The BC government wants to accelerate the shift to renewable energy and improve infrastructure delivery. However, two new bills — Bill 14 (Renewable Energy Projects Permitting Act) and Bill 15 (Infrastructure Projects Authority Act) — go too far, too fast, and risk serious long-term harm to the democratic and environmental safeguards we rely on.
These bills are drawing widespread opposition from First Nations, legal experts, environmental organizations, and community members across the province. The Union of BC Indian Chiefs (UBCIC) has issued a clear call to Kill the Bills, stating they “undermine Indigenous Title and Rights, and create major setbacks to environmental and public oversight.”
Read the UBCIC Kill the Bills statement
What’s at Stake?
Bill 14 creates a “streamlined” permitting system for renewable energy projects, allowing Cabinet to exempt projects from oversight, with no clear environmental impact threshold and no requirement for public or Indigenous engagement.
Bill 15 grants Cabinet broad power to designate projects as “significant,” allowing them to bypass Official Community Plans (OCPs), override local bylaws, and fast-track approvals with minimal environmental review or community input.
Together, these bills create a troubling pathway for fast-tracked, under-scrutinized development across BC, not just for renewable energy, but potentially for extractive or industrial infrastructure.
What Needs to Change?
We support clean energy and efficient planning, but not at the cost of accountability, environmental integrity, and Indigenous rights. Practical, good-faith amendments could fix these bills, such as:
- Require impact-based thresholds for streamlined permitting
- Restore public notice and Indigenous engagement for all Level 2 and 3 projects
- Retain Environmental Assessment Office (EAO) oversight
- Uphold DRIPA by requiring free, prior, and informed consent, not just consultation
- Restrict Bill 15 powers to public-interest infrastructure, not fossil fuel projects
- Involve local governments in planning processes and prevent OCP overrides
Take Action – The Vote Is Imminent
Bills 14 and 15 are expected to be voted on in the BC Legislature this week. If passed unamended, they could permanently weaken BC’s environmental laws and public trust in government decision-making.
We urge everyone to contact their MLA immediately.
To make it easy, the Wilderness Committee has created a simple letter-writing tool to help you send a message calling for critical changes to both bills.
We need a legislative framework that supports renewable energy and infrastructure without sacrificing environmental protections, Indigenous rights, or local democracy.
Let’s choose a better path—one that honours the land, respects communities, and protects BC’s biodiversity for generations to come.