Lək̓ʔəŋən [LEKWUNGEN] TERRITORY / VICTORIA, B.C. — Today, leader of the BC Greens and candidate for Saanich North and the Islands Emily Lowan announced the BC Greens’ platform to take on Big Tech and protect British Columbians from the risks of AI.
“In June of 2025, the girl who would commit the horrific Tumbler Ridge shooting was instructed by ChatGPT on how to avoid tripping its violence sensors, receiving advice for months on how to carry out her appalling attack,” said Lowan. “She asked how to most effectively use her weapon: ChatGPT responded ‘close quarters is its playground.’”
“We still don’t know how OpenAI missed these overt warning signs, because OpenAI has refused to disclose it,” said Lowan. “AI executives themselves have expressed fear at the product they’re creating, and we know they won’t regulate themselves. That’s when it’s government’s job to step in and hold these corporations accountable.”
“That’s why the BC Greens are moving forward with our plan to keep British Columbians safe from the rapid expansion of AI. We’ve been the only party who has called for a moratorium on AI data centres and for real regulations on these corporations—it’s time to take this plan to the Legislature,” said Lowan.
The BC Greens will:
- Put a moratorium on the construction and operation of AI data centres, until a detailed public-interest audit is developed and appropriate regulatory regime implemented.
- Work with the federal government to create an independent AI oversight commission so new AI is properly tested for safety and regulated before it’s used in B.C., because even the companies building it now say things are moving too fast.
- Develop clear, province-wide direction on the safe and ethical use of AI with students, placing a moratorium on AI use in K–12 classrooms until that plan is in place.
- “Your Choice, Your Feed” — push Ottawa to require Big Tech platforms to give every user a simple, easy-to-find way to opt out of the algorithm and choose their own feed.
Please find our full AI and Technology policy brief below.
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Media contact
Prym Goodacre, Media & Campaigns Officer
+778 650 0597
newsroom@bcgreens.ca
The BG Greens believe that technology must be designed and operated to benefit and respect
people, communities, individuals and the environment
New technologies provide incredible opportunities for British Columbia to improve our quality of
life, help solve the biggest problems facing us, and connect people across distances. But
technology also comes with big risks and challenges – especially frontier technologies, such as
artificial intelligence (AI).
At the forefront of a new technology, governments around the world have responsibilities to set
the parameters for the use and design of these technologies – including how they interact with
public services, personal information, and the built and natural world. In the case of AI, this is
not only the systems themselves but the infrastructure they rely on, particularly electricity and
water. A single AI data centre can consume 438,000 to 700,800 megawatt-hours of electricity
annually, equivalent to the electricity consumption of roughly 40,000 to 64,000 Canadian
households. Communities are also reporting that AI data centres are noisy for residents and provide few stable jobs or benefits locally
We have seen in other sectors the challenges of trying to regulate once norms are in place and
industry has become established, and we are quickly running out of time to not make the same
mistakes with AI. This is especially pressing when technologies are targeted towards children
and youth, or when they’re used to inform government decision-making.
Algorithms can be biased black boxes that increasingly shape our thinking, lives, and decision
making. Whilst they have many potential benefits and uses, they are also difficult to challenge or
scrutinise and can potentially amplify misinformation, cause harm to people, compromise
privacy, create dehumanising outcomes, and diminish livelihoods. The BC Greens are
concerned that government isn’t taking these responsibilities seriously. When even AI
companies are warning that their sector is unregulated, the pace of their development is too
fast, and their products pose a risk to humanity and the climate we must act faster.
The BCNDP has moved faster on AI adoption than regulation, and still has no standards or
privacy protections that make sure the rights and privacy of British Columbians are fully
protected.
These challenges extend to technologies that are already part of our daily lives too. Social
media algorithms, while useful, are often optimized to keep you on their app longer, to feed you
paid content, and to provide you a curated experience rather than one of your own choosing.
Australia is proposing legislation to force social media companies to give people an option to opt
in or out of their algorithm so you choose your experience. We believe British Columbians
deserve the same freedom, and will push the federal government to regulate social media
companies accordingly.
Premier Eby may believe that AI and other social media companies can set their own rules, but
the BC Greens believe you deserve better.
The BC Greens will:
● Put a moratorium on the construction and operation of AI data centres, until a detailed
public-interest audit is developed and appropriate regulatory regime implemented. This
will include consideration of access to electricity and other public resources, the
economic value created in BC alongside electricity and water use, impacts on
communities and the environment, and demands on other public infrastructure.
● Introduce legislation within the first 100 days to ban retailers from using consumers’
personal data to increase the price of goods for a specific consumer (‘surveillance
pricing’), following the ‘Manitoba model’ led by Premier Kinew
● Work with the federal government to create an independent AI oversight commission so
new AI is properly tested for safety and regulated before it’s used in B.C., because even
the companies building it now say things are moving too fast.
● Ban the use of AI for surveillance of workers at all jobsites. Work with labour groups to
develop a comprehensive plan to address unemployment related to AI automation.
● Enact a moratorium on the use of AI in classrooms from K-12 in order to develop a
comprehensive response to AI in the classroom, and direction on safe, ethical use of AI
with students. This includes protecting privacy, enforceable safeguards, digital literacy
support for all educators, and working with the federal government to hold tech
companies accountable for ensuring that systems are safe before they reach the
classroom.
● Develop a labour market impact assessment and strategy, in conjunction with business,
unions, young people and academics, to respond to the structural employment
challenges of AI and new technologies. This will include supports for workers displaced
by new technologies, strategies for ensuring roles are available for young and
inexperienced workers, and review of how our employment insurance and social
assistance systems need to adjust, such as moving to Universal Basic Income.
● Work with the federal Government to ensure social media companies allow an easily
accessible option to opt out of their algorithms
● Strengthen the Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act to make privacy,
security, transparency and accountability mandatory, including requirements forprivacy-impact assessments for use of AI, disclosure when AI is involved in decision
making, and opportunities to challenge or correct an AI-assisted decision.
● Work with First Nations to ensure data sovereignty is protected.