British ColumbiaMetro Vancouver mayors are taking aim at a provincial bill they say would limit a city’s ability to peer review development applications certified by professionals. But the MLA forwarding the bill says it will accelerate building much needed housing.Mayors say bill is provincial ‘overreach’ while MLA says it will speed up housing developmentLauren Vanderdeen · CBC News · Posted: Nov 14, 2025 9:00 AM EST | Last Updated: 4 hours agoListen to this articleEstimated 5 minutesThe audio version of this article is generated by text-to-speech, a technology based on artificial intelligence.Metro Vancouver chair and Burnaby Mayor Mike Hurley raised concerns about a private member’s bill in parliament at a meeting Friday, Nov. 7. (Ethan Cairns/CBC)Metro Vancouver mayors are taking aim at a provincial bill they say would limit a city’s ability to peer review development applications certified by professionals.At a committee of mayors last week, Burnaby Mayor Mike Hurley raised concerns about the Professional Reliance Act proposed by NDP MLA George Anderson.“It’s more overreach by the provincial government into our jurisdiction,” he said. The bill would mean a local government must accept any technical submission certified by a professional registered under the Professional Governance Act (PGA) for a development project approval process — unless the submission is incomplete, according to the bill.Professional engineers, geoscientists and architects, among other professions, fall under the PGA.A local government would also not be allowed to peer review a submission certified by a PGA professional.Currently, B.C. municipalities can double-check the work of professionals submitted by developers as part of approving new housing.For example, staff at the City of Vancouver review a variety of applications related to zoning, design and servicing to ensure they comply with city bylaws and other regulations, according to an emailed statement.The city said staff can generally resolve any discrepancies through its standard review procedure.‘Erosion of autonomy’: Coquitlam mayorThe bill sparked criticism around the committee table.Delta Mayor George Harvie expressed concern about losing the ability to do peer reviews, something he said is common for his municipality.“It’s amazing how many times we’ve actually had to go back and make sure that the person who submitted the application from that professional body did not really see exactly the problems and the hazards that were there.”He suggested if the bill goes through, cities would have to “beg for permission” from the province to do peer reviews.Members of Metro Vancouver’s mayors’ committee voted to express their outrage to the province over an upcoming member’s bill that the mayors say usurps some municipal decision-making. (Ben Nelms/CBC)Mayor Richard Stewart of Coquitlam said the bill would contribute to the “continued erosion of the autonomy of local government.”“The idea that the province will continue to step into someone else’s lane and insert their wisdom upon municipal government is abhorrent to me — and we ought to scream loudly.”Mayor Eric Woodward of Langley Township said the bill shouldn’t be dismissed just because it’s from a private member and not a cabinet member. He called it a “tactic to avoid scrutiny.”Bill would speed up building housing: MLA But George Anderson, the MLA putting forward the bill, said the goal is to ensure young people and families can get access to homes faster while trusting the professionals.The bill would allow cities to — as the name implies — rely on professionals, according to Anderson.He said current processes for developing housing involve city officials or consultants rechecking work already signed-off by professionals.“That means months of delay for a housing project to go ahead, which means that those costs are eventually passed on to the consumer,” Anderson said, adding the “most expensive material in construction” is delay.George Anderson, MLA for Nanaimo-Lantzville, is submitting a bill that he says will help fast-track housing development. (Legislative Assembly of B.C.)He noted the bill would also mean any liability for damages caused by reliance on the certification would be on the PGA professional and alleviate municipalities of liability.The bill itself notes it would reduce administrative costs in development approvals.Anderson said he’s currently discussing the matter with different industry members, including the Union of B.C. Municipalities and Engineers and Geoscientists of B.C.He said the bill will go forward to second reading — the second of three major approvals before it is passed into law — on Nov. 17. If it passes, Anderson said there will be more opportunities for public consultation.Housing and Municipalities Minister Christine Boyle said delivering more affordable homes is a priority for the NDP government and that Anderson is a “strong advocate for addressing these challenges.”“Debate on new ideas for how to make that happen is positive for British Columbians,” Boyle said in an emailed statement. She said she encouraged municipal governments to share their feedback on the proposal.“I know there is nervousness from a number of local governments about provincial overreach. I know there is also a recognition that the province needs to play a larger role, and we have to keep figuring out how we do this together,” she told CBC News.Engineers and Geoscientists B.C. said in a statement that it is mandated to protect the public.It said it will act with that focus in mind as it shares input with the province regarding the bill’s possible effects on the public and professional practice.“We are also aware of the impact the proposed legislation would have on local governments, registered professionals working within the development permit process, and the provincial government office that would be assigned new oversight responsibilities if the bill passes,” the association said.ABOUT THE AUTHORLauren Vanderdeen is a web writer for CBC British Columbia. She formerly worked for community newspapers, including the Burnaby Now and New West Record. You can reach her at lauren.vanderdeen@cbc.ca.With files from Justin McElroy
Metro Vancouver mayors outraged over bill that would restrict professional peer reviews on development
