BC Conservatives 'laser-focused' on mining as potential multi-billion revenue source

Rustad and Eby trade shots David Eby and John Rustad were campaigning outside the Lower Mainland Tuesday, sparring over resource issues and health care.

At a campaign stop in the Interior, the leader of the BC Conservatives heavily promoted the mining industry, pledging reforms he believes would unlock billions of dollars in annual government revenue.

John Rustad told reporters that he plans to fast-track approvals for 16 mines in the application process, unlocking up to $11 billion that would flow into government coffers, with a purported $22 billion in wages and benefits annually. He did not cite a source for those figures.

The current provincial deficit is estimated at $9 billion.

“We need the revenue, we need to be able to make sure we can pay for additional tax relief, we need to ensure we can pay for things like health-care improvements and how we’ll tackle crime and addictions and build that out,” Rustad said. “That means we have to be laser-focused on getting mining open in our province.”

He promised to slash approval times from the current 12- to 15-year process and make it easier to do business in the province overall, while reiterating his “Rustad rebate” tax relief.

“These are the things we need to be focused on,” said Rustad. "David Eby has failed dramatically, his weak leadership has led to nothing but delays and problems and people wanting to leave this province."

BC NDP make their own mining announcement

While campaigning in Terrace, BC NDP Leader David Eby outlined a three-point plan to expand on what he called his government’s progress in supporting the mining industry.

He committed to guaranteed permit review timelines to help the industry better plan projects, directing the civil service to treat each mine as requiring a single approval process rather than multiple, and to work with related unions to ensure safety training is up to industry standard.

“I’m really proud of the work we’ve done on the mining file,” Eby told supporters at his second stop of the day.

He cited statistics to support that statement, including a workforce that’s grown by 10 per cent, double the mineral production, and an increase in produced values of 70 per cent, since the NDP formed government in 2017.