Policy Progress

Energy and resource positions have been among the most active files in the Policy Manual, spanning critical minerals, natural gas, permitting reform, and the revenue-sharing questions that come with major projects. Movement here has been steady across provincial and federal governments, and almost always shared with sector associations and other business organizations working the same files.

Federal emissions plan revised and EV mandate repealed — February 2026. [A Strategy Towards Emissions Reductions - 2024], brought forward by the Surrey Board of Trade in 2024, asked the federal government to review the 2030 Emissions Reduction Plan annually and address permitting slowness so industry could actually implement it. The One Canadian Economy Act in June 2025 created the Major Projects Office to fast-track approvals, the required progress report was published in December 2025, and timelines industry had flagged as unworkable were revised: the EV sales mandate was paused in September 2025 and repealed in February 2026, replaced with vehicle emissions standards for 2027 to 2032.

Single-window permitting for renewable energy in force — July 2025. [Streamlining Permitting for Large Natural Resource Development Projects - 2025], brought forward by the Prince George Chamber in 2025, asked government to weigh economic contributions alongside environmental and social considerations in major project decisions. The Renewable Energy Projects (Streamlined Permitting) Act came into force July 1, 2025, making the BC Energy Regulator the single-window regulator for wind, solar, and certain transmission projects with a legislated economy mandate, and the ministry is streamlining 18 priority projects valued at $20 billion. The asks remain open beyond renewables.

Sector-level permitting reform advancing — January 2025. [A Balanced Approach to Regulation for Economic Prosperity - 2025], brought forward by the Richmond Chamber in 2025 after originating as a Canadian Chamber policy, asked for an economic competitiveness mandate in regulatory decision-making and predictable timelines. Four ministries responded, and delivery has been real in specific sectors: a single-window permitting model for energy projects and fixed timelines for mining permits. A consistent provincewide framework, including the ask to expand one project, one assessment across government, remains the live file.

Provincial industrial strategy taking shape — January 2025. [Industrial Policy that Incentivizes Growth of BC Natural Resource Sector - 2024], brought forward by the Surrey Board of Trade in 2024, asked the province to develop a comprehensive industrial policy with tax changes and protections for emissions-intensive trade-exposed businesses. The province has since aligned around a major projects and competitiveness agenda through Look West, the Clean Energy and Major Projects Office, accelerated LNG and critical minerals focus, transmission infrastructure, and trade diversification, along with permitting modernization.

Federal energy conversation shifting toward competitiveness — January 2025. [Maximizing Canada's Energy Potential for Economic Growth and Global Competitiveness - 2025], brought forward by the Surrey Board of Trade in 2025, asked the federal government to enable responsible private-sector development of Canada's energy resources. Movement has come, though by a different route than the policy envisioned: the federal conversation has shifted toward energy security, competitiveness, and faster infrastructure delivery under the emerging 2050 energy strategy, with growing emphasis on accelerating major projects and streamlining approvals.

Natural gas and LNG strategy consolidating — January 2025. [Unlocking BC's Natural Gas Potential - 2025], brought forward by the Surrey Board of Trade in 2025, asked for a cohesive natural gas and LNG strategy across the full value chain with regulatory certainty. The province has increasingly aligned around an integrated approach through the Look West agenda, expanded coordination through the Clean Energy and Major Projects Office, and efforts to grow LNG export capacity. The file remains active and evolving.

Northwest revenue sharing delivered — February to July 2024. [Northwest BC Resource Benefits Alliance - 2022], brought forward by the Terrace, Kitimat and Prince Rupert chambers in 2022, asked the province to negotiate a funding agreement sharing resource revenue with the region's local governments. Budget 2024 committed $250 million over five years to the Alliance's 21 local governments, the agreement was signed by all 21 in July 2024, and communities are allocating the funds to their own infrastructure priorities. All three recommendations were delivered, the cleanest match between asks and outcome in the record.

BC Critical Minerals Strategy launched — January 2024. [Accelerating Critical Minerals Strategies for British Columbia - 2023], adopted in 2023, asked for accelerated permitting, capacity funding for Indigenous participation, a benefits-sharing framework enabling Indigenous equity stakes, and grid expansion for mine electrification. The BC Critical Minerals Strategy launched in January 2024 backed by Budget 2023 funding, with the Canada-BC Regional Energy and Resource Table as the joint execution venue. Fixed timelines for mining permits and the First Nations Equity Financing Framework followed, and federal major-projects fast-tracking added momentum in 2025.

Workforce positions have carried some of the network's longest arcs, from credential recognition to training capacity to wage predictability. Several files here show the partial-win-then-renewal pattern: a government action delivers part of an ask, and a renewed position targets the rest.

Health credentialing barriers removed by statute — April 2026. [Addressing Immigration and Regulatory Barriers to Attract Allied Health - 2025], brought forward by the Williams Lake Chamber in 2025, asked government to modernize credentialing and immigration pathways for the allied health professionals rural communities cannot recruit. The Health Professions and Occupations Act came into force April 1, 2026, mandating removal of practice barriers, with expedited credentialing for physiotherapists, occupational therapists and medical lab technologists and bursaries for internationally trained professionals. The immigration side of the ask has moved in the opposite direction with federal tightening.

Credential recognition extended into the health professions — April 2026. [Expanding Foreign Professional Credential Recognition - 2023], adopted in 2023, asked for expedited registration processes and fee and timeline discipline for internationally trained professionals. The core ask was delivered through the International Credentials Recognition Act, passed November 2023 and in force July 2024, covering 18 regulated professions, restricting Canadian-experience requirements, and imposing fee and timeline rules on regulators. The Health Professions and Occupations Act, in force April 2026, extends that foundation into the health sector with legally binding fast-tracked licensing pathways.

Physician assistants licensed in BC — October 2023, expanded January 2025. [Improving Primary Care with Physician Assistants - 2022], adopted in 2022 when the provincial government had publicly stated physician assistants were not part of its plans, asked the province to integrate PAs into the health system as a response to the primary care shortage. That position reversed: in October 2023 the College of Physicians and Surgeons of BC, working with the Ministry of Health, approved a licensing framework, with further movement in January 2025.

Minimum wage indexation legislated — 2024. [Minimum Wage Tied to CPI - 2023], adopted in 2023, asked the province to end the cycle of stagnation and abrupt legislated jumps by indexing increases to CPI with advance notice. The government's written response committed only to exploring options; the province then legislated automatic annual minimum wage increases tied to BC's previous-year average CPI, giving businesses the predictability the policy sought.

Pay transparency regulations built as asked — 2024. [Ensuring Effective Pay Equity Rules and Regulations - 2023], adopted in 2023 as the Pay Transparency Act's regulations were being developed, asked that reporting protect confidentiality and stay practical for employers. The framework delivered: reports show aggregate gender pay gaps without individual pay rates, data for groups under ten employees is suppressed, no raw wage data is published, and the ministry built a web application so employers can report without submitting confidential business information.

Short-term skills training funded — Fall 2023. [Support for the Development of Microcredential Programs - 2022], renewed in 2025, brought forward by the Greater Vancouver Board of Trade in 2022, asked the province to expand short, targeted, competency-based training tied to labour market need. The StrongerBC Future Skills Grant launched in fall 2023, covering up to $3,500 per person for eligible short-term training at public post-secondary institutions.

Veterinary training capacity expanded — March 2023. [Help for BC's Veterinarians - 2022],renewed in 2025, brought forward by the Prince George Chamber in 2022, documented a shortage leaving northern pet owners waiting up to two months for care. In March 2023 the province made the doubling to 40 funded seats at the Western College of Veterinary Medicine permanent with $21.8 million over three years, added veterinarians and veterinary technologists to the Provincial Nominee Program priority list, and funded vet technologist training at Douglas College and TRU. A made-in-BC training program has not materialized, and an updated position is now seeking more.

Trade and transportation files connect local bottlenecks to provincial and national strategy, and several of the network's most visible wins sit here. These are also files where momentum is unmistakably shared: premiers, federal government, industry associations, and chambers across the country have been pushing the same direction on internal trade in particular.

George Massey crossing secures federal funding — June 2026. [Expediting the George Massey Crossing Project - 2020], first adopted in 2020 and renewed in 2023, called for expedited replacement of the crossing. In June 2026 the project secured a $3 billion federal commitment through the Canada-BC Cooperative Prosperity Agreement, advancing a priority the network has carried for six years.

Mutual recognition of goods across provinces — 2025. [A Reduction of Interprovincial Trade Barriers in Canada Protects the BC Economy - 2025], brought forward by the North Vancouver Chamber in 2025, asked BC to champion mutual recognition so goods, services and credentials compliant in one province are accepted in all. The province helped establish the 2025 Canada Mutual Recognition Agreement for goods and reduced its Canadian Free Trade Agreement exceptions, while acknowledging that day-to-day regulatory barriers remain.

Wine dispute resolved and internal trade elevated — mid-2024 onward. [The Grapes of Wrath: Interprovincial Trade Barrier Reform Still an Issue - 2024], brought forward by the Kelowna Chamber in 2024, used the BC-Alberta direct-to-consumer wine dispute as the sharp edge of the broader internal trade problem. A BC-Alberta agreement landed in mid-2024, and premiers have continued to elevate internal trade reform through the Council of the Federation.

Fraser Valley Highway 1 expansion funded — November 2023. [Keep B.C. Business Moving - 2023], adopted in 2023, identified the Fraser Valley stretch of Highway 1 as the province's most consequential unfinished trade infrastructure. Months after adoption, the province announced a $2.34 billion investment in Phase 3A from 264th Street to Mt Lehman Road with major construction from 2024 to 2029, a $100 million advance works package on Phase 3B, and a new Phase 4 through the Sumas Prairie stretch.

Positions in this theme tend to start with a specific regional threat, an invasive species, a flood, a freeze, and push the province toward prevention and consistent frameworks rather than after-the-fact response.

Abandoned vessels move into formal federal review — October 2025. [Abandoned Vessels: Improving Oversight and Accountability - 2024], brought forward by the Nanaimo Chamber in 2024, asked for a working vessel registration system, a disposal pilot, and a framework built with First Nations and local governments. The House of Commons Standing Committee on Fisheries and Oceans undertook a national study on derelict and abandoned vessels, with BC Chamber representation, and the committee's recommendations closely reflect the policy's asks. Implementation is the next test.

Pull-the-plug becomes law — May 2025. [Time for Government to Flex its Mussels to Protect Our Fresh Waterways - 2024], brought forward by the Kelowna Chamber in 2024, asked for urgent action against invasive zebra and quagga mussels threatening Interior waterways, hydro infrastructure and tourism. In May 2025 the province passed Wildlife Act amendments enshrining pull-the-plug requirements in statute, with $345 and $690 fines and powers to stop and inspect watercraft. The 2025 season ran six inspection stations and two roving crews, performing 27,100 inspections.

Wine sector crisis response — 2024. [Supporting British Columbia's Devastated Wine Industry - 2024], brought forward by the Penticton and Wine Country Chamber in 2024 after back-to-back cold events destroyed most of the grape crop, asked for production flexibility and replant support. The province expanded the Perennial Crop Renewal Program to help growers replace damaged vines and established a wine grape sector task force for long-term recovery. The file is not fully resolved.

Provincial single-use plastics regulation enacted — December 2023. [Single Use Plastics - 2022], adopted in 2022, asked the province to replace the patchwork of municipal bans with a consistent provincial approach. The Single-Use and Plastic Waste Prevention Regulation began phasing in from December 2023, covering foam food service ware and oxo-degradable plastics, coordinated with the federal ban.

Emergency management modernized — Fall 2023. [Emergency Management: Enhancing Preparedness & Prevention - 2022], adopted in 2022 after the fires and floods of 2017 through 2021, argued BC could not keep managing disasters under a 1990s framework built around response. The Emergency and Disaster Management Act passed in fall 2023, formally embedding a four-phase model that puts mitigation and preparation ahead of response and recovery, and the Disaster Resilience and Innovation Funding program now provides ongoing funding to First Nations and local governments.

Tax positions are where patience shows most clearly. The oldest file in this theme was scored as unlikely to proceed in 2022 and produced a legislated instrument in 2026.

Liquor distribution flexibility expands — May 2026. [Increasing Choice and Flexibility in B.C.'s Liquor Distribution System - 2023], brought forward by the Greater Langley Chamber in 2023, identified five Liquor Distribution Branch rules limiting business flexibility without a clear health or safety purpose. Two have since moved, including a May 2026 expansion of direct delivery rules so BC-made ready-to-drink products can be delivered directly to licensees.

Investment tax credit on machinery and equipment legislated — February 2026. [Changing BC's Sales Tax Model - Moving Beyond the PST - 2022], adopted in 2022, argued the PST's taxation of business inputs put BC investment at a structural disadvantage and asked for a refundable credit on machinery and equipment as a bridge toward a made-in-BC value-added tax. Budget 2026 introduced the BC Manufacturing and Processing Investment Tax Credit: a 15 percent refundable credit on up to $2 million of eligible expenditures per year, to a maximum of $300,000 annually. The credit is narrower than the ask, and the same budget expanded the PST in other areas. Still, a position scored "Not Likely to Proceed" in 2022 produced a legislated instrument in 2026, the strongest category flip in the record.

ZEV mandate flexibility acknowledged — February 2025. [Supporting the Car Industry in BC with Flexibility and Tax Reform - 2024], brought forward by the Greater Langley Chamber in 2024, asked for a higher PST threshold on new vehicles and a realistic look at ZEV sales targets. Since 2024 governments have acknowledged affordability, demand and charging-readiness challenges, the federal government walked back ZEV mandate deadlines, and the province signalled 2026 amendments to the ZEV framework with industry consultation.

Federal succession barriers eased, now law — March 2026. [Addressing Barriers to Succession Planning for SMEs - 2022], adopted in 2022 and renewed in 2025, asked both governments to remove tax and financing barriers to business succession. The provincial recommendations were declined. The federal side moved: the Lifetime Capital Gains Exemption was raised to $1.25 million, exceeding the policy's $1 million ask, and enacted into law March 26, 2026, retroactive to June 2024. The remaining asks carry forward in the 2025 renewal.

These positions frame safety, health access and wellbeing as business problems with business costs, and they have tended to move through a mix of provincial legislation and federal action.

BC adopts permanent daylight time — March 2026. [Permanent Daylight Savings Time - 2016], rooted in the Kamloops Chamber's 2016 "Stop the Time Change in BC" policy and renewed in 2022, asked the province to end the twice-yearly clock change and the disruption it causes for people and businesses. In March 2026 the province ended time changes, citing improved overall health, fewer disruptions for families, and simpler scheduling, the same case the position had made for a decade. One part of the recommendation was not part of the outcome: the policy asked that any permanent move be coordinated with Washington, Oregon and California, and those states remain unable to follow without congressional approval, so from November to March BC now runs an hour ahead of its Pacific coast trading partners.

Nasal naloxone funded through pharmacies — February 2026. [Intranasal Naloxone: Eliminating Preventable Barriers for Use - 2025], brought forward by the Delta Chamber in 2025, asked that intranasal naloxone be free and easily accessible through pharmacies, prioritizing high-risk business environments. BC has funded and rolled out nasal naloxone through the Take Home Naloxone program, including participating pharmacies. Business and workplace access remains outside the free program, and closing that gap is the live ask.

Public consumption rules delivered — May 2024. [Addressing the Costs Businesses Face Due to Crime and the Consequences of Illicit Drug Decriminalization - 2023], adopted in 2023 months into the decriminalization exemption, asked that decriminalization not sanction public consumption. The Restricting Public Consumption of Illegal Substances Act received Royal Assent in November 2023, and after a court injunction prevented it from coming into force, the province sought and received federal approval in 2024 to amend the decriminalization exemption itself. A renewed position is now seeking a higher threshold.

Repeat offender programs launched — November 2022 through December 2023. [Cost of Prolific Offenders on the Local Economy - 2022], brought forward by the Kamloops Chamber in 2022, documented the cost of repeat offenders to downtown businesses. BC launched the Safer Communities Action Plan in November 2022, the Repeat Violent Offending Intervention Initiative rolled out across 12 communities in 2023, and federal bail reform through Bill C-48 targeted repeat violent offenders in December 2023. The direction matches the policy's diagnosis.

Housing showed up in the Policy Manual as a business problem before it dominated headlines as one: workers who can't live near jobs, projects stalled in approvals, and small construction firms carrying financing risk that belonged elsewhere in the chain. Positions across several years pushed on supply, process, and payment terms. Much of what moved here moved because many organizations were pushing in the same direction.

Development cost charge payment moved to occupancy — January 2026. [Accelerating Development by Allowing for Optimum Timing of Payment of Development Cost Charges - 2023], adopted in 2023, identified that developers were paying charges of $15,000 to $30,000 per home months before any sale closed. Changes announced in July 2025 and in effect January 1, 2026 move payment to 25 percent at permit and 75 percent at occupancy, developed in consultation with local governments and industry, as the policy proposed.

Prompt payment legislation passed — November 2025. [Enabling Economic Potential Through Prompt Payment Legislation - 2023], adopted in 2023, pointed out that BC contractors faced payment terms running past 180 days, out of step with Ontario, Alberta and Saskatchewan. The government's 2023 response committed only to studying other provinces. In November 2025 the Construction Prompt Payment Act received Royal Assent, establishing 28-day payment timelines and fast-track adjudication. Regulations are still to come before it is in force.

Development approvals reform delivered — Fall 2023 to 2024. [Implement the Development Approvals Process Review (DAPR) - 2022], brought forward by the Kamloops Chamber in 2022, asked the province to stop studying its own 2019 review of municipal approvals and implement it. The 2023 and 2024 housing legislation package delivered several core recommendations, including removing public hearings for plan-compliant projects and enabling three to four units on standard lots without rezoning.

Transit-oriented density and pre-zoning legislated — Fall 2023. [Progressive Housing Solutions to Address Workforce Challenges - 2022], adopted in 2022, asked for density near transit, pre-zoning, faster approvals, and updated community plans, framing housing supply as a workforce problem. Categorized as limited progress in 2022, the position's core asks were then delivered through the fall 2023 legislation on transit-oriented development and small-scale multi-unit housing.