British Columbia.

• Author: Plant, Byron
• Position: Legislative Reports

The fall sitting of the Legislative Assembly adjourned on November 24. The House sat for a total of 24 days, during which time a Throne Speech was delivered and 13 government bills were passed. The fourth session of the 39th Parliament is scheduled to resume on February 14. Budget Day will take place on February 21 pursuant to the Budget Transparency and Accountability Act, which requires that the budget and main estimates be presented to the Legislative Assembly on the third. Tuesday in February.

Two notable pieces of legislation were introduced in November:

* Bill 16--Family Law Act: modernizes family law and makes improvements in the areas of dispute resolution, guardianship and access, family asset division, and court-ordered protection. Bill 16 received unanimous support during debate and passed third reading on November 23.

* Bill 20--Auditor General for Local Government Act: provides for the establishment of an auditor general, under the Ministry of Community, Sport and Cultural Development, to conduct performance audits of the operations of local governments, and to make those results public. Bill 20 was introduced on the last day of the fall sitting and is expected to be considered when the fourth session resumes.

On November 15, the Select Standing Committee on Finance and Government Services released its report on the Budget 2012 consultations. The report, based on province-wide public consultations held over a five-week period, contains 75 recommendations for the next provincial budget. The Committee also completed its annual review of the budgets of the eight independent legislative offices, and issued a report of recommendations on December 14.

On November 15, a special committee released a report recommending that Mary Ellen Turpel-Lafond be re-appointed as the Representative for Children and Youth for a second five-year term. Later that day, the House passed a unanimous resolution confirming her appointment. Ms. Turpel-Lafond was appointed as the province's first Representative for Children and Youth in 2006.

The Special Committee on Cosmetic Pesticides, which is inquiring into and issuing recommendations on the proposed regulation of the sale and use of pesticides in the province, concluded its e-consultation on December 16. The...