Whereas land-use uncertainty, cumulative effects policies, and lengthy permitting timelines delay resource projects, discourage investment, and limit economic opportunities for communities across British Columbia; And whereas an efficient and predictable permitting process is necessary to support responsible resource development while ensuring certainty for communities and industry: Therefore be it resolved that UBCM urge the provincial government to streamline land-use and permitting processes by ensuring timely decision-making, aligning cumulative effects policies with economic priorities, and providing long-term regulatory certainty.
Ministry of Water, Land and Resource Stewardship The BC government recognizes the need to improve land-use certainty, cumulative effects policies, and natural resource permitting to increase predictability, prevent project delays, and remove inefficiencies that affect investment and job creation. The Ministry of Water, Land and Resource Stewardships WLRS 2025 Ministerial mandate guides work to create a world-class permitting system that improves timing and transparency, supports sustainable economic growth, housing and infrastructure, and maintains environmental standards. The government has taken action and continues to advance this work, including: - Systemic Permitting Transformation: WLRS is leading a whole-of-government effort to modernize BCs natural resource permitting framework to deliver a more efficient, predictable, and inclusive permitting system. Initial opportunities under the Water Sustainability Act and Regulation, the Riparian Areas Protection Act RAPA and Regulation RAPR and the Forest Act are proposed to advance to decision in 2026. Note, RAPA and RAPR do not apply in Northeast BC. - Accelerating Priority Projects and Clean Energy: Government is coordinating and prioritizing critical permits for priority projects and enabling early identification of conditions necessary to move projects to decision and investment. Projects with First Nations support are being fast-tracked, including work to accelerate permitting for BC Hydro capital upgrades and clean energy projects under BC Hydros Call for Power. WLRS is also leading work to transition renewable energy projects and transmission lines to the BC Energy Regulators one-window approach. - The Cumulative Effects Framework CEF: Government is developing guidance materials to help qualified professionals apply consistent, transparent methods for cumulative effects analysis. This guidance will clarify expectations, standardize approaches, and provide practical tools and examples, reducing uncertainty and improving the quality of submissions. By ensuring assessments are complete and comparable, the guidance will minimize review delays and enable regulators to make timely, well-informed decisions, ultimately improving permitting efficiency while maintaining environmental integrity. - Look West: Jobs and Prosperity for a Stronger BC and Canada: On November 17, 2025, government launched Look West, a strategic plan to deliver major projects faster, expand skills training and grow key sectors to strengthen BCs economy. The strategy aims to build major projects faster with 200 billion in investment opportunities and through faster permitting; train British Columbians to work in the provinces critical minerals mining, infrastructure, and energy projects; and build the North Coast Transmission Line, co-owned with First Nations, to provide BCs 98 percent renewable energy to the northwest. It is anticipated that by 2032, four new mines or expansions, three new natural gas projects, and eight new renewable energy projects will be in operation. In support of Look West targets, WLRS is working towards eliminating the backlog of water and land authorizations applications and expired tenures with the goal of a 50 percent reduction in timelines by 2030 and no backlog by 2035.