Legislative Updates

The provincial government has introduced an Attorney General Bill for amendments to better serve British Columbians by improving access to services and making it easier to handle cross-border child support matters.  The Bill includes amendments to the Interjurisdictional Support Orders Act.

Family Law Act regulations regarding child support recalculation (“Part 5”) have been amended by the government and take effect Mar 1, 2022.

The Municipal Affairs Statutes Amendment Act (No. 2), 2021 introduced a number of significant changes to local government legislation and received Royal Assent on November 25, 2021.

A private-members bill was introduced by the leader of the BC Green Party on October 28, 2021 that would prohibit the use of conversion therapy practices in BC.

On October 18, 2021, the BC Government introduced Bill 22. This Bill includes significant changes to the Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act (FOIPPA); the changes are intended to ensure the legislation keeps pace with new technology and the need to ensure online privacy is protected.

The BC Government has now implemented changes to employment standards that will protect children and young workers from dangerous work or excessive hours of labour.

The Supreme Court Civil Rules will be amended effective December 1, 2021; the changes will include updated provisions to address electronic wills, the forms used in locating an electronic will and forms for applications to administer an estate. In addition, sections 2 and 4 – 10 of the Wills, Estates and Succession Amendment Act, 2020 are brought into force effective October 1, 2021.

BC Law Institute (BCLI) Report on the Builders Lien Act