British Columbia Premier David Abbey
Photo provided by the Office of the Prime Minister
British Columbia Premier David Eby made a visit to Olympia on Monday to discuss housing, homelessness, clean energy and other shared issues with Washington Gov. Jay Inslee.
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“There’s so many common priorities, common issues and challenges that our two jurisdictions face, which is why we’re talking about things like the clean energy economy and the opportunities to work together to build that up in our region,” Eby told reporters during a news conference Monday afternoon.
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Inslee said he and Eby are continuing to build a partnership that was initially forged with Eby’s predecessor, John Horgan, regarding a clean energy economy. A potential collaboration on a mutual cap-and-invest system was discussed with Eby, Inslee told reporters.
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Washington’s cap-and-invest program began in January after it was included in the Climate Commitment Act passed by state lawmakers in 2021.
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Eby said his message to others is that B.C. is “open for business” regarding a clean energy economy, and “open and keen on partnership.”
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“Through partnership and working together, we can overcome these big challenges like climate change and make everybody see the impact of a clean economy on both our province and your beautiful state,” Eby added.
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B.C. and West Coast states have already partnered on other climate change efforts such as building electric vehicle infrastructure on roadways connecting the two regions. B.C. and Washington also have partnered on a “clean grid” initiative.
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Choosing between climate change and the economy is a “false choice,” Eby told reporters.
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Eby and Inslee also talked about common housing and homelessness issues.
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“Both of our communities have suffered homelessness, and both of our communities recognize the need for investment,” Inslee said.
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Recently, government officials in B.C. announced an historic $3.06 billion (in U.S. dollars), three-year investment in affordable housing, the rental supply and tackling homelessness, efforts that were lauded Monday by Inslee.
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Inslee has proposed similar efforts in Washington state, seeking an additional $4 billion in bonds over the next six years to fund creation of enough affordable housing to keep up with the pace of demand in the state. That proposal would have to pass the Legislature and be approved by Washington voters in November through a referendum.
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Washington legislators also have prioritized housing and homelessness measures during this legislative session.
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The two also discussed advancing high speed rail, noting that the ability to connect people in both regions with high speed rail would deepen the connections between the areas.
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Washington lawmakers last year approved $150 million for high-speed rail funding between Vancouver, Seattle and Portland, as part of the historic $16.9 billion “Move Ahead Washington” transportation package.
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Inslee and Eby also talked about Nooksack River flooding issues that affect “both sides of the border.”
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Eby said Nooksack flooding requires “ingenuity” and urgent action, and said that both leaders have pledged to redouble efforts to find solutions.
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Inslee said he and Eby also discussed gun violence, and said Washington intends to join British Columbia this year with “additional gun safety measures.” Washington lawmakers recently approved measures to ban assault weapons as well as require a 10-day waiting period on purchasing firearms.
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Firearms are federally regulated in Canada and authorization to own firearms is required. There is no constitutional protection for firearms in Canada.
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Eby became British Columbia’s premier in November. Before that, he served as the B.C. attorney general, and before that was minister of housing.
