A new private member’s bill to streamline the home-building process was discussed in the legislature this week after being introduced by Nanaimo-Lantzville’s MLA.
On Monday, Oct. 27, George Anderson introduced second reading of the professional reliance act, which would change regulations so local governments accept the technical reports on housing developments by certified professionals, who are licensed under the professional governance act, at face value, whereas right now many local governments require staff to review engineering reports and architectural designs. Exceptions are made in the new bill if the work is incomplete or in the event of a complaint.
The bill would also pass on liabilities to the professional, rather than the municipality.
In legislature, Anderson stated that the current process of requiring municipalities to have the documents reviewed by their own specialized staff, such as qualified engineers or architects, result in months of delays for housing projects.
“Local governments are under strain, and many can’t keep up with the volume or retain specialized staff,” Anderson said. “Every month of delay adds costs — costs that get passed on to families and renters. In a time when young people are losing hope of ever owning a home and municipalities are stretched … many can’t keep up with the volume or retain specialized staff.”
Support wasn’t unanimous, with criticism from some Conservative MLA, who argued that it eroded local oversight, giving room to unchecked development.
Tony Luck, the B.C. Conservatives’ critic for municipal affairs and local government, expressed his opposition to the bill, stating that it would shift power away from municipalities.
“If a city disputes a professional submission, it cannot resolve the matter locally. It must refer to the office of the superintendent of professional governance. That office currently has only eight staff and no new additional funding outlined in this bill,” Luck said. “There is no defined timeline for dispute resolution. There is no cap on how many referrals it can handle. So rather than streamlining, we risk creating a bottleneck somewhere else up the food chain, most likely at the provincial level.”
Other Conservative criticisms included accusations of a lack of consultation with local governments and First Nations, as well as the risk of handing power to professionals employed by companies that are expected to serve financial interests.
Supporters, however, argued that the bill would give municipalities a practical tool to remove a redundant step, and that engineers, architects, and other experts are required to meet strict provincial standards, are insured and are accountable to their professional bodies.
“For smaller municipalities, this change is particularly important,” stated Darlene Rotchford, MLA for Esquimalt-Colwood. “Many struggle to hire engineers or architects to review technical submissions, which delays projects and increases costs. Under this new framework, they can rely confidently on provincially certified professionals, saving both time and resources.”
Anderson told the News Bulletin he expects the vote to take place on Nov. 17. The full bill can be read online at http://leg.bc.ca/parliamentary-business/overview/43rd-parliament/1st-session/bills/1st_read/m216-1.htm