Articles related to provincial and federal legislation that affects local governments.
The Province continues to expand the scope of application of the Housing Supply Act by assigning housing targets to additional municipalities while also escalating compliance efforts by issuing directives to those municipalities deemed by the Province to be making insufficient progress.
The Province of BC has passed a private members bill (Eligibility to Hold Public Office Act) which removes the ability of members of the Legislative Assembly from holding a local elected office. The new legislation applies to a mayor or councillor in a municipality, electoral area directors in regional districts, local trust area trustees, school trustees and members of Vancouver’s park board.
((xʷməθkʷəy̓əm (Musqueam), Sḵwx̱wú7mesh (Squamish) and səlilwətaɬ (Tsleil-Waututh)/Vancouver, B.C.)) The First Nations Leadership Council (FNLC) and its member organizations joined with the Union of BC Municipalities today to call on the Province to withdraw Bill 15 – the Infrastructure Projects Act.
Last week mayors, chairs, elected chiefs and CAOs joined with Minister Bowinn Ma in a conference call regarding Bill 15, Infrastructure Projects Act. The call provided an opportunity for the Province to provide information about the Bill and respond to questions.
Earlier this week, Bill 15 (Infrastructure Projects Act) passed second reading. Since UBCM’s initial commentary, Bill 15 continues to generate discussion concerning the powers it provides to the provincial cabinet to override local regulatory processes in order to fast-track permitting for major infrastructure projects that the Province designates as ‘provincially significant’.
The Province of BC has introduced legislation that would give greater powers to the Cabinet to expedite the approval of projects it deems a matter of provincial significance.
Local governments are invited to provide input on the development of regulations for local authorities under the Emergency and Disaster Management Act (EDMA) at one of three online engagement sessions this April. These webinars, administered by the Ministry of Emergency Management and Climate Readiness (EMCR) and hosted by UBCM, will give local governments an opportunity to review, validate, and add to key issues and questions identified by the Local Government Advisory Committee (LGAC) on EDMA regulations.
Responding to a Federal invitation for engagement, UBCM submitted an overview of our policy regarding taxation of vacant lands. UBCM policies include requests for vacant land taxation to incentivize and fund development of affordable housing or shelters. Resolutions seek greater local authority through legislative support from the Province.
Last month, the BC Court of Appeal released its decision in Kitsilano Coalition for Children & Family Safety Society v. British Columbia (Attorney General), 2024 BCCA 423, examining and interpreting new provincial legislation. The legislation had been enacted to support the completion of a housing development, but was challenged as unconstitutional, a view that was upheld by the Court of Appeal in a decision released December 23, 2024.
On December 19, 2024, the provincial government repealed the Restricting Public Consumption of Illegal Substances Act, which was passed by the Legislative Assembly in November 2023, but was not brought into force due to a court injunction.