Writing Laws In Private.

Original article on the pause to the Heritage Conservation Act: https://vancouversun.com/opinion/columnists/vaughn-palmer-david-eby-pause-bc-heritage-act-makeover-a-recipe-for-backlash

What Happened With B.C.’s Heritage Conservation Act?

The B.C. government recently put an open-ended pause on its attempted rewrite of the Heritage Conservation Act (HCA). This update, which has been underway for nearly four years, was pursued in an attempt to update the HCA to ensure it was consistent with the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UNDRIP).

What was the update supposed to do?

The government said the Act overhaul had two goals:

1. Better protect heritage and cultural sites, including Indigenous heritage.

2. Speed up approvals for housing and development, not slow them down.

In theory, that sounds like a win-win.

What actually happened?

After early public input, the government shifted the real work to a closed working group made up only of provincial officials and Indigenous representatives. Local governments—who would be responsible for applying many these rules and directly impacted by the changes—were not involved in shaping the changes. The entire process was confidential. Those who were allowed behind the curtain to take part in the decision making were bound by oaths and non-disclosure agreements.

When municipalities were finally briefed in August 2025, they discovered most decisions had already been made. Left feeling like they had no input, no consultation, no voice.

"The specific and detailed amendments proposed (at the August 2025 briefing) were developed by the provincial government and First Nations with no local government involvement...it is unclear how much room there is for changes."

Why is this a concern?

Local governments and municipalities are worried for many reasons. And rightfully so. These proposed changes could:

• Add new costs and responsibilities for cities and towns

• Expand the definition of “heritage” in unclear ways

• Slow down housing, infrastructure, and development approvals

• Undercut the government’s own promise to streamline building processes

  
  

In short, the reworking of the HCA that was supposed to speed things up looked like it could actually slow things down.

Why the pause?

After widespread criticism (which includes a near-unanimous warning from the Union of BC Municipalities) the government acknowledged it had “heard the message” and paused the legislation indefinitely. There is now no timeline for when (or if) a revised version will move forward.

The bigger issue

This episode highlights a deeper concern: consultation that happens after decisions are already made isn’t really consultation. It's only further proof that our current government continues to work behind a veil of secrecy and not in the genuine interest of British Columbians. Secrecy and limited engagement undermines public trust, especially when the people expected to enforce new changes have no voice in their formation.

Despite the governments insistence that this update would protect history and make building homes faster, their secrecy and writing laws in private approach has only left people fearing the end result will do nothing short of halt progress and negatively impact communities. Transparency matters. Especially when your position claims to represent the interests of the people.

“To take two years to develop the changes and confine engagement with local governments to a single information-sharing meeting in August is unfortunately the continuation of a concerning pattern when it comes to this government’s approach to working with local government,” she charged.  “They don’t want local government input.” - Union of B.C. Municipalities, President Trish Mandewo