Tracey Mann
Board member, Vancouver Greens, and former Green candidate in Vancouver Kingsway

"I think it is greenwashing. There's not a lot of serious policy drafting. The energy plan looks more like a resource grab to funnel funds to First Nations groups but not in a meaningful way. It's industry-led policy that is based on volunteering, so that's not hard policy."

Dave Park
Chief economist, Vancouver Board of Trade

"There are two ways of looking at 'greenwashed'. One is that we're being hoodwinked and the other that we're being coloured green. I believe it's the latter. If you look at all the aspects, such as where we are in the world, I think it's an excellent job and a good piece of work."

Sara MacIntyre
British Columbia director, Canadian Taxpayers Federation

"I think we have to wait and see. There's been a lot of talk but not a lot of time lines and dollars and cents attached to some of the initiatives. Who is going to fund the $25-million Innovation Fund, for example? Is it even within the mandate of BC Hydro and the BC Utilities Commission to charge a green surcharge?"

Hadi Dowlatabadi
Canada research chair, UBC Institute for Resources, Environment and Sustainability

"I wouldn't call it that. It does seem to have a few good elements, though some parts of it are pretty funny. I notice that not a whit is written about Terasen Gas-it's all about BC Hydro. Does the government intend to regulate efficiencies through Terasen as well?"

Rob Baxter
Board member, Vancouver Renewable Energy Co-Op

"There are good and bad things in it, but the good things are expressed in general terms. There is the Standard Offer Contract for small green-energy contracts but with no specifics on the rate. There are no targets as far as the pricing goes, unlike in Ontario, where the government introduced legislation to price photovoltaics at 42 cents per kilowatt-hour."