BC Budget Consultation; Municipal Leaders Voice Support for Geoscience BC Funding Model

Vancouver, BC – September 22, 2022 – Municipal governments and an all-party committee have recommended funding support for Geoscience BC – an essential step in building a sustainable funding model with contributions from provincial and federal governments, industry and others to meet changing demands for public geoscience in British Columbia.

The recommendations come from a resolution endorsed by the Union of BC Municipalities (UBCM) and from the Select Standing Committee on Finance and Government Services’ Report on BC’s 2023 budget consultation.

The proposed Geoscience BC model would fund independent, public research that makes valuable contributions to identifying deposits of critical minerals and metals, carbon capture and storage opportunities, generating cleaner energy and monitoring and mitigating greenhouse gas emissions. This helps to foster economic reconciliation for Indigenous communities, encourage partnerships that help to mitigate climate change, and create diverse and inclusive opportunities in urban and rural communities. The model is augmented by new classes of Geoscience BC membership, which were launched in January 2022. Geoscience BC now has 116 members and membership continues to grow.

Published in August 2022, Budget 2023 Consultation Report Recommendation 67 recommends that the government of British Columbia: “Ensure that Geoscience BC is well-resourced to attract exploration investment and maintain competitiveness.”  The report states: “Regarding public geoscience, the Committee highlighted the value of Geoscience BC and new research… It supported further resourcing in this area.” (P.38).

The UBCM resolution is a result of Geoscience BC’s strong relationships with communities that value its independent and public research. Endorsed at the UBCM Convention on September 15^th, 2022, the resolution requests that “the Province of British Columbia work with Geoscience BC and the Government of Canada to continue funding for Geoscience BC to undertake critical earth science research that helps achieve net-zero emission targets, builds partnerships, creates jobs and attracts investment by investing $5 million annually in Geoscience BC; and assisting Geoscience BC to establish a sustainable long-term funding model.”

 

View a copy of the Report on the Budget 2023 Consultation

View the UBCM Resolution EB46 in the 2022 UBCM Resolutions book