By Selina Lee-Andersen, McCarthy Tétrault LLP.

As reported in our earlier blog, British Columbia (BC) Premier Christy Clark appointed a Climate Leadership Team in May 2015 to provide advice and recommendations to government for its new Climate Leadership Plan. The Climate Leadership Team’s mandate was based on four cornerstone objectives: (i) achieving BC’s legislated GHG emission reduction targets; (ii) maintaining a strong economy; (iii) mitigating negative impacts on vulnerable populations; and (iv) maintaining BC’s reputation for world-leading climate policies.

Following extensive stakeholder consultations throughout the summer, the Climate Leadership Team prepared a report that was released by the BC government on November 27, 2015, in advance of the upcoming international climate negotiations in Paris. The team’s report consists of 32 recommendations addressing a number of areas including GHG reduction targets, carbon tax design, transportation, buildings, communities, offsets, and First Nations. Based on extensive modelling of different pathways to meet the objectives of their mandate, the Climate Leadership Team concluded that any pathway that achieves these objectives will require the following four elements: