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Environmental accountability

Last updated on May 4, 2023

An example of how the province is strengthening environmental accountability is the Public Interest Bonding Strategy.

The Ministry of Environment and Climate Change Strategy is developing strategies to make sure:

  • Owners of large industrial projects are responsible for environmental cleanup
  • The B.C. government has the ability to recover public funds spent on cleanup

The first phase of the Public Interest Bonding Strategy will capture high-risk industrial operations and ensure that responsible parties have plans for closure and cleanup of high-risk sites.

Financial security, such as a bond, may be required to support closure plans. When the project is complete, the money is used to ensure cleanup is completed.

Project status

The strategy is a multi-year project with ongoing engagement opportunities.

The project team is working with Indigenous Peoples, industry, non-governmental organizations and the public in engagement and cooperation.

Check back on this page to find out about future engagement opportunities.

Past engagement

The most recent engagement ran from April to May 2022. This engagement was for the Public Interest Bonding Strategy: Discussion Paper (PDF, 460KB).

Feedback from engagement was collected through an online survey and open call for written submissions from:

  • Indigenous Peoples
  • Industry
  • Non-governmental organizations
  • The public and other parties

Submissions included:

  • Sixteen written by mail
  • Five emails
  • Sixty-seven online survey forms

In addition, 6 virtual public sessions and 5 B.C. Indigenous Peoples sessions were conducted between April 20 and May 5, 2022.

Review the engagement presentation and 'What We Heard' reports. These reports were developed following past engagement with Indigenous Peoples and the public.

These will be used to determine future policy and next steps: