Mayor and council meet with energy minister Adrian Dix in Fort St. John

FORT ST. JOHN, B.C. — Trevor Bolin says a meeting between Fort St. John council and the new minister of energy went extremely well.

Council member Bolin said the January 31st meeting, which Mayor Lilia Hansen and chief administrative officer Milo MacDonald also attended, was “positive”.

“It’s not often that we find ministers in the City of Fort St. John, so the fact that we were extended an invite to meet with him, I think, says a lot about this city and the region in its entirety,” he explains.

According to Bolin, the meeting also included some information from the Ministry of Health. The current energy minister, Adrian Dix, previously served as health minister from 2017 to 2024.

Bolin says they discussed several topics, including their outlooks on the future of liquid natural gas (LNG) in the region, and residents’ desire to see the BC Energy Regulator’s approval process accelerated.

He says, despite the NDP’s alleged reputation provincially for not being pro-industry, he’s optimistic based on many of the comments made by Dix and Premier David Eby.

“They’re not known to be pro-industry, either federally or provincially, so to hear the comments lately from both Premier Eby and Minister Dix does give a renewed source of excitement about the industry,” Bolin explained.

“I think they realize that there’s a large opportunity right now, especially with the talk of tariffs and all these different things. As we look for more partners in B.C., let’s strengthen what we have on the [liquid natural gas] side, because there’s an entire world that would benefit from our products.”

Dix was appointed energy minister in November, after he was re-elected in the 2024 provincial general election. Bolin also has a history with the provincial government, serving as the leader of the Conservative Party of British Columbia from 2019 to 2023.