A bill to mandate dashboard cameras in commercial vehicles has passed third reading in the B.C. Legislature.
The private member’s bill was introduced by Kamloops-North Thompson MLA Ward Stamer.
According to a May 26 press release from the Conservative Party of British Columbia, the bill will make B.C. the first Canadian jurisdiction to require commercial dash cameras.
Bill M217, the Dashboard Cameras in Commercial Vehicles Act, passed at every stage of the process with unanimous, bi-partisan support, the release says. It requires outward-facing dash cameras on commercial trucks travelling B.C. highways, and will come into force six months after receiving royal assent.
“This bill started with families along Highway 5 who have buried loved ones after preventable crashes. It finishes with B.C. leading the country on commercial vehicle safety,” says Stamer.
“Dash cameras save lives. They hold drivers accountable. And they make sure that when a crash happens, the evidence is there, not lost, not disputed, not buried in a year-long investigation.”
The Kamloops-North Thompson MLA first began calling for mandatory dash cameras in 2023 when he was mayor of Barriere. The calls came after a series of fatal crashes on Highway 5 north of Kamloops.
“With Clearwater Mayor Merlin Blackwell and Chief George Lampreau of Simpcw First Nation, he championed the measure at the Union of BC Municipalities, where it passed with broad support,” the release says.
It adds that the B.C. Trucking Association has endorsed the bill, noting that in 75 to 80 per cent of collisions involving a commercial vehicle, the commercial driver is not at fault.
“Outward-facing cameras capture that evidence immediately, protecting professional drivers and speeding up investigations,” the release says.
The bill covers only outward-facing cameras, not cameras inside the cab, which addresses privacy concerns raised in committee.
“Good ideas shouldn’t belong to one party,” Stamer says.
“Every member who voted for this heard from constituents who’ve lost people on our highways. This is what the legislature should look like.”