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VANCOUVER – A re-elected NDP government would scrap British Columbia’s long-standing carbon tax and shift the burden to “big polluters” if the federal government dropped its requirement for the law, Premier David Eby said Thursday.

At a campaign event in Vancouver, Eby said his government would end the provincial carbon tax on consumers if the federal “legal backstop” requiring the province to keep the tax in place is removed.

“Two things will happen. One is we’ll remove the carbon tax for everyday British Columbians, for the farmers, for the truckers, for the average British Columbian,” Eby said Thursday.

“The second thing is we believe that climate change is a real and present threat, unlike (B.C. Conservative Leader) John Rustad who thinks it’s a hoax. “And so we will continue to ensure … that the big polluters are paying their fair share.”

He said the federal Liberal government’s approach to the carbon tax has “badly damaged” what was a political consensus on the issue in the province, which goes to the polls on Oct. 19.

Federal Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre has meanwhile vowed to end the carbon tax if elected.

British Columbia’s provincial carbon tax has been in place since 2008, when it became the first jurisdiction in North America to put a price on carbon emissions, but Eby said the carbon tax issue has since been “politicized,” something he called “incredibly unfortunate.”

“It’s had an impact right across the country in terms of peoples’ support for this kind of approach,” he said.

“Combine that with rising interest rates, high global inflation, and we need to make sure that we’re supporting British Columbians however we can right now.”

He said the federal government’s “unsustainable hikes” on how much people have to pay, coupled with differential treatment given to certain products and provinces had squeezed consumers at a time they need “support.”

“I believed and still believe that a price on carbon is and can be an effective tool, which is why I think that big polluters need to pay in this province,” he said.

Eby was flanked by Manitoba NDP Premier Wab Kinew at the campaign event.

Kinew said climate change needed action but the politicization of the issue had alienated blue-collar workers and a “generation of Canadians,” something he said the NDP couldn’t afford.

He said there had to be “flexibility” in the face of the affordability crisis.

“Of course, we’re going to be doing all those things to reduce emissions and to incentivize a low carbon economy, but we’ve got to keep a critical mass of Canadians on side with solving the climate crisis,” Kinew said.

B.C. Conservative leader John Rustad said Eby’s “reversal” on the tax was a “desperate attempt to salvage his sinking political ship.”

“Eby has spent years championing this disastrous tax that punishes families and businesses. Now, faced with growing opposition, he’s pretending to care. It’s nothing more than a cynical ploy,” Rustad said in a written statement sent minutes after Eby’s comments.

BC Green Party Leader Sonia Furstenau, called Eby’s pledge a “carbon tax flip-flop.”

“It is obvious that the B.C. NDP is making up climate policy on the fly. He now says big emitters should pay for climate change — but his government is giving billions in subsidies to the fossil fuel industry to increase fracking,” she said in a written statement.

“B.C. deserves a clear, coherent plan for climate change and the clean economy, not confusing contradictions.”

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 12, 2024.

The Canadian Press. All rights reserved.

VICTORIA – The British Columbia government says it is taking steps to ensure tree fruit growers are compensated for past harvests after the closure of a co-operative that had served farmers for almost 90 years.

It says the Investment Agriculture Foundation of BC is “redirecting” about $4 million in provincial funding that will be used to ensure co-op members receive money they are owed.

The province says the foundation will pay growers in the coming weeks and then recoup the funds at the end of the court process involving the BC Tree Fruits Cooperative that filed for creditor protection last month.

In July, the co-op, which processed, stored, packaged and sold fruit for 230 member farms, announced it was shutting down after 88 years of operation.

It says it has more than $58 million in liabilities.

The agriculture ministry says it is has also provided $100,000 to the BC Fruit Growers Association that will go toward food-safety certification that was previously done by the co-op.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 12, 2024.

The Canadian Press. All rights reserved.

VANCOUVER – Jesse Marsch issued Canada’s men’s soccer squad a challenge — get physical.

The edict came after the Canadians surprised many at this summer’s Copa America tournament, making it through to the semifinals. As his players departed for their professional clubs, the head coach wanted them thinking about continued growth.

“I challenged them to be more physically present in the matches that they played in,” Marsch said. “I’ve tried to encourage all the players to sprint more, to win more duels, to win more balls, to be more dynamic in matches.”

When Canada reconvened for a pair of friendlies last week, the coach saw some players had already heeded his call, including Vancouver Whitecaps product Ali Ahmed.

The 23-year-old midfielder started in both Canada’s 2-1 victory over the United States on Saturday and Tuesday’s 0-0 draw against Mexico.

“I’m really happy for him,” Marsch said. “I think he’s still young and still has a lot of room and potential to continue to grow.”

Playing under Marsch — who took over as head coach in May — has been a boon for the young athlete, currently in his second full season with Major League Soccer’s Whitecaps.

“Jesse has a very clear way of playing,” Ahmed said. “And I think the way we’ve been training and the way we’ve been growing as a group, it’s been helpful for me.”

The reward of getting minutes for a national team can spur a player’s growth, including Ahmed, said Whitecaps head coach Vanni Sartini.

“Of course that fuels him inside to say ‘Hey, I want to be a better player. I want to get to that stage,'” said Sartini.

Vancouver had six players — including Ahmed — away on international duty during its 0-0 draw against Dallas FC on Saturday. The absences are a good problem to have, Sartini said.

“Because we have players that are close to the national team, we have a lot of players that development is faster, better, bigger than it would have been if they hadn’t been called,” he said.

Born in Toronto, Ahmed came up through the Whitecaps’ academy system and played for Vancouver’s MLS Next Pro side before cementing his spot on the first team in 2023. He put up two goals and two assists across 22 regular-season games, and added another goal and another helper in 19 appearances this year.

Taking the next step will require the five-foot-11, 154-pound Ahmed to push himself physically, Marsch said.

“Tactically, he’s technically gifted,” the coach said. “I’ve told him he’s got to get in the gym more.

“There’s a lot of these little things where too many guys, they still look like kids and we need to help them look like men and play like men. And that’s what the high standards of the game are about.”

Marsch has quickly adjusted to recalibrating standards in his short time with Team Canada. Since taking over the squad in May, the coach said he’s learned the players are smarter and more capable than he originally thought, which forces the coach to constantly recalibrate his standards.

“That’s my job right now, to keep raising the level of the demands,” he said.

The way 40th-ranked Canada is viewed on the international stage is evolving, too.

“I think we’re changing the perception on the way we’re playing now,” he said. “I think beating the U.S. — it would have been nice to beat Mexico as well — the way we did, the way that we performed at Copa, I think teams are starting to look at us differently.

“Right now, I think we’re focused on ourselves. We’re definitely trying to be the best in CONCACAF and we have higher goals as well.”

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 12, 2024.