Pitt Meadows Mayor Nicole MacDonald has sent a five‑page letter, on behalf of city council, to the Honourable Christine Boyle asking the province to reconsider Bill M 216 — the Professional Reliance Act — because the city says the measure could create public‑safety, environmental and taxpayer‑liability risks. The letter asks provincial officials to reconsider or amend the bill while concerns from local governments are fully addressed.
Bill M 216, introduced as a private‑member’s bill by MLA George Anderson, would require local governments to accept development submissions certified by a PGA professional (a professional regulated under the Professional Governance Act). The bill would also restrict municipalities’ ability to require peer review of certified submissions, require disputes between professionals to be referred to the Office of the Superintendent (Professional Governance Act), assign liability to the certifying PGA professional, and bar legal proceedings against local governments in respect of a certified submission (Bill M 216 text).
The bill had its first reading on Oct. 21, 2025 and passed second reading on Nov. 17, 2025; it is now before a legislative committee accepting submissions. The proposal has prompted a formal advisory from the Union of BC Municipalities (UBCM) encouraging local government responses (UBCM advisory, Nov. 19, 2025) and drawn objections from several municipalities, professional bodies and environmental organizations.
Pitt Meadows says those changes matter close to home. The city warns the bill would reduce its ability to order peer reviews of developer‑submitted reports that affect roads, drainage and other city infrastructure; would require disputes between professionals to be referred to the provincial superintendent rather than be resolved locally; and could leave taxpayers on the hook if certified work later proves deficient. “We support faster, more efficient housing approval processes, but not at the expense of public safety or local government,” Mayor Nicole MacDonald is quoted saying in Maple Ridge News (Dec. 4, 2025). Several other Lower Mainland municipalities, along with environmental lawyers and planning groups, have raised similar objections (Maple Ridge News; West Coast Environmental Law).
Not everyone opposes the bill: industry groups such as the Urban Development Institute and the Canadian Federation of Independent Business have backed the proposal as a way to cut red tape and speed approvals. The province has said it wants broad consultation on the proposal; Minister Christine Boyle has encouraged stakeholders to provide feedback, and the legislative committee set a deadline of Jan. 6, 2026 for submissions. For Pitt Meadows, the debate is less abstract — council is warning that changes meant to speed housing could shift costs and risks onto residents and local services unless stronger safeguards and clear local authority are written into the law.
