BC's minister of public safety and the solicitor general will receive correspondence expressing ongoing concern at the risk posed to qathet Regional District (qRD) by the Fire Safety Act.
qRD's board will also send correspondence to the Union of British Columbia Municipalities president and the chair of the single standard of fire safety working group to express appreciation for their work in support of regional districts in relation to concerns posed by the Fire Safety Act.
According to a staff report, the act was intended in 2016 when it was introduced to replace the Fire Service Act, changing the regulatory framework for fire safety across the province.
The Fire Safety Act has not been brought into force due largely to concerns brought forward by many regional districts, the staff report stated. However, the province intends to bring the act into force without amendments and regional districts continue to express concerns about the legislation, according to the report.
Emergency act
The qRD board will also send correspondence to BC’s premier and minister of emergency management and climate readiness to express concerns about the current process of provincial engagement, and to request the creation of a regional district working group to co-develop regulations under the Emergency and Disaster Management Act, which was passed by the provincial government on November 8, 2023.
According to a staff report, the specific impacts from the act on regional districts will be determined by coming regulations that will be enacted under the act. The report stated that it is critical for the unique context and challenges of emergency management within the context, strengths and limitations of regional districts be fully understood by the province and factored into the regulations.
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