Locked In and Losing Out: British Columbia’s fossil fuel subsidies

This executive summary by the International Institute for Sustainable Development (IISD) argues that British Columbia's continued provision of fossil fuel subsidies undermines its climate change goals and the transition to a low-carbon economy.

• British Columbia provides substantial annual subsidies for fossil fuels, totaling at least CAD 830 million in 2017–18, the year with the most available data. These subsidies, which primarily benefit producers, take the form of direct investments, royalty reductions, and provincial tax exemptions.
• The province has at least CAD 2.6 billion in outstanding royalty credits from fossil fuel producers, which reduces the revenue available for public social services like education and health care. Specifically, in 2018-19, producers claimed more than CAD 631 million in deep well credits.
• New subsidies are being established to support the liquefied natural gas (LNG) industry, such as the BC-LNG Canada Agreement. The document asserts that these measures lock in high-carbon infrastructure for decades and prioritize fossil fuels over more affordable renewable energy.
• To align its economic and climate policies, the IISD recommends that British Columbia publicly release all annual spending data on fossil fuel subsidies, conduct a self-review with an independent expert panel, implement a phase-out action plan, avoid creating new subsidies, and coordinate with the federal government's G20 peer review.

APA

Corkal, V., & Gass, P. (2019). Locked In and Losing Out: British Columbia’s fossil fuel subsidies. International Institute for Sustainable Development. https://www.iisd.org/system/files/publications/locked-in-losing-out-summary.pdf

Chicago

Corkal, Vanessa, and Philip Gass. Locked In and Losing Out: British Columbia’s fossil fuel subsidies. International Institute for Sustainable Development, 2019. https://www.iisd.org/system/files/publications/locked-in-losing-out-summary.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Corkal |first1=Vanessa |last2=Gass |first2=Philip |title=Locked In and Losing Out: British Columbia’s fossil fuel subsidies |publisher=International Institute for Sustainable Development |date=November 2019 |url=https://www.iisd.org/system/files/publications/locked-in-losing-out-summary.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{corkal2019locked, author = {Corkal, Vanessa and Gass, Philip}, title = {{Locked In and Losing Out: British Columbia’s fossil fuel subsidies}}, institution = {International Institute for Sustainable Development}, year = {2019}, month = nov, url = {https://www.iisd.org/system/files/publications/locked-in-losing-out-summary.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }