Intake for carbon tax relief grants open

ELIGIBLE greenhouse operators can now apply for carbon tax relief grants for the 2020 production year.

Commercial producers in B.C. who grow vegetables, ornamental flowers and plants, forest seedlings and nursery plants in greenhouses are eligible to apply for the grant until May 10, if they:

* had sales exceeding $20,000 in 2020;

* used natural gas or propane to heat their greenhouses or produce carbon dioxide; and

* had a production area greater than 455 square metres.

The grant covers 80% of the carbon tax commercial greenhouse growers of eligible crops paid on the natural gas and propane they used for greenhouse heating and carbon dioxide production in 2020. Cannabis is not an eligible crop at any phase of production, including propagation.

Greenhouse growers supply communities with fresh vegetables for about 10 months of the year on more than 300 hectares of land, growing tomatoes, peppers, cucumbers, eggplants, lettuce and other crops. In addition to vegetable growers, B.C.’s floriculture and nursery industries grow more than 80 million greenhouse flowers and cuttings and produce approximately 50 million potted plants a year.

Application information and eligibility criteria are available here: 

https://www2.gov.bc.ca/gov/content/industry/agriculture-seafood/programs/greenhouse-carbon-tax-relief-grant