British Columbia.

• Author: Stickle, Katey
• Position: Legislative Reports

The spring sitting of the fourth session of the 41st Parliament adjourned on May 30, 2019. During the sitting, 33 bills received Royal Assent, including two Private Members' bills introduced by the Third Party Leader.

Legislation

The following bills were of particular note:

* Bill 8, Employment Standards Amendment Act, 2019, makes changes to the Employment Standards Act which has not been significantly updated in 15 years. The Bill received Royal Assent on May 30, 2019 and the changes include stronger child employment protections that broadly raise the age a child may work from 12 to 16 with exemptions that allow 14-year-olds and 15-yearolds to perform light work. The Bill also seeks to modernize the employment standards system with a more effective compliance and enforcement program.

* Bill 10, Income Tax Amendment Act, 2019, is designed to bring together the fiscal elements needed to support LNG investment. This bill repeals the Liquefied Natural Gas Income Tax Act and the Liquefied Natural Gas Project Agreements Act and amends the Income Tax Act to implement a natural gas tax credit. This provides a non-refundable tax credit to qualifying corporations that own natural gas as it enters the inlet meter of an LNG facility in British Columbia. An amendment proposed by a Member of the Official Opposition, Mike de Jong, removing the Liquefied Natural Gas Project Agreements Act from a list of Acts to be repealed by the Bill, was adopted when the division on the amendment resulted in a tie and the Chair, Deputy Speaker Joan Isaacs, a Member of the Official Opposition, cast her vote in favour of the amendment, stating her decision was a matter of conscience. The bill was reported as amended and received Royal Assent on April 11, 2019.

* Bill 30, Labour Relations Code Amendment Act, 2019, reflects the recommendations provided to government by a panel of special advisers who undertook a comprehensive public review of the Labour Relations Code during early 2018. Changes introduced by this bill include protecting union certification and collective agreement rights for employees in specified sectors who are affected by contract re-tendering; and enhancing mediation and arbitration provisions to ensure timely and efficient resolution of labour relations disputes. The Labour Relations Code Amendment Act received Royal Assent on May 30, 2019.

On April 10, 2019, the Third Party Leader, Andrew Weaver, introduced Bill M209, Business Corporations Amendment Act (No. 2), which received Royal Assent on May 16, 2019. This bill amends the Business Corporations Act, adding a new section to the act that would give companies in British Columbia who put the pursuit of social and environmental goals at the heart of their mission the ability to incorporate as benefit companies. The Leader of the Third Party also introduced Bill M206, Residential Tenancy Amendment Act, 2019, which amends the Residential Tenancy Act to provide tenants with the ability to end their fixed-term lease if staying in their rental unit is a threat to their safety...