New bill could break B.C.’s housing gridlock

Professional Reliance Act would let professionals do their jobs and cut through the municipal red tape that’s driving up housing prices

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Bureaucratic red tape and overlapping reviews are driving up housing costs in British Columbia. A new bill before the legislature could finally cut through the delays and help get homes built faster.

British Columbia has some of the highest housing prices in the country, and delays in development approvals only make things worse.

In most B.C. cities, builders must wait years before starting construction. Even after licensed professionals—engineers, architects, geotechnical experts—sign off on a project, municipal staff often redo the same work. Cities conduct their own internal plan checks, reassess environmental reports and duplicate Building Code evaluations already certified by provincial regulators.

The intent was to ensure safety, but in practice, it adds costly delays and overlaps with provincial oversight already in place.

Those delays mean higher financing and holding costs, which ultimately raise the price of housing. Worse, when city staff sign off on certified professional work, it’s the municipality and taxpayers who assume legal liability for any future issues.

That’s where the Professional Reliance Act comes in. Introduced by Nanaimo-Lantzville MLA George Anderson, the bill would require municipalities to accept certified work from licensed professionals—those regulated under B.C.’s Professional Governance Act—without redoing those reviews at city hall.

It’s a surprising move coming from an NDP backbencher, given the party’s reputation for favouring process over speed. But Anderson isn’t a typical New Democrat. A former Nanaimo city councillor, he practised corporate and commercial law with Miller Thomson LLP and MLT Aikins LLP before running for provincial office and winning a seat in the last election.

He gave the bill its first reading on Oct. 21. Legislative debate begins Oct. 27.

“This bill is about helping build the future of this province together: faster, smarter and with hope,” Anderson said.

If both the NDP and the opposition support it, the bill could mark a turning point in how B.C. handles housing development.

It puts the B.C. Conservatives in a tough position. They’ve long campaigned for red tape reduction, but may be tempted to oppose the bill simply because it comes from the NDP. That would be difficult to justify. Opposing legislation that aligns with their own stated values would raise serious questions about consistency.

It also puts pressure on the NDP to back one of their own. If Anderson’s bill stalls for internal political reasons, voters will take note, especially those still waiting for housing relief in one of Canada’s most expensive provinces.

Industry leaders have echoed these concerns for years. Earlier this year, Casey Edge, executive director of the Victoria Residential Builders Association, told a Macdonald-Laurier Institute audience that government—not developers—is the primary driver of high housing costs.

“Why are we unable to boost supply?” he asked. “Government controls market housing. Three levels of government tell us where and what to build (zoning), when to build (permits), how to build (Building Code), and how much revenue they require (taxes, fees and amenities).”

Among those costs are DCCs (Development Cost Charges used to fund infrastructure) and amenity contributions required as conditions of approval. These fees, layered on top of lengthy approval timelines and evolving building codes, continue to drive prices higher.

The Professional Reliance Act won’t solve everything, but it’s a practical step toward faster approvals, reduced legal risk and more predictable development timelines. It could also let cities refocus staff on long-term planning and community engagement instead of reviewing already-certified paperwork.

Developers will cheer if the bill becomes law. But the loudest applause may come from prospective homeowners, the families waiting, often for years, for a place to call their own.

Mark MacDonald is a columnist for the Business Examiner News Group in British Columbia.