Province introduces municipal affairs statutes amendments act

Proposed legislative amendments respond to local government and community requests to streamline, simplify and modernize several local government processes, making some services more user friendly for people in Vancouver and throughout British Columbia.

If passed by the legislature, Bill 4 – municipal affairs statutes amendments act (No. 1), 2024, will:

• Improve the quality and timeliness of reporting for the Municipal Finance Authority
  • The Municipal Finance Authority Act will be amended to extend the deadline for the authority’s first annual meeting to May 15 from the current deadline of March 31. In recent years, the act’s reporting requirements have become more complex. The amendments to extend the deadline for the first annual meeting, where these reports are presented, will allow staff adequate time to prepare year-end reports and financial statements required for the meeting. The amendments will also bring the reporting deadline in line with the deadline for local governments to finalize their audited financial statements.

• Speed up administrative processes for dog licensing and landscaping in the City of Vancouver
  • The Vancouver Charter will be amended to expedite administrative processes with dog licensing and landscaping. The dog licensing amendments will enable the City of Vancouver to delegate decisions about the suspension or revocation of dog licences to staff. Currently, decisions to suspend or revoke a dog licence must be made by council. Additionally, new landscaping amendments will expand Vancouver’s existing authority, by providing council with the ability to require landscaping provisions as a condition of a development permit. The amendments will help to streamline the building and development approvals process while also helping Vancouver in reaching its climate change adaptation objectives.

• Update the Union of British Columbia Municipalities Act
  • ​The Union of British Columbia Municipalities Act will be made more inclusive by replacing the terms “municipal” and “municipalities” with terminology that will better reflect the membership of Union of British Columbia Municipalities (UBCM), which includes regional districts and First Nations. The UBCM was established in 1905 to represent the common concerns of municipalities throughout British Columbia. Since then, the UBCM and the local government system in British Columbia have changed significantly. UBCM membership includes regional districts, member First Nations and the Islands Trust.

Learn More: 

For more information about B.C. legislation, visit: https://strongerbc.gov.bc.ca/Legislation