GVBOT Letter on Bill 15
May 23, 2025
The Honourable David Eby, Premier of British Columbia and The Honourable Bowinn Ma, Minister of Infrastructure
501 Belleville Street Victoria B.C. V8V 1X4
Delivered via e-mail
RE: Bill 15
Dear Premier Eby and Minister Ma,
On behalf of the Greater Vancouver Board of Trade and our members, I am writing regarding Bill 15, Infrastructure Projects Act, which was introduced for First Reading to the Legislature on May 1, 2025.
In January, the Greater Vancouver Board of Trade launched the Agenda for Economic Growth- The 3% Challenge. It was a call to action for the Province to put economic growth at the front of the public agenda. At the time, we said that a key action to meeting that challenge was the accelerated delivery of major public and private sector projects. Since then, the need for an Agenda for Economic Growth has become even more critical in light of the trade actions against our economy. It is essential that we attract more private capital to our province.
We recognize the imperative of unlocking the social and economic potential behind the development of critical public and private infrastructure projects. We have highlighted some barriers to doing business in our latest policy report, Simplify to Grow: Boosting Business in British Columbia.
Unnecessary red tape, overlapping jurisdictions and permitting approval delays should not and cannot negatively impact the enhancement of public services such as hospitals, schools and transportation projects. Nor should those same issues create unreasonable impediments to private sector projects that can spur and sustain new economic growth for our Province.
Bill 15 lays out legislative tools for the Province, through the new Ministry of Infrastructure, to designate public infrastructure projects and private sector projects to participate in accelerated provincial and local government processes – and to put those projects at the “front of the line” for decision-making under a framework that is tailored to the specific risks of each project.
Undertaken with a commitment to continue to protect our Province’s high environmental standards and commitments to First Nations, we believe this approach can have a meaningful impact on the advancement of major projects and our economy overall.
We acknowledge that Bill 15 puts substantial tools in the hands of the Province -- and more precisely, the Cabinet – to make important choices about the types of projects designated under this legislation, and the respective pathways those projects would follow. We support and encourage the Province to work closely with First Nations, and local governments to advance major project development. It is critical that the legislation creates both the efficiencies and certainty required to attract the capital investment we need to B.C.
Therefore, we believe it is essential the Province undertake every effort to ensure that the associated regulations bring a transparent and consistent approach to the application of this legislation – especially with respect to the criteria for evaluation and selection of “provincially significant” private sector projects. We further believe that all sectors (without exclusion) have projects that can serve the public interest, and that if they meet clear standards should have the opportunity to bring projects forward for designation.
It is also important that Bill 15 not be considered a substitution for the equally pressing need to continually drive the systemic reduction of red tape, jurisdictional overlaps and permitting delays that impact our business environment, and particularly small businesses. In tandem with the measures in this legislative, we strongly encourage the Province to continue to drive its commitments to addressing the systemic issues across the Province through its upcoming “ease of business” review and other avenues.
Bill 15 offers measures to meet this call to action to get our economy moving by permitting projects faster. With the right implementation approach and enabling regulations, we believe that it can contribute to the advancement of more projects across the Province. That said, the ultimate proof of success is not in this legislation itself, but will be in whether it truly results in projects being accelerated, built and put to work in serving and bettering our communities. We look forward to continuing to work with the Province as Bill 15 advances through the Legislature, and as enabling regulations and practices are developed.
Sincerely,
Bridgitte Anderson
President and Chief Executive Officer
Greater Vancouver Board of Trade
CC:
- Shannon Salter, Deputy Minister to the Premier
- Bobbi Plecas, Deputy Minister, Infrastructure