Vancouver / Unceded territories of the xʷməθkʷəy̓əm (Musqueam), Sḵwx̱wú7mesh (Squamish) and səlilwətaɬ (Tsleil-waututh) Nations, November 26, 2025: Dr. Melissa Lem, Past-President of the Canadian Association of Physicians for the Environment and Vancouver family physician, responds to today’s announcement on the review of CleanBC, saying:

“The CleanBC revisions include many excellent recommendations, such as accelerating electrification and aligning CleanBC implementation with the Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples Act, which depend on the Province following through on implementation, without delays.

“A healthy and effective climate plan in BC cannot sidestep emissions from LNG – and it’s time for us to be honest about that. If we continue on the pathway of more fracked LNG, the effect of every positive climate measure will be in jeopardy. Climate change is already harming the health of British Columbians as we face increasing heat days, wildfire smoke, and extreme weather events. Why would we double down on an industry that is making us sick?

“The Province’s bid to earn public acceptance to power LNG terminals with new clean electricity capacity means that everyone’s BC Hydro bills will be more expensive. BC has even tipped the scales with recent legislation to greenwash LNG, with everyday British Columbians, not industry, paying the price. No amount of publicly-funded green electricity powering this industry can undo the human health harm it causes.”

Lem added that British Columbians are already facing nearly $18 billion this year in climate damages, far more than gas royalties will ever provide. Lem says this figure is calculated by multiplying BC’s current emissions – 64.7 million tonnes a year – by Ottawa’s established rate of climate costs, which is $271 per tonne.

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Media contact

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