Eliminating open-net fish farms in B.C. would cost taxpayers billions: report [Video]

The proposed federal ban on open net-pen salmon farms in British Columbia coastal waters will cost taxpayers billions and seriously impact Canada’s economy, food security and Indigenous communities, says a report commissioned by the BC Salmon Farmers Association.

The ban would result in $9 billion of “unnecessary costs” to taxpayers to close the sector and subsidize companies with “unproven closed containment technology,” said the report by Ottawa-based economics consultants RIAS Inc.

It said there would be a $1.17 billion drop in annual economic activity — including $133.6 million among First Nations — as well as the elimination of than 4,500 jobs and the reduction of 50,000 tonnes of farm-raised salmon per year.

In June, the federal government announced it would delay the closure of open net farms until 2029 to facilitate a transition to closed containment systems.

“The proposed ban is a reckless decision by the (Justin) Trudeau government that …