SUBMISSION: B.C. Output Based Greenhouse Gas Pricing System

Joint letter to Ministers Heyman and Conroy from B.C. industry and business associations regarding the Budget 2023 announcement of a new greenhouse gas pricing framework for B.C. modelled on the federal output-based pricing system (OBPS).The announcement follows significant work and advocacy by B.C.’s energy-intensive trade-exposed (EITE) industrial sectors. However, transparency on the details of the new carbon tax, including performance benchmarks and whether they are facility specific or sectoral, and how BC OBPS pricing structure compares to domestic and international jurisdictions are paramount concerns for B.C.’s EITE natural resource industries. Adopting a new provincial OBPS must leave these critical sectors and their workers/employees materially better off than the existing carbon pricing regime.