Deadline Extended to January 6 to Submit Your Comments
The deadline to submit feedback on B.C.’s private member’s Bill M216, the Professional Reliance Act, has been extended to January 6, 2026, at 3:00 p.m. (Pacific Time). The original deadline was December 2, 2025.
This extension was granted by the Select Standing Committee on Private Bills and Private Members’ Bills after a request from the Union of B.C. Municipalities (UBCM) and other concerned organizations, who emphasized that local governments and the public needed more time to respond thoughtfully.
This additional time is a critical opportunity for residents, councils, planners, engineers, environmental professionals, and community groups across the province to weigh in on a bill that would fundamentally change how development is reviewed and approved — including how drinking-water protection, contaminated sites, and environmental risk are assessed.
How to Submit Your Feedback
To make a submission, you must:
- Sign in or create an account on the BC Legislature’s consultation portal.
(A valid email address is required.)
- After signing in, go to the Bill M216 consultation page:
https://consultation-portal.leg.bc.ca/consultations/154
- Click Participate Now.
- Complete the form questions and click Submit.
You will receive a confirmation email.
What the Form Will Ask You
When you participate, the portal will prompt you to answer three specific sets of questions:
1. Background & General Position on Bill M216
You’ll be asked to briefly describe:
- Who you are and/or your organization
- Why you generally support or oppose the bill
2. First Suggested Change to the Bill
You will enter:
- One first proposed change (up to 300 characters)
- Your explanation for that change (up to 1500 characters)
3. Second Suggested Change to the Bill
You will enter:
- One second proposed change (up to 300 characters)
- Your explanation for that change (up to 1500 characters)
4. Additional Suggested Changes (Optional)
- You may list any other concerns or recommendations (up to 1500 characters).
- You can submit as much or as little as you want — even a short comment matters.
Submit Your Comments Before January 6, 2026, at 3:00 p.m. PT
Every submission counts.
Every voice matters.
And this extended window gives communities more time to respond.
https://consultation-portal.leg.bc.ca/consultations/154
Bill M216 Professional Governance Act
The Sunshine Coast Conservation Association (SCCA) is urging the public to speak out on Bill M216 – Professional Reliance Act, a private member’s bill that would significantly weaken municipal authority to protect drinking water, ecological systems, and public safety.
Public feedback closes at 3:00 pm (Pacific) on December 2, 2025.
Two Submissions from SCCA
The SCCA has made two formal submissions on this Bill:
1) A detailed submission explaining why Bill M216 must be withdrawn
Our first submission documents the real-world risks of forcing municipalities to accept developer-certified technical reports without the right to require independent peer review.
It draws directly from the near-loss of Gibsons’ sole drinking-water aquifer during the proposed “George” development — a case where independent peer review exposed catastrophic risks that certified reports failed to identify.
2) A legal submission — including a redlined version of the Act
We also submitted a formal letter to the Bill’s sponsor, along with a redlined copy of the Act showing exactly how it would need to be revised to prevent harm.
The redline focuses on three issues:
- narrowing the Bill’s scope to genuinely affordable housing
- restoring local government decision-making authority
- limiting how the Bill would apply to Development Permit Areas (DPAs)
- fixing the “unless” clause so unsafe submissions can be rejected
What Bill M216 Would Do
The Bill would:
- eliminate the right to require peer review
- force acceptance of professional submissions
- centralize decisions under tecnical oversight bodies
- reduce public accountability
- undermine local democratic authority
The Bill itself confirms these changes m216-1_43rd1st (1)
This Is Not Just a Housing Bill
Bill M216 is being framed as a tool to accelerate housing.
But as written, it would apply to:
- groundwater protection zones
- environmentally sensitive areas
- industrial projects
- contaminated lands
- infrastructure construction
It is a fundamental shift in who controls land-use decisions across British Columbia.
Where and How to Submit Your Comments
Public comments are being accepted through the Province’s online consultation portal.
Submit your feedback here: https://consultation-portal.leg.bc.ca/consultations/154
Deadline: December 2, 2025, at 3:00 pm (Pacific)
You may wish to include points such as:
- Request to withdraw or fundamentally rewrite Bill M216
- Municipalities must retain the right to require peer review
- DPAs exist to protect water, land, and life
- Self-certification without independent review is unsafe
- Oversight must remain in the hands of elected decision makers, not technical professionals
Independent Review Protects Communities
It protected Gibsons drinking water.
It prevented catastrophic harm.
It must not be legislated away.
Please submit your comments before 3:00 pm on Tuesday, December 2nd