British Columbia.

• Author: Wall, Ron
• Position: Legislative Reports

The Legislative Assembly of British Columbia resumed on September 28, 2015, for a continuation of the fourth session. As reported in the previous issue, the Legislative Assembly adjourned on July 21, 2015, after a rare summer sitting which lasted six days.

Legislation

In the fall sitting, 11 government bills had been introduced at the time of writing, and five bills had received Third Reading. Bills introduced in the fall included the following initiatives.

* Bill 35, the Workers Compensation Amendment Act (No. 2), 2015, would make workplaces safer following the accidents that occurred in Prince George and Bums Lake sawmills in 2012, including new requirements for employers to immediately report fires and explosions, participation for worker and employer representatives in employer accident investigations, a role for workplace health and safety committees to give advice to employers on equipment and machinery changes, and an increased ability for WorkSafeBC to assist health and safety committees in resolving disagreements over health and safety matters.

* Bill 38, the Franchises Act, proposes a framework of legal rights and remedies to the province's business owners who operate or are looking to operate a franchise business in the province.

* Building on past legislative initiatives to support government's liquefied natural gas (LNG) strategy, Bill 40, the Natural Gas Development Statutes Amendment Act, 2015, would allow carbon capture and storage as a permanent solution for disposing of carbon dioxide in British Columbia, improve rules and regulations for oil and gas activities, and strengthen industrial oversight in preparation of more large-scale projects moving forward, such as the construction and operation of pipelines and LNG facilities.

* Bill 43, the Local Elections Campaign Financing (Expense Limits) Amendment Act, 2015, would establish a framework for setting expense limits by regulation for local government candidates, school board trustees, and third-party advertising in advance of the next local government elections in British Columbia in 2018. The legislation, introduced as an exposure bill, follows the recommendations of the Special Committee on Local Elections Expense Limits, as outlined in its June 2015 report.

Parliamentary Committees Activity

The Select Standing Committee on Finance and Government Services concluded its annual pre-budget consultations on October 15, 2015. The Committee received 572 submissions, in the...