Energy and Mines News:

Copper Mountain signs impact benefit agreement
with Upper Similkameen Indian Band
Copper Mountain Mining Corporation (the "Company") announces that the the Upper Similkameen Indian Band and the Company have concluded a mutually beneficial Impact Benefits Agreement for the development of the Copper Mountain Project located 20 km south of the town of Princeton in southern British Columbia. See the Full Article as published by MABC.

Contaminated Sites Update: Requisite forms for notification
of independent remediation & offsite migration
The BC Ministry of Environment recently issued Protocol 17, which will come into force on September 1, 2010. Protocol 17 standardizes the content and format of the forms to be used when reporting: 1. independent remediation; and 2. actual or likely offsite migration. The protocol states that anyone who undertakes independent remediation of contaminated land must notify the Director of Waste Management at the Ministry of Environment in writing prior to initiating remediation and within 90 days of completing it. See the Full Article written by Lindsay Johnston and Richard Bereti of Harper Grey LLP’s Environmental Law Practice Group.

Updated procedures for meeting legal obligations
when consulting First Nations released
The Ministry of Aboriginal Relations & Reconciliation (MARR) has released updated provincial procedures for consultation. MARR released the update to First Nations on July 22; all provincial staff responsible for Aboriginal consultation have received training. See the Full Article as published by the Association for Mineral Exploration British Columbia.

$53 million for July natural gas and petroleum sale
The July 2010 natural gas and petroleum sale resulted in over $53 million in bonus bids, bringing the calendar year-to-date total to over $662 million and exceeding expectations for this month’s sale. The July 21 sale offered 37 parcels in northeast B.C., covering 38,608 hectares, and sold 31 parcels covering 36,413 hectares. The average price per hectare for this sale is approximately $1,462. See the News Release.

B.C. will hit industrial emitters from two directions –
But a government official says cap-and-trade program,
carbon tax will be mutually exclusive
British Columbia industries will face two sets of environmental regulations for their greenhouse gas emissions. At a recent conference call by the Environment Ministry's Climate Action Secretariat, a government official said B.C.'s major industries will still pay carbon taxes after the 2012 introduction of a cap-and-trade program regulating their smokestack emissions. Cap-and-trade regulations will apply to emissions from stationary assets such as smelters and gas processing plants, while the carbon tax would apply to transportation fuel such as diesel for large mining trucks. See the Full Story as reported by the Vancouver Sun.

Family, Wills and Estates News:

White Paper released on new family laws
A final consultation stage in major reforms to replace B.C.’s Family Relations Act was announced this month by Attorney General Michael de Jong, QC, with release of a White Paper containing draft legislation and policy proposals for family law. Comments on the draft will be taken until the October 8, 2010 deadline.

B.C. proposes sweeping legal changes for separation, divorce, child custody
The provincial government is proposing a sweeping rewrite of its laws for separation, divorce and child custody, to encourage out-of-court settlements instead of costly legal battles. The proposed changes are the result of a four-year review into the Family Relations Act, which hasn’t been overhauled by the province since it was created 32 years ago. The government intends to replace it with a new Family Law Act next year. See the News Story as reported by the Province.

Eliminating child 'custody' tries to ease pain of separation
The "c" word may soon be a thing of the past, at least for families negotiating the most painful aspect of separation and divorce: custody of their children. Changes proposed for B.C.'s Family Relations Act include eliminating the terms "custody" and "access," and replacing them with new concepts of "guardianship" and "parental responsibilities." "It is a profound shift from a rights-based consideration to a parenting obligation from a child's point of view," said J.P. Boyd, a Vancouver family lawyer. See the News Story as reported by the Vancouver Sun.

Support binding on the estate?
One of the more difficult situations that may arise in the administration of an estate is a claim by a former spouse of the deceased that support obligations set out in a separation agreement are binding on the estate. Unless the separation agreement states otherwise, support payments are not normally binding on an estate and cease upon the death of a payor. Ultimately, the administrator or executor may have to bring a court application to determine the issue and quantify the amount payable. However, it is useful to know when support obligations might be binding and how much of the estate will be impacted by such a finding. See the Full Article by Clark Wilson.

Forest and Environment News:

BC forest sector jobs increase in 2010
Jobs in B.C.’s forest sector seemed to hit bottom last year, but the numbers have been climbing, slowly. Here are some forestry job stats from British Columbia: 2005 - 79,700; 2006 - 81,617; 2007 - 84,275; 2008 - 64,917; 2009 - 51,958; 2010 (Jan to May) – 55,200. See the Full Story as reported by the Globe & Mail.

Government of Canada launches investments
in forest industry transformation program
The Government of Canada recently launched a $100-million program to help expand opportunities for Canada's forestry sector through the development of innovative projects and technologies. The purpose of the IFIT program is to demonstrate and deploy new and advanced technologies in the forest sector through investments in innovative processes. See the Full Story as reported by marketwire.

Group fears new sewer laws may poison water
New provincial rules no longer require people to hire a licensed professional to install their septic tank, and that will inevitably end up poisoning groundwater supplies. So say B.C.'s septic-tank installers, who call the move a bunch of crap. "People are going to cut corners to save money when they install their septic tanks themselves," says licensed installer Greg Philip. "Homeowners are going to install systems incorrectly and poison the groundwater." See the Full Story as reported by the Vancouver Sun.

What will be the consequences of a gutted Forest Service in BC?
A recent article published in Focus Online by Briony Penn explores how the impact of recent cuts and government ideologies could lead to more privitization. The combination of a gutted Forest Service, vast areas of not sufficiently restocked forestlands, a quirky loophole in the Kyoto Protocol and a provincial government ideologically driven to sell off public assets has created the perfect opportunity for forest industrialists to burn down the last barriers to privatization of BC’s Crown forests. See the Full Article.

The Strategy for China
The province’s foresters are gambling that new demand generated by China’s rapidly expanding economy can wrench towns like Mackenzie out of the worst slump in their history. See the Full Story as reported by the Globe & Mail.

Contaminated Sites Update: Requisite forms for notification
of independent remediation & offsite migration
The BC Ministry of Environment recently issued Protocol 17, which will come into force on September 1, 2010. Protocol 17 standardizes the content and format of the forms to be used when reporting: 1. independent remediation; and 2. actual or likely offsite migration. The protocol states that anyone who undertakes independent remediation of contaminated land must notify the Director of Waste Management at the Ministry of Environment in writing prior to initiating remediation and within 90 days of completing it. See the Full Article written by Lindsay Johnston and Richard Bereti of Harper Grey LLP’s Environmental Law Practice Group.

Health News:

Changes to British Columbia's generic drug laws
Would more moderate than expected drug reforms in British Columbia set a precedent that other provinces will follow? In a move that could bode well for big drug store chains, the western province recently announced last week that generic drug prices will drop to 35% of brand from 65% in the fourth quarter of 2012, and, unlike Ontario's reforms, there are no restrictions on so-called "professional allowances" and private-label generic drugs. See the Full Story as reported by the National Post.

Victoria may ban teens from tanning beds
British Columbia's capital could soon become one of the only jurisdictions in Canada to ban teens from indoor tanning salons over concerns the practice causes cancer. The regional district that includes Victoria and surrounding communities is considering a bylaw that would, among other things, prohibit anyone under 18 from using tanning beds and require ID from anyone who appears to be under 25. The bylaw comes amid persistent calls for stricter restrictions for an industry that has until now preferred to regulate itself, with few provincial or federal laws governing who can operate tanning beds or who can use them. See the Full Story as reported by CTV News.

Labour, Company and Finance News:

Surrey woman wins lawsuit over meeting times
A Surrey woman has won her wrongful dismissal suit against Atira Women's Resource Society in Vancouver after she was fired for not attending an afternoon staff meeting four hours after she'd completed her night shift. Counsel for the employer said Diane Giles was fired because she "refused and failed" to attend a scheduled afternoon staff meeting after completing a night shift, despite the fact that she was instructed to do so by her superior. "Apparently, a previous manager had scheduled such meetings first thing in the morning to facilitate the overnight staff, so that they could still get some sleep in the afternoon before returning for their night shift," Judge Valmond Romilly noted. Giles' lawyer noted that Section 36(2) of the Employment Standards Act states that an employer must ensure each worker "has at least eight hours free from work" between each shift. See the News Story as reported by the Vancouver Sun.

Consumer Taxation Branch
For the latest Bulletins from the Consumer Taxation Branch, see What's New.

Local Government News:

Group fears new sewer laws may poison water
New provincial rules no longer require people to hire a licensed professional to install their septic tank, and that will inevitably end up poisoning groundwater supplies. So say B.C.'s septic-tank installers, who call the move a bunch of crap. "People are going to cut corners to save money when they install their septic tanks themselves," says licensed installer Greg Philip. "Homeowners are going to install systems incorrectly and poison the groundwater." See the Full Story as reported by the Vancouver Sun.

Warnings about B.C. dam date back decades: report
Government warnings were issued for decades to the owners of a dam that burst last month in B.C.'s Okanagan Valley, causing a massive landslide that caused millions of dollars in damages. But an investigation into the slide found no indication the repairs were ever done, says a report recently released. When the dam let loose on June 13 it set off a five-kilometre long torrent of mud and debris, wiping out five homes and a large swath of agricultural area in Oliver, BC. See the Full Story as reported by CTV News.

Communities receive $38.6 million for local priorities
Public safety and other important municipal services will be getting a boost thanks to $38.6 million that the Province is providing to 188 of B.C.’s local governments in the latest instalment of the Strategic Community Investment Fund. This year’s funding will be used for more police officers, new police equipment such as imaging cameras, identification equipment and police vehicles, and a variety of community safety and crime prevention initiatives. As well, the funding will be put to other local priorities such as new infrastructure, local planning, improvements to existing infrastructure and roadways, and local employment opportunities. See the News Release.

Motor Vehicle and Traffic News:

B.C. garage accused of approving unsafe vehicles
Police in Victoria, B.C., are raising concerns about a garage that's allegedly handing out passing safety grades to commercial vehicles that have no business on the road. James Bay Service is now facing a government audit after police say it was caught giving defective commercial vehicles passing grade during mandatory safety testing. See the Full Story as reported by CTV News.

Commercial Vehicle Safety and Enforcement forms
The CVSE has published or revised the following forms in July:

• Form T-59E - Conditions governing the operation of energy efficient motor vehicle combinations in British Columbia
• Form T-59D - Conditions governing the operation of long combination vehicles in B.C. – LCV designated routing (Revised)
• Form T-55 -To be used for movement of vehicles and loads in excess of 3.8 metres (12'6") in width and/or loads exceeding 31 m in overall length. (Revised)
• Form T-55A -To be used for movement of mobile homes and modular buildings in excess of 3.8 metres in width and up to and including 4.4 metres and 28.5 metres overall length. (Revised)
• Form T-30 - Approved Routes: For Operating an Extended Length Super B-Train with Maximum Overall Length to 27.5 M and Maximum Overall Height to 4.45M, Hauling Wood Chips and Mill Processed Wood Residual (Revised)

Policy change credited for drop in police-vehicle accidents
Vancouver police officers were involved in 105 fewer motor vehicle accidents in 2009 than in 2006, according to a senior police officer in the department's traffic section. Insp. Ted Schinbein said changes in policy for car chases, restrictions on cellphone use in cruisers and training likely attributed to the decrease in collisions to 250 in 2009 from 355 in 2006. Two years ago, the VPD changed its motor vehicle pursuit policy to restrict officers from chasing stolen cars. The change falls in line with provincial legislation to reduce accidents, injuries and deaths related to police chases. See the Full Story as reported by the Vancouver Sun.

Real Estate and Builders Lien News:

Government introduces greater flexibility in renting
Prospective strata-property owners will soon be faced with the dilemma of trying to decide whether to buy a home in a new building where there may be no rental restrictions or one that was built before Jan. 1, 2010 and already has restrictions in place or could have at any time. When the government amended the Strata Property Act last year, one of the things it changed was the ability of new strata corporations to pass bylaws that prevent owners from renting their units. Until this year, a strata corporation could make a rule forbidding owners from renting their units to anyone other than family members. Even if someone bought into a building where rentals had once been allowed, that could change almost overnight by a three-quarter vote of strata owners. See the Full Article as reported by the Vancouver Sun.