Editor:
There is currently a bill before the BC Legislature (known as Bill 15), which causes me great concern. The stated goal –– to get urgent infrastructure projects moving faster –– is admirable. However, Bill 15 appears to give unilateral decision making to the Premier and his appointed staff about which projects should be undertaken. And it talks about eliminating red tape at various levels including municipal governments. But, curiously, it seems their approach to getting projects built faster is to add another layer of bureaucracy to the process. That doesn’t sound like cutting red tape.
The province needs to look at the delays caused by their processes as well as those of our indigenous neighbours. For example, we wait years for water permits and archeological approvals, to name just two. Certainly, municipalities can and should streamline our processes but such are not the key impediments to expediting major infrastructure projects.
So, while the stated goals of Bill 15 are to be applauded, the ways the provincial government propose to proceed are far from appealing and, in my view, unacceptable.
I hope the provincial government hears these concerns, as expressed by the public, and by mayors and regional district chairs as recently as last Friday and takes the summer to get this right.
In particular, I encourage Mr. Eby to focus on eliminating existing red tape throughout his government, rather than growing it. Eliminating unnecessary and duplicated processes and adopting a maximum time frame to approve permits will go much further to getting all infrastructure projects moving than adding new layers of government oversight. And, by all means, challenge municipalities to do the same.
John R Henderson
Sechelt
