Will B.C.'s new permitting legislation get clean energy projects, hospitals and schools approved faster?
Langley Township Mayor Eric Woodward, said, however, that municipalities have been calling for the province to take action on infrastructure holdups for a longtime and that he's pleased to see the government finally doing something.
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He also said that while consultations with First Nations are important, for projects such as schools and hospitals the conversation usually carries on for a significant number of months with ultimately few changes requested by the nations.
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'Here in Langley, consultation with First Nations on some capital projects results In very lengthy delays, for relatively questionable considerations that come back, which don't amount to very much,' said Woodward.
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'We can send off consultations to lots of groups, and they can be aware of things. They can have some input into the process. But, if it takes six months or 12 months to get a response from a First Nation, that can't be just accepted.'
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As for industry, Chris Gardner, CEO of the Independent Contractors and Businesses Association, said that the selective nature of the legislation doesn't move the needle for industries like LNG that he believes are critical for the province moving forward.
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He said that the NDP has also built up so much red tape over the years that it takes forever to get anything done and that the party has now decided to create a whole new Infrastructure Ministry to fix the problem it created in the first place.
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'We can't approve a mine in 15 years. We're not gonna be able to move our goods anywhere if we can't replace the Massey Tunnel,' said Gardner. 'We need a real reform in terms of how we're approving projects.'
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Jairo Yunis, Business Council of B.C. policy analyst, was more optimistic about the bill, saying it will send a 'strong signal' that the government is serious about speeding up permitting.
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At the same time, he said 'the real test will be whether the new processes can deliver faster, more predictable outcomes,' which will be dependent on how the NDP handle 'Indigenous consultation obligations, regulatory clarity and transparency in project selection.'
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While the fast-tracking of hospitals and schools is new, the government announced in December that wind power projects would be exempt from the standard process for environmental assessments. In January, it was announced that the North Coast transmission line would be granted the same exemption.
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Energy Minister Adrian Dix said on Wednesday that following the introduction of Bill 14 what would happen is the creation of a whole new review system by the energy regulator, which until this point has primarily been in charge of the oil-and-gas sector.
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'It's a one-window process, but it's going to be dramatically more efficient,' he told reporters.
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As for Bill 15, Ma explained the legislation will allow the province to take actions such as grouping projects together so they can go through the procurement process all at once or deliver projects on behalf of smaller school districts.
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She said the environmental assessment process will also be expedited for these projects through the Environmental Assessment Office.
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Specific exclusions to the types of projects being approved include low-barrier housing and safe injection sites, which will still need to go through the normal process.
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Peter Milobar, Conservative finance critic, said he agrees in principle with the government's efforts to speed up projects, but that completely dismantling the regulatory process isn't the way to go.
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He accused the government of simply bringing back the cancelled provisions of its controversial tariff response legislation, Bill 7, that would have given the NDP extraordinary power over any matter to do with the economy.
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'This is more on the construction project side of the equation, being able to, just at will, pick winners and losers and decide which investments don't need to have any type of real, meaningful government oversight or environmental process attached to it,' said Milobar. 'We have no faith that that would be done properly.'
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The Tory critic pointed out that it was the NDP who reformed the environmental assessment process that they're now saying is too slow for certain projects.
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Green Interim Leader Jeremy Valeriote said the government needs to strike a fine balance between making sure these projects are completed in a timely manner and making sure the environment is cared for.
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'We do need to get things built, particularly renewable energy, schools and hospitals,' said Valeriote. 'What we are wary of is eroding environmental standards and environmental regulations that make sure that they're built properly and with the highest environmental responsibilities.'
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