There has been a lot of reaction to a story Global News brought you last Friday after Metro Vancouver board members started asking questions about why taxpayers were seemingly subsidizing electric vehicles for huge corporations.
At the Metro Vancouver board meeting on Friday, directors reacted strongly to an item in their agenda package that suggested that regional tax dollars were helping The Brick and IKEA purchase electric vehicles for its delivery fleets.
Metro Vancouver’s communications staff spent Friday night responding to angry taxpayers on social media platform X.
Now B.C.’s energy minister is stepping in.
“The IKEA reference I think, is to a company called Bolt, which does delivery service for IKEA,” Energy Minister Adrian Dix told Global News.
“It was not IKEA that received the money. I think that was a mistake in the briefing note that was provided to Metro Vancouver.”
The provincial government says the Fraser Basin Council administers its EV program.
“And it appears that no one in Metro Vancouver or others were able to clarify that,” Dix added.
“And as a result, there was confusion, both at Metro Vancouver, I think, and and in the response to the story.”
Metro Vancouver was providing $300,000 in funding to the Fraser Basin Council.
On Friday, directors voted to end that contribution.