Articles related to provincial and federal legislation that affects local governments.
UPDATE as of March 18: This webinar has been rescheduled for Thursday, April 2, 9:00 - 10:30 am. Those registered for March 20 have automatically been registered for April 2. The same registration link will be used.
Bill M216 Professional Reliance Act continues to move forward, despite the significant risks it would pose for public safety and liability issues. After passing second reading with unanimous NDP support, the Bill is now being considered at the Committee stage, where earlier today the NDP chair cast the deciding vote to defeat a Conservative motion that would have set the bill set aside.
In Budget 2026, the Province indicated that it would be slowing delivery of its housing commitments, and reallocating $1.4 billion from its housing strategy. On further inquiry UBCM learned that some of that the reallocation is coming from the Community Housing Fund, cancelling the current funding intake and indefinitely postponing future intakes as President Cori Ramsay told the Vancouver Sun.
BC’s decriminalization pilot will come to an end on January 31, 2026. The aim of this initiative was to address the overdose crisis by removing stigma that prevents individuals from seeking life-saving support and treatment.
The BC Wildfire Service will be hosting two webinars to engage with local governments on how local bylaws and provincial legislation work together to prevent human-caused wildfires.
The webinars are an opportunity to join staff from the BC Wildfire Service for an interactive workshop and engagement session. Content will include current approaches used in B.C. to protect public safety through regulating open burning and other activities.
The provincial government has announced postponement of proposed amendments to the Heritage Conservation Act (HCA) that had originally been anticipated for spring 2026. In a November 2025 report submitted to the Ministry of Forests on proposed changes to the HCA, UBCM conveyed members’ overwhelming support for a pause to legislative development to allow for face-to-face consultation.
UBCM’s request for an extended submission period has been approved by the select standing committee. Local governments and public now have until January 6, 2026 to submit comments to the committee which is tasked with reviewing the private member’s bill, Professional Reliance Act. The deadline was originally December 2, 2025.
Submissions can be made online directly to the committee.
Private member’s bill M216 passed second reading and has been sent to the Select Standing Committee on Private Bills and Private Members’ Bills for review. UBCM’s submission to the committee warns that the bill will disrupt an already strained planning system.
On October 23, the federal government introduced the Bail and Sentencing Reform Act, which includes more than 80 proposed amendments to the Criminal Code. Many changes broadly respond to local government concerns, including resolutions and correspondence seeking stricter bail conditions for repeat offenders. A UBCM analysis follows.
The legislation includes the following proposed amendments to the Criminal Code:
More organizations are publicly sharing their concerns about the harms the bill could cause if passed. The bill has passed second reading, and is moving into the committee stage for review.