The Petition has now passed 4000 signatures! It is time for the Premier to do the right thing.

The Petition to Repeal (or amend) BC Bill 44 to Restore Public Hearings and Municipal Powers over Zoning has now surpassed 4000 signatures.

The people of BC are waking up to the fact that their neighbourhoods and environment are under the imminent precipice of rapidly being paved over for further construction that they have no say in, having lost the ability to have public hearings on a vast swathe of future developments in their communities. 

The public will be left to pay the cost of this radical deregulation, and loss of planning sovereignty with their tax dollars.  Who will pay for all this newly required infrastructure, as mass construction makes haphazard appearance after haphazard appearance without planning and consideration of the environmental repercussions? 

How will renters and first-time home buyers be able to afford the massive land-lift and resulting increased costs that have arisen time and again with intense neighbourhood densification?  Think about the exorbitantly increased housing costs in the City of Vancouver over the last several decades to give an idea of what is likely around the corner in our neighbourhoods.  Why should the public pay more to get less when it comes to housing?

The latest numbers for the BC NDP government are not looking good:  

https://angusreid.org/bc-election-polling-ndp-conservatives-greens-eby-furstenau-rustad-issues/

This should not be a surprise for any shrewd political analyst.  The history and field of political decision-making has shown that it is certainly not immune to Newton's Third Law: that every action has an equal and opposite reaction.

There is going to be political push back when communities and the environment are radically deregulated to advance the profits of the construction and real estate industries and it is very likely that Bill 44 may cost the ruling NDP the next election. 

However, it is not too late for the Premier to do the right thing, and salvage the situation.  He could do that by immediately moving to repeal Bill-44, thus showing that he stands on the side of community, neighbourhood, municipal sovereignty, and urban forest protection.  Everyone makes mistakes.  To err is to be human.  What matters is at the end of the day, is whether or not one can find it within themselves to change course, when the course cannot end well at current trajectory.

To not change course, would be at the BC NDP's political peril, and could lead to a split in the party and the creation of a new party, similar to what led to BC United being tossed into the dustbin of political history. (A warning to the BC Conservatives, and other parties to not fall into the same trap of continuing or playing down BC Bill 44) the public won't forgive you either, if you do.  The public know what is right for their communities and environment, and leaving them to the mercy of corporate plunder will not be forgiven.

If the NDP leadership are at all wise, they will not allow Bill 44 be the political equivalent of a sinking and/or mothballed Fastcat Ferry.

To Premier Eby, Minister Kahlon and the BC NDP, Bill-44 will determine and cement your political legacy.  Do the right thing for British Columbia while there is still time.  Fully repeal Bill-44 at once before it is too late for BC's communities.

For more information, please contact BCPetition@mail.com