During the spring 2022 legislative session, Premier John Horgan and the B.C. government continued to deliver on commitments to put people first and build a stronger province for everyone.

“The challenges British Columbians are facing today reinforce that we’re at our best when we look out for each other,” said Premier Horgan. “Instead of tax cuts for those at the top and deep cuts to services, our government chooses to put people first. We’re going to keep working to lower costs for families, build a cleaner future and grow a stronger economy that works for everyone.”

Government passed 22 pieces of legislation focused on making life better throughout B.C. and supporting people through challenging times.

A new law took steps to protect people in an overheated housing market by enabling the creation of a Homebuyer Protection Period. It would give people buying a home more time to consider their offers, ensure financing and obtain a home inspection, instead of feeling pressured to waive these conditions.

Working together in partnership with Indigenous Peoples, the government released the historic Declaration Act Action Plan, which outlines specific actions to create a better province for Indigenous Peoples in B.C. The government also took new steps to dismantle systemic racism and discrimination faced by Indigenous, Black and people of colour, with new anti-racism data legislation.

New changes to make collective bargaining more accessible will help protect workers who want more say about workplace safety, compensation and benefits. A new single-step certification process will enable workers to join a union when a clear majority of employees indicate they want to and help protect them from interference or intimidation.

A new oil and gas royalty system was introduced, putting the interests of British Columbians first and eliminating the largest fossil fuel subsidy in B.C. Along with eliminating other outdated and inefficient subsidies, these changes will give British Columbians a fair return and allow the government to invest more in their priorities, such as improving services, bringing down costs, and tackling carbon pollution. In addition, the expanded Low Carbon Fuel Standard will speed up the use of made-in-BC cleaner fuels and cut pollution to the equivalent of taking more than 700,000 vehicles off the road.

The introduction of Budget 2022 helps build a stronger B.C. for everyone by investing in:

• saving parents money on child care, cutting fees in half for many families on the path to $10 a day, and building on the fastest space creation in B.C. history;
• accelerating record investments in building homes people can afford, resulting in 32,000 homes built or underway as part of a 10-year plan;
• delivering a record number of surgeries and lowering wait times for hip and knee replacements to the shortest in Canada, after being among the longest in Canada prior to 2017;
• building 17 new or expanded hospitals, moving new cancer care centres forward, and providing new training seats for nurses to help add to the 30,000 health-care workers hired since the start of the pandemic;
• building more resilient infrastructure, with landmark projects, including the Broadway Subway, Pattullo Bridge and Highway 1 through Kicking Horse Canyon underway, with more projects in planning stages including the Surrey-Langley Skytrain;
• protecting people and communities from climate-related disasters, including moving BC Wildfire Services to a proactive year-round model, and strengthening B.C.’s defences through climate preparedness and new support for local governments;
• a plan to connect everyone in British Columbia to high-speed internet by 2027, building on connecting more than 500 remote, rural and Indigenous communities; and
• growing an inclusive and clean economy with the Stronger BC Economic Plan, which will close the skills gap, grow B.C.’s life sciences, manufacturing and agricultural sectors, and build an economy that works for more people.

Learn More:

For more information on legislation during the spring 2022 legislative session, visit: https://workingforyou.gov.bc.ca/legislation/