Canadian Legislative Issues

British Columbia Environment Minister Terry Lake has announced that the Clean Energy Vehicles for British Columbia program has been extended for another year. The program – which was originally intended to conclude in March 2013 - provides B.C. residents with up to $5,000 off the pre-tax sticker price for qualifying new battery electric, fuel-cell electric, plug-in hybrid electric, and compressed natural gas vehicles.  

The incentive program will be extended through the 2013-14 fiscal year, with $2.5 million being carried over from the original $14.3 million program.  

Additionally, also being extended for another year is the LiveSmart BC Residential Charging Point Rebate Program. This program provides rebates of up to $500 per unit for residential electric charging stations that meet identified eligibility requirements.

Both programs are key components of the province’s Clean Energy Vehicle Program, which is designed to provide B.C. residents with a range of clean and green choices for their transportation needs.


The Province of Alberta is currently studying if and when telematics devices should be given the go-ahead. Currently in Canada, the technology is already in place in Quebec and the insurance industry has highlighted that it could only be a matter of time before all provinces follow suit.

Presently, the Alberta branch of the Insurance Bureau of Canada is waiting to see how the government will regulate the technology.

Telematics, a voluntary system where motorists have simple device installed in their vehicles, could reward more cautious Alberta motorists with lower insurance rates. The system can measure kilometers driven, as well as calculating how often brakes are slammed, speed limits obeyed, and corners taken too fast.

Drivers’ insurance companies are able to check the system’s data and can then set rates lower if the person is obeying the rules of the road. The regulation of the technology will have to be looked at carefully, in order to take into account privacy concerns about the data and how it is used.