Bill M216, the Professional Reliance Act, has generated greater interest than many members’ bills, with its proposal on streamlining development approval procedures eliciting strong comments for and against. What some of those comments represent is a more fundamental disagreement about the status of technical professionals and the meaning of their work.
As published in the NRCA’s Northern Construction Connection December 2025 Newsletter and VICA’s e-New
In 2019, we wrote about Bill M-223, which would have enacted the Builders Lien (Prompt Payment) Amendment Act, 2019 for the purpose of amending the Builders Lien Act. These amendments would have introduced prompt payment reforms to British Columbia (i.e., to statutorily require payment for construction services and material in a timely manner). The bill, however, did not pass first reading.
As published in the NRCA’s Northern Construction Connection November 2025 Newsletter and VICA’s e-New.
Recall from our previous article entitled “B.C.’s Infrastructure Projects Act: Impact on Local Government Approvals” that the Infrastructure Projects Act (the “Act”) was introduced to expedite the approval processes necessary for delivering infrastructure projects in British Columbia. The legislation aims to streamline regulatory and approval requirements to accelerate the development of critical infrastructure projects across the province.
As published in the NRCA’s Northern Construction Connection October 2025 Newsletter and VICA’s e-New.
It is not uncommon for participants in the construction industry to operate under the assumption that claims for extensions of time or additional compensation related to delays cannot be made, if a construction contract does not contain express provisions addressing delays in the performance of the work. This is a misconception because the principles of contract law may still allow such claims, and this article highlights why including clear delay clauses in construction contracts is in the best interest of both owners and contractors.
As published in the NRCA’s Northern Construction Connection September 2025 Newsletter and VICA’s e-New.
Updates as of September 10, 2025 for legal issues in municipal tax sales as presented at the GFOABC Annual Conference on May 26, 2025.
In the last instalment of “Builders Lien Basics” we discussed s. 3(1) of the Builders Lien Act, which provides that “an improvement done with the prior knowledge, but not at the request, of an owner is deemed to have been done at the request of the owner”. As one result, a landlord’s interest in their property may be subject to a lien arising from work done for their tenant with the landlord’s knowledge.
As published in the NRCA’s Northern Construction Connection August 2025 Newsletter and VICA’s e-New.
Over the last two years, we have published several articles on British Columbia’s Housing Supply Act (the “Act”), tracking its enactment, the creation of associated regulation, and the imposition of housing target orders on various municipalities in the Province. Most recently, in response to advisor reports under the Act, the Minister of Housing and Municipal Affairs (the “Minister”) has proposed to issue directives to the District of Oak Bay (“Oak Bay”) and the District of West Vancouver (“West Vancouver”) requiring the amendment of various land-use bylaws and plans.
As published in the NRCA’s Northern Construction Connection July 2025 Newsletter and VICA’s e-New.
Bill 15, otherwise known as the Infrastructure Projects Act (the “Act”), received royal assent on May 29, 2025. The British Columbia provincial government (the “Province”) has described this legislation as helping deliver “… the critical infrastructure projects people need – faster”. Although the Act has yet to come into force – it requires a regulation of the Lieutenant Governor in Council to do so – this article explores how the Act may impact local government land use regulation and development powers.
As published in the NRCA’s Northern Construction Connection June 2025 Newsletter and VICA’s e-New.
The collection of property taxes from ratepayers is a core function of British Columbia municipalities. Most of the time, taxes are imposed and collected without much fuss. On occasion, a municipal collector might discover that the municipality has made a mistake. This mistake could be a miscalculation in a tax notice, a misapplied payment or a misdirected refund. A larger error, such as an improperly imposed tax, could impact hundreds or thousands of ratepayers. Some mistakes can be more easily and cheaply addressed than others.
As presented at the GFOABC Annual Conference, May 27, 2025, by Michael Moll and Aidan Andrews.
In a tender process the contractual obligations that arise after a contract is awarded but before it is formally executed are often overlooked or misunderstood by the tendering owner. A mistaken belief that there is no Contract B during this interim period could result in a breach of contract.
As published in the NRCA’s Northern Construction Connection May 2025 Newsletter and VICA’s e-New.