the BC Building Code in phases leading up to “net-zero energy
ready” by 2032
• $3 M - Development of net-zero energy code and
• Adopt the model National Energy Code for existing buildings by 2024 3
new energy standards
• Increase efficiency standards for heating equipment and windows
• Encourage the development of innovative and cost-effective low-carbon
building solutions
Support for Better Focused investments in public housing and to use less energy 0.5
Buildings at home • $14 M - Operating funding to support energy
efficiency and emission reducing projects
• $1.1 B for Capital Renewal fund for public housing to improve living 40
conditions, energy efficiency, and reduce emissions • $26 M - Capital funding to support energy
efficiency and emission reducing projects
• Retrofits for public buildings so they use less energy
• Incentives to make heat pumps affordable and make homes more
• $41 M - Expanding energy efficiency incentives 41
comfortable through building envelope upgrades
• Improve building energy information available to buyers and renters • Regulations in 2020 –
• Make residential natural gas consumption cleaner by putting in place a
• Regulations in 2020 – 1.5
minimum requirement of 15% to come from renewable gas
Support for • Help remote communities reduce their dependence on diesel • $15 M - Support for the new Remote Community
Communities • Support public infrastructure efficiency upgrades and fuel switching to Clean Energy Strategy
18
biofuels with the CleanBC Communities Fund • $3 M - Support for the BC Indigenous Clean
Energy Initiative
 2 our nature. our power. our future.

BUDGET 2019 GHG Mt

INITIATIVE DESCRIPTION NOTES
($ MILLIONS) in 2030
CLEANER INDUSTRY
Ramp up the clean • Direct a portion of B.C.’s carbon tax paid by industry into incentives for • $168 M - Support for regulated large industrial
growth program cleaner operations operations to reduce emissions with targeted 168 2.5
for industry incentives
Improve air • Clean up air pollution in the lower mainland with a pilot project to test
quality by cutting options to switch 1,700 freight trucks to natural gas and low or zero-carbon • In partnership with operators and ports –
air pollution fuel by 2030
• Make heavy-duty vehicles more efficient with fuel efficiency
• $3M - New heavy-duty vehicle efficiency program 3
improvements, education on best driving practices
Reduce emissions • Reduce methane emissions from upstream oil and gas operations by 45% • Regulations in 2019
from methane Also includes up to $60 M from the Clean Growth – 0.9
Infrastructure Royalty Program
Industrial • Provide clean electricity to planned natural gas production in the Peace
2.2
electrification region
• In partnership with BC Hydro –
• Increase access to clean electricity for large operations with new
1.3
transmission lines and interconnectivity to existing lines
Carbon capture • Ensure a regulatory framework for safe and effective underground CO₂
• Regulations in 2021 – 0.6
and storage storage and direct air capture
Cleaner fuels • Make industrial natural gas consumption cleaner by putting in place a
• Regulations in 2021 – 0.9
for industry minimum requirement of 15% to come from renewable gas

REDUCE WASTE
Reduce waste • Help communities to achieve 95% organic waste diversion for agricultural,
and turn it into a industrial, and municipal waste – including systems in place to capture
clean resource 75% of landfill gas • $1 M - Initial investment to develop a waste
1 0.7
• Waste less and make better use of it across all sectors of our economy, like reduction program
forestry, agriculture, and residential areas, including renewing the B.C.
Bioenergy Strategy and building out the bioenergy and biofuels cluster

HELPING PEOPLE GET THE SKILLS THEY NEED

Make sure British • Develop programs like Energy Step Code training and certification, and • $6 M - Expand job training, research and
Columbians can lead Certified Retrofit Professional accreditation commercialization for electric and other zero-
the clean transition • Expand job training for electric and other zero-emission vehicles emission vehicles 6
Further initiatives to be developed through the CleanBC
Labour Readiness Plan

MEASURING OUR PROGRESS

Establish credible
targets and a
• $3 M - Coordinate CleanBC implementation and
strategy to meet • Roll-out associated programs and enabling legislation for CleanBC 3
reporting
them, and stay
accountable

Carbon pricing • Rebates for low and middle income British Columbians • $223 M - Enhancing the climate action tax credit 223 1.8

CONTINGENCIES
• In addition to funding for specific initiatives detailed in this table,
• $299 M - Allocated for specific initiatives still in
government has allocated Contingencies funding over the fiscal plan to 299
development
provide for future programming and new initiatives as they are developed

CleanBC Operational Funding and Contingency Funding 679

Total CleanBC 902 18.9