B.C. municipalities join First Nations in criticism of tariff bills

UBCM president Trish Mandewo looks on during a convention in Vancouver, B.C., Thursday, Sept. 19, 2024. (Ethan Cairns / The Canadian Press)

VICTORIA — Municipal leaders from across British Columbia have joined First Nations to ask the provincial government to withdraw or delay proposed legislation to fast-track major projects in response to U.S. tariffs.

But the president of the Union of B.C. Municipalities says there’s no sign the government is changing course, after Infrastructure Minister Bowinn Ma fronted an online meeting last Friday with more than 120 local officials.

Union president Trish Mandewo says members want the bill delayed until proper consultation can take place or “cancelled altogether.”

That echoes the concerns of First Nations leaders who met Premier David Eby last Thursday and said they were deeply disappointed by the government’s refusal to withdraw the proposed legislation, which they described as unilateralism.

Mandewo says local officials’ response to their own meeting with Ma — which was also attended by Minister of State for Local Governments and Rural Communities Brittny Anderson — was the same as the First Nations leaders.

The government’s Bill 15 would accelerate public and private infrastructure projects, while Bill 14 is aimed at streamlining permitting for renewable energy projects.

Mandewo says the government “is not really addressing the concerns that are being brought forward,” and there were so many questions for Ma at the meeting that it ran out of time to hear them all, with ministry staff asking participants to send further questions by email.

She says the government did not adequately consult municipalities during the drafting of Bill 15, and local leaders “didn’t see justification for the province giving itself the powers” to override municipal processes as proposed by the legislation.

Ma says in a statement issued after the meeting that the “discussion was valuable and local governments understandably had many questions about this new legislation.”

The statement adds that Bill 15 allows government to deliver public infrastructure projects like schools and hospitals “more efficiently” in partnership with municipalities.

Mandewo says the union does not “want to block anything” while hoping the government returns to proper consultations, citing previous concerns about housing bills that were hurried through the legislature in 2023 and 2024.

This report by Wolfgang Depner, The Canadian Press, was first published May 21, 2025.

This is a corrected story. A previous version incorrectly said a meeting with local officials was attended by George Anderson. In fact, it was attended by Minister of State for Local Governments and Rural Communities Brittny Anderson.