‘Autocratic’ Bill 15 Fuels Political Firestorm for BC NDP
(Image courtesy of CBC)
Premier David Eby’s government is facing its most serious political test yet as Bill 15, a sweeping infrastructure bill branded by critics as a power grab, draws severe resistance from First Nations, environmental groups, municipalities, and now the BC Green Party—whose refusal to back the legislation has fuelled speculation it could trigger a snap provincial election.
Bill 15, the Infrastructure Projects Act, would give cabinet the power to bypass environmental assessments, overrule local governments and fast-track approvals for projects. The BC Greens, who hold the balance of power, have declared they will not support the bill — which is reportedly being treated as a matter of confidence — unless major amendments are made.
“Bill 15, in its current form, grants the NDP cabinet sweeping powers to bypass environmental assessment, municipal authorities, and the jurisdiction of First Nations under the guise of fast-tracking major infrastructure projects,” said interim BC Greens leader Jeremy Valeriote.
The bill empowers ministers to override regulatory processes and impose alternative environmental reviews. It also allows the cabinet to approve any project it deems “provincially significant,” though the term remains undefined.
“We agree that hospitals, schools, and public infrastructure need to be expedited, and that unnecessary red tape must be removed to get these projects built,” Valeriote said. “However, our concern lies with the bill’s provisions allowing the province to approve any project it deems ‘provincially-significant’ — a term that remains undefined and vague.”
Widespread condemnation
First Nations leadership has strongly condemned the bill, warning that it violates the province’s legal obligations under the Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples Act (DRIPA).
“In developing Bill 15, the province conducted no meaningful consultation and co-operation with First Nations, and did not adhere to its own interim approach on the alignment of laws,” said Grand Chief Stewart Phillip, president of the Union of BC Indian Chiefs.
BCAFN Regional Chief Terry Teegee echoed that concern, describing the legislation as “overreaching” and warning it “enables the province to bypass permitting processes and expedite environmental assessment for any project they deem a priority.”
Robert Phillips of the First Nations Summit added that the government is pursuing a misguided path. “Reconciliation and economic growth are not incompatible, they go hand in hand,” he said. “If the province chooses to neglect the former in a misguided attempt to advance the latter, it will quickly find itself mired in legal proceedings that benefit absolutely no one.”
Environmental organizations have raised similar concerns.
“Steamrolling human rights and environmental assessments is never acceptable,” said Tegan Hansen, Senior Forest Campaigner at Stand.earth. “While Premier David Eby and Minister Bowinn Ma are trying to justify their power grab, their own election promise to pass legislation on biodiversity and ecosystem health has been put on the backburner.”
The Wilderness Committee minced no words in accusing the government of selling out its climate commitments to benefit corporate developers. “Eby has lost the plot on who he works for — the people who can barely afford rent right now, not the billionaires looking to exploit BC’s ecosystems,” said Conservation and Policy Campaigner Lucero Gonzalez.
Protected Areas Campaigner Joe Foy said the government’s attempt to gut environmental assessments is not only reckless, but a betrayal of public trust. “From Taseko’s proposed New Prosperity Gold-Copper Mine Project at Fish Lake to the Site C dam project on the Peace River, these assessments gave First Nations, scientific experts, and community members the opportunity to defend their lands,” he said.
“I can’t understand why this so-called progressive government would remove our rights to defend the environment and the economy from corporate interests.”
The Union of BC Municipalities (UBCM) has also expressed concern. In a statement, the organization noted that “the process leading to the drafting of the legislation has been rushed, and did not include meaningful consultation with UBCM or member local governments.”
UBCM further warned that Bill 15 gives the Minister of Infrastructure broad authority to override local bylaws, including zoning regulations, Official Community Plans, and subdivision approvals. It also flagged uncertainty over who would bear the financial and legal consequences if a provincial override led to costly errors. “If the Province is to intervene with respect to local government regulatory decision-making, the legislation is not clear whether the Province will take on the liability of their intervention, and subsequent decisions,” UBCM said.
‘Autocracy dressed up as efficiency’
Former Green MLA Adam Olsen, now a treaty negotiator with the Tsartlip Nation, described the bill as “autocracy dressed up as efficiency.”
In response, Infrastructure Minister Bowinn Ma said all First Nations will be invited to participate in information sessions, and defended the bill as necessary to reduce delays. “These new tools will allow us to advance critically important projects in a more timely way, such as when construction of a new school is delayed by over a year due to an outstanding permit,” she said.
The legislation moves to the committee stage next week. If the Greens oppose the bill and all other MLAs vote against it, the NDP could still pass Bill 15 by relying on Speaker Raj Chouhan to cast a tie-breaking vote.
