Energy and Mines News:

Record $416m invested in B.C. mining expenditures — Mineral exploration activity in the province surpassed last year’s record and climbed to an all-time high of nearly $416 million in 2007 it was recently announced. For further information see the News Release.

Legal Considerations in Restructuring Renewable Energy Projects is a new publication by B.C. law firm Clark Wilson LLP. See Projects.

Forest and Environment News:

BC Forestry Safety Standards Must Improve, says BC's Auditor General — A recent report by BC's Auditor General criticizes efforts made to improve safety in BC’s Forestry sector despite a 2003 government commitment to cut the number of deaths and serious injuries. The report makes 15 recommendations. The main recommendation is for the government to assign one ministry to be responsible for implementing regulatory change. See the full article as published in the Vancouver Sun.

Climate Change and Water Users in British Columbia — Consultations with a number of water-using groups in BC in the summer of 2006 showed considerable but not universal acquaintance with signals of changing climate. Public sector managers responsible for long-term resource management and infrastructure investments displayed the greatest concern. All sectors looked to government, and specifically the province, for leadership in coping with what most saw as inevitable change. Reliable, research-based information was seen as a critical input to rational action. Read the document at Climate Change and Water Users.

Health News:

Tentative Settlements Reached In Bill 29 Talks — The provincial government and the Health Employers Association of BC (HEABC) have signed four tentative settlement agreements with the Community Bargaining Association (CBA), the Facilities Bargaining Association (FBA), the Health Science Professionals Bargaining Association (HSPBA), and the Nurses’ Bargaining Association (NBA). These settlement agreements resolve all issues arising from the June 8, 2007 decision of the Supreme Court of Canada on the Health and Social Services Delivery Improvement Act, otherwise known as Bill 29. The Supreme Court of Canada provided government with a year, until June 8, 2008, to deal with issues arising from the decision. See News Release.

Labour and Company News:

Worker Safety — The Occupational Health and Safety Regulation (BC Regulation 296/97) will be amended as of Feb. 1, 2008. Of note are changes to the regulation regarding safeguarding workers, particularly when working alone or in isolation and working with chemical substances and biological agents. Other amendments relate to occupational first aid, isolation procedures in confined spaces, work platforms and fall protection, and cranes and hoists among other topics. For your convenience we have included the details in this Reporter even though the changes do not take effect until February 1st. You can expect all of the amendments to be posted by the end of the same day they take effect. For more information about workers working along or in isolation, please view the document from WorkSafeBC.

BC Eliminates Mandatory Retirement — Effective January 1st, 2008 employees in British Columbia can choose when they want to retire. The amendments to the BC Human Rights code are intended to protect people over the age of 19 from discrimination on the basis of age. The new changes have been posted and are accessible via your Quickscribe Online account. See also the News Release or the ministry frequently asked questions website.

Local Government News:

Repealed Condominium Act More Readily Accessible — Thanks to customer feedback, Quickscribe has made the PDF version of the Condominium Act, Chapter 64 (Repealed July 1, 2000 by Bill 47) accessible via the "Selected Documents Column" in addition to its original location in the Archives. Use the "Find Act/Regulation" function to locate the document quickly. Moving it to this location should make it easier to access this commonly viewed document.

Motor Vehicle News:

BC Introduces Taxi Passengers Bill of Rights — The B.C. government is hoping to improve taxi service with a new taxi passenger's bill of rights, it was announced recently in Vancouver. Transportation Minister Kevin Falcon said taxis in the Metro Vancouver area will now be required to display the bill of rights on a decal posted on the rear passenger window of their cabs. One of the key elements of the bill is the right of passengers to be picked up and transported to their destination. Under the new trip refusal regulations, taxi drivers will face a $288 fine for refusing to take a fare. See News Release for more information, or see the amendments to the Passenger Transportation Regulation (266/2004).