British Columbia.

• Author: Sourial, Susan
• Position: Legislative Reports

On the morning of October 3, 2011, the third session prorogued, and that afternoon the Speech from the Throne opened the fourth session of the 39th Parliament.

The Throne Speech was delivered by Lieutenant Governor Steven Point and made reference to the government's job creation plan and its commitment to restore a balanced budget in the 2013/14 fiscal year. Other initiatives include: a new provincial statutory holiday (Family Day) on the third Monday of every February, commencing in 2013; a new position of municipal auditor general; a review of the operations of all Crown corporations (to begin in January 2012); and a proposal to permit television cameras and radio recording devices in future trials of those accused of participating in the Vancouver riot in June.

The opposition countered that the Throne Speech failed to address issues such as child poverty, unemployment, access to post-secondary education, and the skills shortage. Opposition leader Adrian Dix also claimed that a sense of optimism for the province was absent in the Throne Speech.

Legislation

In the fall sitting, several noteworthy government bills had passed second reading by the end of the reporting period:

* Bill 2--Flathead Watershed Area Conservation Act: Restricts mining and oil and gas activity in the Flathead watershed area; prohibits the disposition of Crown land in the area; designates coal land in the area as a coal land reserve; and establishes a mineral reserve on the area.

* Bill 3--Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Amendment Act, 2011: Promotes the routine proactive disclosure of government information, and allows for the collection and sharing of personal information, based on consent, among government ministries.

* Bill 4--Offence Amendment Act, 2011: Provides additional punishment options that can be used when a defendant who is subject to a probation order is convicted of another offence.

* Bill 6--Forests, Lands and Natural Resource Operations Statutes Amendment Act, 2011: Provides the minister with the discretion to add or remove private lands from a woodlot licence area and extend the maximum term of a licence-to-cut to 10 years.

* Bill 11--Greater Vancouver Transit Enhancement Act, 2011: Allows the Greater Vancouver Regional District to raise the fuel tax by 2 cents per litre with funds earmarked for transit initiatives.

* Bill 12--Teachers Act: Establishes new certification and discipline processes for public school and independent...