Bill 15: Infrastructure Projects Act is overly broad and dangerously vague, group says
VANCOUVER/UNCEDED xʷməθkʷəy̓əm (MUSQUEAM), Sḵwx̱wú7mesh (SQUAMISH) AND səlilwətaɬ (TSLEIL-WAUTUTH) TERRITORIES — Ecojustice is sounding the alarm over a troubling bill that the group says will significantly weaken the permitting and environmental assessment process in British Columbia, will increase the likelihood that projects will cause long-term damage to the environment, and could adversely impact Indigenous rights.
Sarah Korpan, government relations and campaign manager at Ecojustice, made the following statement in reaction to the introduction of Bill 15: Infrastructure Projects Act:
“Premier Eby is using Trump-imposed tariffs as a smokescreen to pass a power-grabbing bill that enables the government to bypass fulsome permitting, environmental assessments and decision-making with Indigenous governments. The bill gives government broad-sweeping discretionary power on “designated projects”, but it doesn’t define what types of projects these will be. This bill is not just limited to building schools, hospitals or renewable energy quickly — the government is giving itself a blank cheque to decide later what projects will be fast-tracked. The criteria will be defined later through regulation, which is an opaque process that will allow the government to avoid public and political scrutiny.
“The bill allows government to override independent regulators and exempt a project from important stages of the environmental assessment process, such as seeking consensus from Indigenous Nations, mandatory public comment periods, and even basic requirements like assessing the full environmental impacts of a project. This bill signals that, to the NDP government, nearly unchecked power is their chosen approach to “strengthening” B.C.’s economy while shutting out the voices of the people who are impacted by the province’s actions.
“While it’s important for B.C. to build toward a future of better access to hospitals, schools and renewable energy sources, this bill is the wrong way to move us in that direction. The B.C. government has already hinted that critical mineral projects could be fast-tracked with this bill. As we know all too well from the Mt. Polley disaster, mining has a long history of violating Indigenous rights and significant long-lasting damage to the environment. Further, the bill leaves the door open for the government to fast-track any mine, including those that mine gold or other minerals that are not defined as critical minerals in Canada. Large projects like mines are the reason we have environmental assessments and permitting, to make sure we listen to affected communities and mitigate potentially serious environmental harm before building a project that will impact communities for decades.
“In a matter of months, Premier Eby has quickly put the province on a slippery slope toward rapid development of projects that seek to bypass our laws. This follows a concerning trend of provincial governments across the country giving themselves unchecked power to ignore the safety of communities and their responsibility to protect the environment, all to the benefit of mega corporations and wealthy investors. Recently, Ontario introduced Bill 5, which gives Cabinet broad-sweeping power to establish essentially law-free zones for unfettered economic development. The bill guts Ontario’s Endangered Species Act to ensure habitat protection doesn’t get in the way of any project. While B.C. has said that Bill 15 will not compromise environmental standards, it’s worth pointing out that B.C. doesn’t even have an endangered species law to weaken. B.C.’s legal framework already does a poor job of protecting at-risk species and their habitat — we can’t risk legislation like Bill 15 creating an even bigger environmental threat.
“Premier Eby’s Bill 15 is not only about the economy. It’s a dangerous power grab that threatens the core democratic principle of public engagement and the role of the Legislature in decision-making. We urge Premier Eby and his government to reconsider this bill and the impact it will have on British Columbians, our democracy and the environment.”
About
Ecojustice uses the power of the law to defend nature, combat climate change, and fight for a healthy environment. Its strategic, public interest lawsuits and advocacy lead to precedent-setting court decisions and law and policy that deliver lasting solutions to Canada’s most urgent environmental problems. As Canada’s largest environmental law charity, Ecojustice operates offices in Vancouver, Calgary, Toronto, Ottawa, and Halifax.