Vancouver | Unceded territories of the xʷməθkʷəy̓əm (Musqueam), Sḵwx̱wú7mesh (Squamish) and səlilwətaɬ (Tsleil-waututh) Nations | July 29, 2025 — In response to the BC government’s $200-million funding announcement to support electrification infrastructure for the Cedar LNG project, Dr. Melissa Lem, family physician and president of the Canadian Association of Physicians for the Environment (CAPE), issued the following statement:

“Our province should not use clean energy to greenwash a fossil fuel project that will drive climate disasters and harm the health of our communities for generations to come. B.C.’s clean electricity should be used to power homes, hospitals and transit, not to export fracked gas to global markets. Electrification might make Cedar LNG appear cleaner on paper, but the climate costs are much higher when you add the emissions from fracking and burning of LNG abroad. British Columbians are already footing the bill for the fossil fuel industry through worsening wildfires, rising health costs, and polluted air and water. It’s time to invest in real climate solutions, not double down on fossil fuels.”

Additional background

• The B.C. government announced $200 million in public funding for electrification infrastructure for the Cedar LNG facility, located on Haisla territory near Kitimat. This comes on top of $200 million in federal support, announced in March 2025. 
• Cedar LNG is promoted as “one of the lowest-emitting LNG facilities in the world” because it will use hydroelectricity. However, this excludes upstream emissions from methane leakage during extraction and transport, and downstream emissions when the gas is shipped and burned. When these are considered, research suggests LNG has a greater climate impact than coal.
• Studies show that air and water pollution from fracking is linked to asthma, cardiovascular disease, adverse pregnancy outcomes, and some cancers. 
• Indigenous communities are disproportionately affected, with studies showing elevated levels of fracking-related chemicals in household air, water, and the bodies of pregnant women compared to unexposed populations.
• The EXPERIVA study in northeast B.C. found elevated levels of fracking-related chemicals in the bodies of pregnant people and in local air and water. 
• Recent polling shows only a small fraction of Canadians support public funding for LNG, while 93% of British Columbians list healthcare as a top priority.
• In 2023, B.C. spent over $1 billion fighting wildfires, as much as it now expects to earn in gas royalties by 2027.

CAPE continues to call for:

1. A moratorium on all new hydraulic fracturing and LNG development until a comprehensive, cumulative, and independent health impact assessment to evaluate the health effects of LNG and fracking activities in BC is completed
2. Support just transitions for Indigenous communities and workers impacted by LNG production to work towards a clean-energy economy
3. Strengthen regulations and monitoring protocols to reduce air and water pollution from current operations
4. End natural gas tie-ins to all new buildings by the end of 2025

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Media contact:

Reykia Fick
Communications Director | Canadian Association of Physicians for the Environment (CAPE)
647-762-9168
media@cape.ca