Proposed Changes to Clean Energy Act
Bill No.7, the Miscellaneous Statutes Amendment Act, 2011 was introduced May 5th. If passed, this Bill will amend the Clean Energy Act with the intent of allowing B.C. families and businesses to finance energy efficiency improvements to their homes or businesses through a loan from their utility company, BC Hydro or FortisBC. Through Pay-as-you-Save (PAYS) financing, British Columbians can pay for energy efficiency improvements on their utility bill and have the option to transfer the loan to the next owner/renter when they move. In many cases, B.C. families and businesses will be able to cover the cost of energy efficiency retrofits through their energy savings.

Encana strikes new deal with B.C.'s Pacific Carbon Trust
Encana and the British Columbia government's Pacific Carbon Trust have a new deal that's expected to cut emissions from gas flaring in northeast B.C.

The Carbon Trust is purchasing 84,000 tonnes of carbon offsets from Encana on the basis of some innovative greenhouse gas reduction technology the gas producer is employing in the Jean Marie formation near Fort Nelson.

The agreement commits the trust to buy an additional 30,000 tonnes of carbon offsets through 2012. The trust does not disclose the per-tonne price it pays private sector companies to modernize or transform industrial processes in order to reduce carbon dioxide emissions.

Companies cutting emissions earn carbon "credits" for each tonne of emissions they curtail. Those credits represent a form of currency that is considered a cornerstone for global efforts to curtail greenhouse gas emissions.

In B.C., the Carbon Trust has a system to verify each tonne of offsets it buys, before selling them at $25 a tonne to government ministries and agencies that are mandated by the province to be carbon neutral. View the full article in the Vancouver Sun.

Proposed Changes to Clean Energy Act
Bill No.7, the Miscellaneous Statutes Amendment Act, 2011 was introduced May 5th. If passed, this Bill will amend the Clean Energy Act with the intent on allowing B.C. families and businesses to finance energy efficiency improvements to their homes or businesses through a loan from their utility company, BC Hydro or FortisBC. Through Pay-as-you-Save (PAYS) financing, British Columbians can pay for energy efficiency improvements on their utility bill and have the option to transfer the loan to the next owner/renter when they move. In many cases, B.C. families and businesses will be able to cover the cost of energy efficiency retrofits through their energy savings.

Wood-First Act Initiative Questioned After Fire Destroys Complex in Richmond
A recent fire in a wooden complex in Richmond raises concerns about changes to the B.C. Building Code that allow taller wood-frame buildings, a fire prevention engineer says. These buildings are at their most vulnerable to fire and pose the greatest threat to surrounding buildings when they're in the construction phase, said Sean Tracey, Canadian regional director of the National Fire Protection Association.

"This fire happened at the worst possible time," he said. Tracey isn't calling for a complete moratorium on taller wood-frame buildings, but said these buildings should never be built in communities that don't have adequate tools to fight this type of fire. Read the full story in the Vancouver Sun.

B.C. government axes unpopular parking fees for provincial parks
Clark says the action will not result in a cut to the provincial parks budget
Axing an unpopular tax proved to be a walk in the park Tuesday for Premier Christy Clark. Clark honoured a leadership campaign promise by cancelling parking fees in provincial parks, an initiative introduced by the Liberal government in 2003 when she was deputy premier. View the full story in the Vancouver Sun.