While the B.C. government reaffirmed its commitment to tackling climate change, the David Suzuki Foundation is calling the 2009 B.C. budget a "missed opportunity to strongly position the province in the emerging green economy."
"The 2009 B.C. budget sustains the core of province's climate change action plan by maintaining the carbon tax," said Ian Bruce, the Foundation's Climate Change Specialist. "But it falls short by failing to provide adequate funds for public transit, and sends the wrong signal by continuing to heavily subsidize the fossil fuel industry and proposing increased spending on highway expansion".
The absence of funds for closed containment aquaculture in the budget is another missed opportunity to promote green jobs and a green economy. "These funds would have gone a long way towards encouraging sustainable aquaculture in B.C., and protecting wild salmon from the negative environmental impacts of open-net-pen salmon farms," said Corey Peet, aquaculture scientist with the David Suzuki Foundation.
Over $14 billion in infrastructure spending was announced in the budget. "The government should demonstrate how these investments support its legislated climate change targets," added Bruce.
For further information:
Kristen Ostling, Communications Specialist, David Suzuki Foundation,
kostling@davidsuzuki.org
778-987-9907
