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British Columbia Regional Energy and Resource Table – One-Year Progress Report summary

Outcomes

Since the release of the Framework for Collaboration on the Path to Net-Zero in June 2023, Canada, British Columbia, and First Nations partners, have:

1. Identified and advanced top priorities for near-term implementation:

  • Canada-British Columbia:
    1. Closer collaboration on key projects and priorities
    2. Electrification of the BC North Coast
    3. Regulatory efficiency pilots
  • First Nation partners:
    1. Expanding access to opportunities to increase First Nations’ participation in the forestry sector
    2. Increasing support for Indigenous knowledge sharing and sectoral literacy programs
    3. Promoting ongoing opportunities to engage First Nation representatives

2. Progressed joint actions

  • Close to half of 43 collaborative actions across 6 opportunity areas have progressed significantly in this first year

3. Established First Nations partnership and dialogues:

  • Working-level information sharing and technical exchanges with the First Nations Energy and Mining Council (FNEMC) and First Nations Forestry Council (FNFC) to advance priorities
  • 2 province-wide dialogues (May 2, 2023, and May 27, 2024) held with First Nation representatives in British Columbia

Notable progress against British Columbia’s Collaboration Framework commitments / actions

Progress icon: 42%

Notable progress on 18 of 43 actions outlined in the
2023 Collaboration Framework

Progress icon: 4/8

Critical minerals
4 / 8

Progress icon: 3/10

Clean fuels / Hydrogen
3 / 10

Progress icon: 4/7

Forest sector
4 / 7

Progress icon: 2/11

Electrification
2 / 11

Progress icon: 2/4

Carbon management technology and systems
2 / 4

Progress icon: 2/2

Regulatory efficiency
2 / 2

Progress icon: 1/1

Sustainable jobs
1 / 1

Key highlights

Critical minerals

Conditionally approving up to $75 million to support the Northwest BC Highway Corridor Improvements Project under the Critical Minerals Infrastructure Fund to help make infrastructure improvements to enable the sustainable development of BC’s critical minerals sector in the Golden Triangle region

Near-term priority: Closer collaboration on key projects

Electrification

In partnership with BC Hydro and the Canada Infrastructure Bank, identifying options to enable First Nations equity participation in the North Coast Transmission Line Project

Near-term priority: Electrification of the BC North Coast

Regulatory efficiency

Working with partners and key stakeholders to advance a call for expressions of interest from proponents, with First Nations partners, for projects in priority sectors (e.g., critical minerals, hydrogen, electrification) to pilot regulatory and permitting efficiencies

Near-term priority: Regulatory efficiency pilots

Through joint partnership with the FNEMC, 2 lines of work are being considered:

  1. preparing remote First Nations for green hydrogen production through education on hydrogen technologies
  2. developing specialized knowledge to empower British Columbia First Nations in carbon management

Near-term priority: Advancing First Nations’ priorities

Timeline

  • June 2022: BC Regional Table established

  • Winter 2022: Outreach and engagement (Preliminary = 7)

    Preliminary Engagement - December 2022 = 7 engagements with experts

    To inform the development of the Collaboration Framework.

  • May 2023: BC-wide First Nations dialogue session

  • June 2023: BC Regional Table Collaboration Framework published

  • Fall 2023: Outreach and engagement (Phase 1 = 6)

    Phase 1 - Oct to Dec 2023 = 6 broad engagement sessions

    To help implement the commitments outlined in the Collaboration Framework and to discuss long-term conditions for success.

  • April 2024: Outreach and engagement (Phase 2 = 2)

    Phase 2 - April 2024 = 2 cross-sectoral deep dives

    To support collaborative action on regulatory efficiency and to inform forward-looking labour market analysis.

  • May 2024: First Nations dialogue session

  • July 2024: One-Year Progress Report published

Engagement

40+
organizations

8
stakeholder engagement
sessions

Labour market analysis

  • Interactive session in April 2024 with labour, industry, and academia examined projected construction phase labour demand in three sectors: critical minerals, electrification, and hydrogen.
  • Labour market analysis estimated construction phase demand across three sectors is 100,000+ in direct employment / person years of employment (PYE) from 2025 to 2035.
  • Efforts will inform workforce development strategies and Canada’s Sustainable Jobs Initiative.

For more information, consult BC's One-Year Progress Report.

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