Proposed Land Act Amendments – At a Glance

The Province is committed to meaningful, transparent engagement that will allow for all voices to be heard. We are taking the time to get this right and will not advance legislation until the engagement is concluded and we have considered the feedback from our ongoing outreach.

The proposed amendments to the Land Act will:

• Allow individuals who fish, hunt and recreate to continue to do so on the land, and will allow ranchers and farmers to continue their way of life and important work.
• Have no effect on tenures, renewals, private properties, or access to crown land.
• Provide durability of decisions that will help to unlock B.C.’s economic potential.
• Ensure transparency and public consultation in any future agreement on shared decision-making negotiated by a First Nation and the Province.
• Require that the public, stakeholders and proponents are engaged in the discussion of any agreement that contemplates changes or impacts to the public or third-party interests.

The proposed amendments to the Land Act will not:

• Lead to broad, sweeping, or automatic changes.
• Provide a ‘veto.’  This has been acknowledged by First Nations and legal experts.
• Compel the government to enter into an agreement as both the Provincial and a First Nation government need to make an active decision to enter into a negotiation for shared decision-making.

The proposed amendments to the Land Act seek to:

• Help the Province, First Nations, communities, industry and the public work together, where interests are aligned, with a focus on large resource projects or strategic level planning to deliver economic opportunities.
• Update the Act to align it with the Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, which was passed by the legislature in 2019 with strong support from all parties, business communities, people and First Nations. 
• Update the Act so that it legally recognizes the ability to create shared decision-making agreements, as has already been done in the Environmental Assessment Act, and the Forest & Range Practices Act.
• Provide a mechanism for government and a First Nation to make decisions together, with all the accountability provisions that apply to the Province currently, including the need for decisions to be subject to judicial review.
• Move us toward respectful partnerships that foster predictability, good jobs and opportunities, while respecting the rights of First Nations.

Written submission will be accepted until March 31, 2024. Please email LandActamendments@gov.bc.ca