Slowing sales raise questions about B.C.'s electric vehicle mandate
The British Columbia government is facing renewed questions about whether its aggressive electric vehicle (EV) sales mandates can be achieved.
Under current B.C. law, 26 per cent of new light-duty vehicles sold in B.C. must be zero-emission by 2026, a figure climbing to 90 per cent in 2030 and 100 per cent in 2035.
B.C. has, to date, been a Canadian leader in EV adoption, with 24 per cent of new vehicle shoppers snapping one up in 2024.
But that momentum has run into trouble. Both Ottawa and B.C. phased out their EV subsidies earlier this year, and the auto industry says sales dropped quickly afterward.
2:24
BIV: EV sales in Canada plummet over last year
'The first quarter, we were pushing 19 per cent in adoption rate. In April, it was down to 15 per cent … in May it's about flat with 15 per cent again, so the math is just not there to achieve the 26 per cent in 2026,' said Blair Qualey, president and CEO of the New Car Dealers' Association of B.C.
Story continues below advertisement
'The 2030 number is virtually impossible.'
Get daily National news
Get the day's top news, political, economic, and current affairs headlines, delivered to your inbox once a day. Sign up for daily National newsletter Sign Up
By providing your email address, you have read and agree to Global News' Terms and Conditions and Privacy Policy
Powering British Columbia's roads under a fully electric scenario is another concern.
Barry Penner, chair of the Energy Futures Institute, said his group modelled the electricity needs B.C. would face if it did meet its 100 per cent adoption target by 2035.
'It would require, at full implementation, two more site C dams worth of electricity. And this year, we have been importing electricity,' Penner said.
'In the last couple of years, on average, we've imported 20 to 25 percent. Of our domestic electricity needs from outside the province.'
Penner said consumer behaviour has also been shifting towards plug-in hybrids, which are cheaper, but have typically not qualified for government rebates.
3:48
B.C. electric vehicle rebate pause
The Ministry of Energy and Climate Solutions did not respond to a request for comment by deadline.
Story continues below advertisement
However, Global News obtained a technical review of B.C.'s Zero-Emission Vehicles Act and Regulation, which appears to show the government is open to adjusting the program.
The document shows the province is considering 'several changes' to the legislation 'to respond to current economic conditions, support affordability for consumers, and lessen pressures on automakers.'
Those changes include revising the 2030 zero-emission sales targets, amending compliance ratios for battery electric and hydrogen-powered vehicles, changing the percentage of plug-in hybrids dealers can sell under the law, and changing range requirements to ensure more vehicles qualify for credits.
The document further notes that challenges to EV adoption still include range anxiety and vehicle price.
'They're more expensive on average than a non-electric vehicle. Some studies suggest about $8,000 per vehicle,' Penner said.
'Internal government polling shows almost 60 per cent of British Columbians say that's the number one problem buying an electric cars is the cost and yet what have they done? They've removed the rebate.'
B.C. has been working to upgrade infrastructure; BC Hydro has installed about 600 fast chargers around the province, with more to come.
'And while the province has paused EV subsidies for now, the policy document hints that it is looking at 'new initiative agreement pathways to support affordability for consumers.'
Story continues below advertisement
The province is also conducting a wider review of its entire CleanBC program.
Qualey said new rebates would help the situation, but argued that even with them in place, the targets are too aggressive.
'Ideally, we would like a pause on all of it right now to continue the conversation so the manufacturers, who are the obligated parties in all of this, can sit with government … (and determine) what targets are achievable,' he said.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Toronto Sun
8 hours ago
- Toronto Sun
Canadian Centre for Cyber Security says network devices compromised in China-linked hack
Published Jun 21, 2025 • 1 minute read A person types on a neon computer keyboard. Photo by Uladzimir Zuyeu / iStock / Getty Images Canada's cybersecurity agency said Chinese-backed hackers were likely behind recent malicious activity targeting domestic telecommunications infrastructure, warning that three network devices registered to a Canadian company were compromised in the attacks. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. THIS CONTENT IS RESERVED FOR SUBSCRIBERS ONLY Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada. Unlimited online access to articles from across Canada with one account. Get exclusive access to the Toronto Sun ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition that you can share, download and comment on. Enjoy insights and behind-the-scenes analysis from our award-winning journalists. Support local journalists and the next generation of journalists. Daily puzzles including the New York Times Crossword. SUBSCRIBE TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada. Unlimited online access to articles from across Canada with one account. Get exclusive access to the Toronto Sun ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition that you can share, download and comment on. Enjoy insights and behind-the-scenes analysis from our award-winning journalists. Support local journalists and the next generation of journalists. Daily puzzles including the New York Times Crossword. REGISTER / SIGN IN TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience. Access articles from across Canada with one account. Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments. Enjoy additional articles per month. Get email updates from your favourite authors. THIS ARTICLE IS FREE TO READ REGISTER TO UNLOCK. Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience. Access articles from across Canada with one account Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments Enjoy additional articles per month Get email updates from your favourite authors Don't have an account? Create Account The Canadian Centre for Cyber Security and the U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigation urged Canadian organizations to take steps to harden their networks against the threat posed by Salt Typhoon, a group linked to the Chinese government, in a bulletin issued late on Friday. 'The Cyber Centre is aware of malicious cyber activities currently targeting Canadian telecommunications companies,' the centre said. 'The responsible actors are almost certainly PRC state-sponsored actors, specifically Salt Typhoon,' it said, referring to the People's Republic of China. Separate investigations that revealed overlaps with malicious indicators consistent with Salt Typhoon suggest the cyber campaign 'is broader than just the telecommunications sector,' it said. The hackers will 'almost certainly' continue efforts to infiltrate Canadian organizations — especially telecom providers — over the next two years, the agency said. Beijing has repeatedly denied U.S. allegations of its involvement in Salt Typhoon, which was first reported by The Wall Street Journal last year. In January, the U.S. sanctioned a Chinese firm accused of 'direct involvement' in the infiltrations along with the country's Ministry of State Security. — With assistance from Thomas Seal. Columnists Columnists Toronto & GTA Columnists Toronto & GTA
Toronto Star
9 hours ago
- Toronto Star
Rejecting Trump's rhetoric, Maine's governor heads to Maritimes to build ties
HALIFAX - Maine's governor is heading to the Maritimes next week with hopes a charm offensive will slow the rapid drop in Canadian tourist visits to her state. In a release issued Friday, Janet Mills says she's aware the historically close relationship between New England and its northern neighbours has been challenged by U.S. president Donald Trump's tariffs and his rhetoric about Canada becoming the 51st state.
Toronto Sun
9 hours ago
- Toronto Sun
GOLDSTEIN: Prepare for more billion-dollar boondoggles
Reports by financial watchdogs of government spending suggest there are major concerns about how public infrastructure projects will be approved Get the latest from Lorrie Goldstein straight to your inbox Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney speaks as he attends a tour of the Fort York Armoury in Toronto on June 9, 2025 in Toronto, Canada. Photo by Cole Burston / Getty Images What happens when Prime Minister Mark Carney's promise of massive new federal spending on public infrastructure and speedy approval of 'nation building projects' runs into the fact the federal public service routinely ignores the rules for spending public money and approving such projects? This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. THIS CONTENT IS RESERVED FOR SUBSCRIBERS ONLY Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada. Unlimited online access to articles from across Canada with one account. Get exclusive access to the Toronto Sun ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition that you can share, download and comment on. Enjoy insights and behind-the-scenes analysis from our award-winning journalists. Support local journalists and the next generation of journalists. Daily puzzles including the New York Times Crossword. SUBSCRIBE TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada. Unlimited online access to articles from across Canada with one account. Get exclusive access to the Toronto Sun ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition that you can share, download and comment on. Enjoy insights and behind-the-scenes analysis from our award-winning journalists. Support local journalists and the next generation of journalists. Daily puzzles including the New York Times Crossword. REGISTER / SIGN IN TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience. Access articles from across Canada with one account. Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments. Enjoy additional articles per month. Get email updates from your favourite authors. THIS ARTICLE IS FREE TO READ REGISTER TO UNLOCK. Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience. Access articles from across Canada with one account Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments Enjoy additional articles per month Get email updates from your favourite authors Don't have an account? Create Account The answer, potentially, is the waste of mega-billions of public dollars on projects that are so poorly administered, some may never be completed. The issue isn't the policies themselves. Carney's Liberals and the official opposition Conservatives agree with streamlining the process for green-lighting projects such as pipelines, mines and other forms of energy infrastructure, if they are endorsed by the province and Indigenous groups where they occur. That was evidenced by their rapid approval of Bill C-5, the One Canadian Economy Act on Friday, before Parliament adjourned for the summer. Liberals and Conservatives passed the legislation intended to boost the Canadian economy given the damage caused by President Donald Trump's tariff war and the fact the U.S. is no longer a reliable trading partner or ally of Canada. Your noon-hour look at what's happening in Toronto and beyond. By signing up you consent to receive the above newsletter from Postmedia Network Inc. Please try again This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. The legislation is now headed to the Senate, scheduled to sit until June 27, for final approval before Canada Day on July 1. Read More But recent reports by Parliament's two financial watchdogs of government spending – Auditor General Karen Hogan and Parliamentary Budget Officer Yves Giroux – suggest there are major concerns about how these projects will be approved. Hogan reviewed the Liberal government's approval of the notorious ArriveCan app that was supposed to cost $80,000 and ended up costing about $60 million, as well as 106 other professional services contracts awarded by 31 federal departments and agencies and one Crown corporation to IT staffing firm GCStrategies Inc. from 2015 to 2024. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. They totalled up to $92.7 million – of which, $64.5 million was paid out. Hogan found a widespread failure within the federal public service to follow the rules in awarding these contacts intended to ensure taxpayers get good value for money. She said the same thing happened when she examined 97 contracts awarded by 20 federal departments agencies and Crown corporations valued at $209 million, with $200 million paid out, to management consulting firm McKinsey & Company, from 2011 to 2023. 'I said it back then and I'll repeat it now – I have no reason to believe this is unique to two vendors and that's why I believe the government needs to take a step back and look at why this is happening,' Hogan warned. Hogan took the unusual step of not making any recommendations on her findings, saying the problem isn't a lack of rules but the federal bureaucracy ignoring them. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. In a separate report, Hogan estimated the cost of replacing Canada's aging fleet of CF-18 fighter jets with 88 new F-35s, increased by almost 50% within two years – from $19 billion in 2022 to $27.7 billion in 2024. In addition, another $5.5 billion will be needed for infrastructure needed to make the new jet fighters fully operational, because the government relied on outdated data and failed to develop contingency plans for managing financial risks associated with the project. She also noted a long-standing shortage of trained fighter pilots. In a report released Thursday, parliamentary budget officer Yves Giroux said because Carney has delayed the federal budget until fall, he can't determine whether his claim he will balance the federal operating budget by 2028-29 is credible. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. Nor can he determine whether Carney will achieve his commitment to increase federal spending on defence to the NATO target of 2% of GDP this fiscal year, and whether the government's overall financial plan is fiscally sustainable. In his election platform Carney's outlined $130 billion in new spending over four years with total deficit spending of $224.8 billion. That's 71% higher than the $131.4 billion in deficit spending the Trudeau government predicted during the same period last December. The problem, Giroux said, is that Carney is claiming he can balance the operating budget, the cost of running the government, within three years, while financing new capital spending on infrastructure with more public debt. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. 'There is no commonly accepted definition of what is defined as 'operating' or 'non-operating capital' spending,' Giroux wrote, meaning he 'is unable to assess whether the government's recent policy initiatives presented in Parliament … are consistent with achieving its new fiscal objective … This means the government could achieve its fiscal objective and yet be fiscally unsustainable.' Unless the federal government addresses the concerns of the auditor general and parliamentary budget officer, expect for more billion-dollar boondoggles of the type we've seen so often in the past. lgoldstein@ Columnists Toronto & GTA Columnists Toronto & GTA Sunshine Girls
