Whereas homes, businesses, and industries in Vancouver Island and coastal communities rely heavily on energy generated outside the region and delivered through longdistance transmission systems, subsea infrastructure, and marine transport, resulting in a high degree of dependence on external energy supply and limited opportunities for local generation; And whereas resource, transportation, and building sectors are seeking to modernize, improve efficiency, and reduce emissions while remaining competitive and affordable, and communities across Vancouver Island and the coast are working to attract investment and sustain local jobs, yet constrained energy availabilitycombined with accelerating provincial electrification policy and the pending expiry of BC Hydros electricity purchase agreement with Capital Powers Island Generation facilityis already resulting in lost investment and development opportunities: Therefore be it resolved that AVICC urge the Province of British Columbia, BC Hydro, FortisBC, and the British Columbia Utilities Commission to collaborate with local governments, First Nations, and industry to ensure long-term energy certainty for Vancouver Island by: - immediately convening and resourcing formal energy roundtables with the Province of British Columbia, BC Hydro, FortisBC, the British Columbia Utilities Commission, local governments, First Nations, and industry to address urgent energy supply constraints, assess interim and longterm solutions, and prevent further loss of investment and economic activity in Vancouver Island and coastal communities; - recognizing the importance of local, dispatchable, and redundant energy generationand the critical role of existing facilities such as Island Generationin supporting economic development, grid reliability, and industrial modernization; - ensuring that long-term energy planning and contracting decisions consider the economic development needs of AVICC communities alongside the timelines for new renewable energy projects to come online; and - supporting interim energy solutions that allow resource industries and new investments to remain, modernize, and grow in coastal and island communities while Indigenous-led renewable projects advance to completion; And be it further resolved that this resolution be forwarded to the Union of British Columbia Municipalities for consideration.
