The British Columbia government released its 2021-2022 budget this afternoon, promising to invest $506 million to reduce emissions, and invest in clean energy and cleantech in the province.
With a strong focus on helping the province recover from the COVID-19 pandemic, the new budget adds $130 million to support incentives for zero emission vehicles, electric charging stations, and the electrification of school buses, ferries, and government fleets.
Of this, $94 million is being allocated to the GoElectric program. These funds will be used to provide rebates on the purchase of zero-emission vehicles and EV charging stations through CleanBC.
The government also announced a new PST exemption on the purchase of electric bikes that is estimated to save British Columbians $7 million annually.
“These investments will reduce emissions in transportation, support low-carbon innovation, restore and protect critical watersheds and habitat, and tackle climate change while preparing for its impacts,” the government said in a press release.
These new funds announced today brings the total amount of money invested in CleanBC and StrongerBC to nearly $2.2 billion since 2019.
The results of these investments have been clear. The province recently announced more than 54,000 vehicles registered in B.C. last year were zero-emission vehicles. This gives B.C. the title of having the highest rate of EV adoption in North America, indicating the province is well on their way to achieving their CleanBC mandate.
