Christine Boyle, Minister of Housing and Municipal Affairs, has issued the following statement following the request of George Anderson, MLA for Nanaimo-Lantzville, to the Select Standing Committee on Private Bills and Private Member’s Bills to not continue consideration of Bill M216, Professional Reliance Act, in light of the Province’s commitment to undertake further work on the bill’s core principles:

“I would like to express my gratitude to MLA Anderson for his thoughtful work on Bill M216 for advancing a proposal to help speed up housing approvals in the province. His work framed important conversations on how regulated professionals like architects and engineers can play a greater role in the permitting and approval processes. Building more homes for people is a goal that MLA Anderson and I deeply share.

“In recognition of the local governments, organizations and individuals that took countless hours to provide written submissions to the committee, the Ministry of Housing and Municipal Affairs will be engaging with stakeholders to see how we can continue to reduce permitting timelines for new housing projects. This work will explore how to build on the principles of safety, speed and professional responsibility while balancing the needs of local governments and regulated professionals. We anticipate this work to begin later this year.

“Our government has already taken important steps to streamline housing approvals through the Development Approval Process Review and the new Building Permit Hub, and we know there is more work to do. Bill M216 has made a meaningful contribution to that work, and I look forward to working with MLA Anderson in advancing this important conversation in the weeks and months to come.”