I took a deep breath as I stepped off the ferry at Horseshoe Bay last Tuesday, watching a line of cars—mostly gas-powered—snake their way onto the vessel I’d just departed. A woman standing nearby was explaining to her daughter how electric cars work while pointing at the lone Tesla in the queue. This everyday scene captures the crossroads British Columbia finds itself at: a province celebrated for its environmental consciousness yet grappling with the practical realities of transitioning to cleaner transportation.
New polling data released this week by the Angus Reid Institute reveals a shifting landscape in public opinion on BC’s electric vehicle mandate. The policy, which requires all new light-duty vehicles sold in the province to be zero-emission by 2035, has seen support drop to 43 percent—down significantly from 60 percent in 2020 when the plan was first announced.
“We’re watching a real-time case study in how climate policy collides with economic pressures,” Dr. Kathryn Harrison, political scientist at the University of British Columbia, told me when I called her to discuss the findings. “British Columbians broadly support climate action, but that support wavers when policies feel personally constraining or financially burdensome.”
The survey of 800 British Columbians conducted between April 3-10 shows the steepest decline in support among rural residents, where only 29 percent now favor the mandate compared to 49 percent of urban dwellers. This rural-urban divide isn’t surprising to Melissa Sanders, who operates a small business in Prince George.
“I drive 40 kilometers to work each day on highways that can hit minus thirty in winter,” Sanders explained when I visited her shop last month for an unrelated story. “The thought of being stranded in an electric vehicle with a depleted battery isn’t just inconvenient—it feels potentially dangerous.”
This sentiment appears widespread throughout northern and interior communities, where concerns about range, charging infrastructure, and vehicle performance in extreme conditions remain top of mind.
The BC government maintains that its approach strikes the right balance between environmental necessity and practical implementation. Environment Minister George Heyman defended the policy at a climate forum in Victoria last month, noting that the province has installed over 400 public fast-charging stations with plans for another 325 by 2026.
“We’re building the infrastructure ahead of demand,” Heyman said. “The mandate isn’t about forcing choices today—it’s about ensuring we have clean options ready when people make their next vehicle purchase.”
But opposition to the mandate has found a powerful voice in BC Conservative Party leader John Rustad, who has pledged to scrap the policy if elected. “Governments shouldn’t dictate what vehicle you can buy,” Rustad stated at a recent campaign event in Kelowna. His position appears to be resonating with a substantial portion of the electorate, particularly as affordability concerns dominate public discourse.
The average price of a new electric vehicle in Canada hovers around $58,000 according to Statistics Canada data, roughly $10,000 higher than conventional vehicles—though that gap has narrowed considerably in recent years. The provincial CleanBC rebate program offers up to $4,000 for eligible EVs, which can be combined with the federal incentive of up to $5,000.
For Gurdeep Kaur, a healthcare worker I met at a charging station in Surrey, the numbers eventually made sense. “I calculated that between the rebates and what I’m saving on fuel, my EV will pay for itself within five years,” she said while waiting for her Hyundai Kona Electric to charge. “But I understand why people hesitate—it’s a big upfront investment.”
The polling suggests British Columbians are divided not just on the mandate itself, but on fundamental questions about government’s role in accelerating the transition to cleaner transportation. While 57 percent of respondents agreed that climate change demands urgent action, only 38 percent believed that mandating zero-emission vehicles was the right approach.
Environmental organizations argue that without mandates, the transition would happen too slowly to meet climate targets. The David Suzuki Foundation points to BC’s carbon emissions data, which shows transportation accounting for approximately 40 percent of the province’s emissions.
“Voluntary measures simply won’t get us where we need to go in time,” said Claire Matthews, climate policy analyst with the foundation. “The mandate creates certainty for manufacturers and consumers alike.”
Walking through the annual Vancouver International Auto Show in March, this tension was palpable. Traditional car enthusiasts clustered around powerful trucks and SUVs while younger attendees gravitated toward the expanding electric offerings. A Kia representative told me their booth traffic was split almost evenly between those excited about new EV models and those expressing concern about the mandate’s timeline.
Indigenous perspectives on the transition add another crucial dimension. When I visited the Squamish Nation’s climate action office earlier this year, Climate Action Coordinator Deanna Lewis emphasized that environmental protection and practical needs must work in harmony.
“Our communities want to participate in climate solutions, but many remote Indigenous communities face significant barriers to EV adoption,” Lewis explained. “The charging infrastructure simply isn’t there yet, and the cost remains prohibitive for many families.”
The current debate reflects a broader challenge facing climate policy: how to balance long-term environmental imperatives with immediate economic concerns. As British Columbia prepares for a provincial election later this year, the EV mandate has emerged as a key point of differentiation between the governing NDP and opposition parties.
Whatever the political outcome, one thing remains clear as I watch that ferry load more vehicles at Horseshoe Bay: British Columbia’s transportation future is electric—the only question is how quickly and through what combination of incentives and requirements we’ll get there.
