A new poll suggests a majority of British Columbians support expanding energy infrastructure, including natural gas and oil pipelines, with support crossing provincial and federal party lines.
The survey, conducted by Fairview Strategy for energy technology venture studio Avatar Innovations, found 71% of respondents supported natural gas pipelines, while 64% supported oil pipelines. Hydro-electric dams received the highest level of support at 79%.
When asked more broadly about BC’s approach to energy development, 64% said they preferred building infrastructure to export Canadian energy and using the resulting tax revenues to fund public priorities. Seventeen percent favoured opposing new oil and gas infrastructure and shifting toward renewables, while 5% cent chose neither and 14% said they did not know.
Support for the build-and-export approach crossed party lines.
Among provincial voters, 74% of BC Conservative supporters, 65% of BC NDP supporters and 57% of BC Green supporters backed the approach. Federally, support stood at 74% among Liberal voters and 71% among Conservative voters.
Larry Neufeld, the BC Conservatives’ energy critic, told Sitka Media the Official Opposition supports expanding energy export infrastructure.
“We strongly support creating energy export infrastructure and using the resulting tax revenues to fund public priorities,” Neufeld said. “BC has a world-class supply of the cleanest natural gas on the planet, and we should be leveraging that resource for the betterment of all British Columbians.”
Kevin Krausert, CEO of Avatar Innovations, said the polling reflects a shift in the debate around energy development in BC.
“The debates of the past are not really relevant anymore,” Krausert told Sitka Media. “For British Columbia to seize this moment and build a vibrant future, resource development and energy development in particular are going to be a critical component.”
He said the next question is how that development can translate into opportunities in technology, innovation and jobs, particularly for younger British Columbians.
Dr. Katya Rhodes, an assistant professor at the University of Victoria who specializes in climate and energy policy, said the results point to an openness to energy development driven by affordability concerns. “The survey credibly shows affordability-driven openness to mixed energy development,” Rhodes told Sitka Media.
The results come as affordability remains a major concern for British Columbians.
When respondents were asked what issue caused them the most anxiety when thinking about the next decade of life in the province, 29% identified the cost of living, followed by affordable housing at 15% and health care at 11%.
When asked to rank four approaches to funding provincial priorities, 59% ranked generating new tax revenue through exports of natural resources, energy and clean technology as their first choice. Cutting program spending and reducing services ranked first for 19%, while 11% chose increasing provincial sales and income taxes and 10% chose borrowing to fund deficits.
The poll also found differences by age, gender and economic circumstances.
Support for building export infrastructure was 53% among respondents aged 18 to 34, compared with 65% among those aged 35 to 54 and 71% among those 55 and older. It was also higher among men than women, at 72% compared with 58%, and among homeowners compared with renters, at 68% and 57% respectively.
“Younger, renting, and financially stressed residents are the least convinced that exports will help them,” Rhodes said.
Mike Witherly, a partner at Fairview Strategy, said the results show support for development extends across political and regional lines.
“When you talk about creating jobs, opening up accessible trades pathways, and generating revenue for public services, that broad support becomes rock solid,” Witherly said.
Respondents were also presented with several statements about the energy sector and asked whether each made them feel more or less supportive of it. After being told BC’s oil and gas sector employs roughly 68,000 people, 62% said the statement made them more supportive. Another 60% said a statement about skilled-trades jobs and homeownership made them more supportive.
The poll surveyed 896 BC residents aged 18 and older between July 6 and 17 using an online panel provided by Dynata. Fairview Strategy said it used quotas during data collection based on age, gender and region to limit overrepresentation, before weighting the results using the most recent Statistics Canada demographic data.
Because the survey used a non-probability online panel, a formal margin of error does not apply. Fairview Strategy said a probability sample of the same size would have a margin of error of plus or minus 3.2 percentage points, 19 times out of 20. Avatar Innovations provided input into the development of the questions.
