The Provincial Government is currently debating two Bills in the legislature that will, once passed, grant itself extraordinary powers over developments “of provincial significance.” This means forgoing wait times, intervening in municipal developments, or bypassing them altogether.

According to those with knowledge of Bills 13 (Miscellaneous Statutes Act – 2025) and 15, (the Infrastructure Projects Act),  schools, post-secondary housing, hospitals and health facilities would all be considered provincially significant projects. Bill 13 has already received second reading, and the two Bills are expected to be passed within a day or two.

Randal Helten, publisher of the online newsletter CityHallWatch, says Bills 13 and Bill 15 “is the BC NDP attempting another extraordinary provincial power grab, including over municipal permit and by-law approvals.” One may wonder, then, What’s to stop the NDP government from imposing their pet developments, especially since it believes it has no need to consult with either the public or municipal government?  

Here is the link to the full CityHallWatch story. 

UKRA reached out to Vancouver Councillor Pete Fry to get his take on what is being called provincial overreach. “Yes, at the City and UBCM (Union of BC Municipalities) we have been tracking Bill 15. Though I am unfamiliar with any concerns with Bill 13, 15 is potentially far-reaching – but, as they like to remind us, in BC, municipalities are a creature of the province. Since we don’t exist under the federal constitution, the Province allows us to exist and holds all the cards here.” Fry said Council has not established a position on the matter, “though I personally do not approve of this sort of approach, based on the encroachment onto our authority and the risk of unintended consequences.”

Vancouver Sun writer Vaughan Palmer writes that local First Nations are outraged with the Provincial fast-tracking the bills before consultation with the First Nations has taken place.