John Horgan's environmental legacy under scrutiny as his tenure as B.C.'s premier ends

As John Horgan's tenure as B.C.'s premier comes to an end Friday, many of those most affected are reflecting on his government's legacy on environmental policy.

Horgan was elected as leader of the province in 2017, the head of a minority government in partnership with the B.C. Green Party, after a three-year-long tenure as leader of the Opposition.

His fiery criticism of many of the B.C. Liberals' environmental policies — the Site C hydroelectric dam in northeast B.C., their focus on liquefied natural gas and their forestry practices — were trademarks of his approach to opposition.

But once in government, many of the policies he staunchly fought against proceeded as before, especially after he won a clear majority in 2020.

Horgan approved the continuation of Site C, despite the opposition of residents and reports that stated it could be stopped. 

Under his tenure, liquefied natural gas projects have continued apace. And, despite dogged protests that provoked militarized responses, old-growth logging has not yet fully stopped in the province.

"There is a laundry list of things that the B.C. NDP and Premier Horgan have not been able to accomplish in the five years that they have been in power," said Peter McCartney, a climate campaigner with the advocacy group Wilderness Committee.

"Most of them are things they absolutely promised to do."

Much of Horgan's tenure has been marked by a perceived ability to foster co-operation on multiple fronts, especially in his role as chair of the Council of the Federation, lobbying the federal government on behalf of all the provinces.

But McCartney said his alleged inaction in blocking fossil fuel projects and his track record on old-growth logging did not endear him to those in environmental circles.

"We are not on track to meeting our climate targets," he said. "Although there's lots of good in there, it has been a failure."

For Ken Boon, a farmer in northeastern B.C.'s Peace Valley whose land was expropriated for the Site C dam, Horgan's flip-flopping on the issue constituted the "elephant in the room" when it comes to his premiership.

Horgan was pictured in 2016 on Boon's farm putting a stake in the ground in opposition to the project. The farmer said he had high hopes after Horgan came to power, which were all dashed in December 2017.

"We were only two years into the project when he took over," Boon said. "They could have done the right thing environmentally and economically.