Letter regarding BC Bill M 216, the Professional Reliance Act

This letter to BC MLA George Anderson outlines our serious concerns with private member’s bill M 216, the Professional Reliance Act. The stated goal of the bill – to get homes built faster to help address BC’s housing crisis – is a laudable one. It is not clear, however, that this bill will do that. 

As the letter notes, the bill as drafted provides broad-ranging exemptions from local government authority with few guardrails. At best, the bill would lead to regulatory deadlock with projects tied up in under-resourced dispute resolution processes; at worst, it could result in catastrophic harm to human health, property, and the environment.