VICTORIA — The federal government says the final offshore oil and gas permits for Canada’s west coast region have been relinquished.

Energy and Natural Resources Minister Jonathan Wilkinson is speaking in Victoria today and expected to announce the relinquishment of the last permits in British Columbia waters.

Ottawa says the relinquishment of all oil and gas permits in Pacific waters will fulfil a condition in the federal government’s commitment to an Indigenous-led conservation initiative that received a pledge of $800 million in support from Prime Minister Justin Trudeau in 2022.

No details on the number of newly relinquished permits or their holders have been released.

In April 2023, Chevron Canada said it was voluntarily relinquishing 19 offshore oil and gas permits within protected wildlife areas on the west coast.

The permitting area relinquished by Chevron was estimated at 5,700 square kilometres and overlapped parts of federal marine protection areas off B.C.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Feb. 21, 2024.

The Canadian Press