Can you hear me now?
The province has given municipalities the power to hold electronic public hearings as long as COVID-19 makes mass gatherings impossible.
Selina Robinson, minister of municipal affairs and housing, announced the change in a press release on Friday afternoon.
"Construction and development activities are expected to be a key part of B.C.'s recovery efforts and building housing - in particular, affordable housing - will contribute to our goal to provide affordable housing for all British Columbians,” she said. “Amending this order will allow local governments to continue their work on land-use decision-making and keep building their communities for the people they serve."
Under the province’s declared state of emergency, municipalities may hold meetings without the public present and approve developments that are compliant with the official community plan.
The ministry doesn’t dictate how municipalities should conduct electronic public hearings, which are required for anything that amends the OCP, whether they be via phone or video conference.
But the release states municipalities are “still expected to find ways to encourage public participation” and “continue to be as transparent as possible by keeping the public informed on any decisions and procedural changes through their websites and social media.”
Staff at all three North Shore municipalities said it’s too soon to say how it might look in their respective jurisdictions.
West Vancouver Coun. Craig Cameron called the order “a start but not sufficient.”
“(Municipalities) have been asking for flexibility in holding meetings and hearings so we can move business along. Getting developments moving is one way we are going to be able to revive the economy after this crisis,” he said in a message on Twitter Sunday. “It’s not clear how much this order is going to help, unfortunately.”
The new powers are only in place as long as the province is under a state of emergency but it typically takes months for a project to reach a public hearing agenda.
“Will any municipality will be able to design a process and schedule a meeting or hearing that fast?” he asked.
Cameron did add that he saw the change as an opportunity for other reforms to the public hearing process “so we get a more representative cross section of the community to participate.”
