B.C. adds 17 major projects as priority investments, in bid to accelerate growth

The British Columbia government is adding 17 new major investments to its list of priority projects, and Premier David Eby says the recent wrangling over Indigenous rights legislation won't undermine that progress. 

Eby says when companies bring $1 billion into the province, they have a "sophisticated understanding of the jurisdiction" they are walking into, and with instability around the world, these companies are investing in B.C. 

The premier says there's been a lot of misinformation after a court ruled that B.C.'s mineral claims regime was inconsistent with the provincial law that follows the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples.

Eby says companies are investing at record levels, there's never been as much mining exploration activity and investors know that there are strong Indigenous partnerships available in the province. 

He and other government ministers announced on Wednesday that $88 billion in proposed major projects are on track to move forward over the next three years. 

The Look West plan, launched last year, focused on expediting approvals for 18 projects, including several mines and clean energy projects, and Eby says adding 17 more projects is another step toward becoming an independent economy. 

"We have to address the DRIPA issue. No question, we will," Eby said of the Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples Act.

"And the companies know that they have strong Indigenous partnerships, that are working, that they can invest here with certainty, and they are doing that, and it's important for British Columbians to know that because it will impact their lives," Eby told a news conference on Wednesday. 

Since the program launched last year, five major mines have been permitted, including Quintette coal mine, and extension to the Highland Valley Copper mine and Eskay Creek mine. 

Picture Courtesy: THE CANADIAN PRESS/Darryl Dyck