B.C. Reg. 79/2026, deposited May 11, 2026, under the ANIMAL HEALTH ACT [sections 96 (3) and 98], EMERGENCY AND DISASTER MANAGEMENT ACT [sections 164, 166, 167, 172, 173 and 209], STRATA PROPERTY ACT [section 292 (2)] and WATER SUSTAINABILITY ACT [section 127 (3)]. Order in Council 186/2026, approved and ordered May 11, 2026.

On the recommendation of the undersigned, the Lieutenant Governor, by and with the advice and consent of the Executive Council, orders the following:

(a) section 202 of the Emergency and Disaster Management Act, S.B.C. 2023, c. 37, is brought into force;

(b) the Emergency and Disaster Management Regulation, B.C. Reg. 235/2023, is amended as set out in the attached Schedule 1;

(c) the regulations listed in the attached Schedule 2 are amended as set out in that Schedule;

(d) effective January 1, 2027,

(i) section 47 of the Emergency and Disaster Management Act, S.B.C. 2023, c. 37, is brought into force, and

(ii) the Emergency and Disaster Management Regulation, B.C. Reg. 235/2023, is amended as set out in the attached Schedule 3.

— K. GREENE, Minister of Emergency Management and Climate Readiness; J. SUNNER, Presiding Member of the Executive Council.

Schedule 1

1 Section 6.1 of the Emergency and Disaster Management Regulation, B.C. Reg. 235/2023, is amended by adding the following subsection:

(3) The provincial administrator must publish the following:

(a) a report provided to the provincial administrator under section 121 (2) of the Act;

(b) a report prepared by the Nisga’a Nation or a treaty first nation under section 121 (4) of the Act, if the Nisga’a Nation or the treaty first nation requests publication of the report.

2 The following section is added to Division 1:

Disclosure of personal information

7.1 For the purposes of section 159 (2) (b) of the Act, the following classes of persons are prescribed:

(a) an elected or appointed official, an employee or an agent of any of the following:

(i) the government of Canada;

(ii) the government of a province or another jurisdiction in Canada;

(iii) the government of the United States;

(iv) the government of a state of, or another jurisdiction in, the United States;

(b) a volunteer;

(c) a public safety provider;

(d) a person who has entered into an agreement with the minister under section 8 of the Act;

(e) a person with whom the provincial administrator is coordinating emergency management activities and any persons who are assisting that person.

3 The following Divisions are added:

Division 1.1 – Emergency Management Planning by Provincial Administrator

Consultation with local authorities

7.2 (1) For the purposes of section 40 (a) of the Act, in respect of a comprehensive emergency management plan, the prescribed class of local authorities is comprised of the local authorities specified by the provincial administrator.

(2) For the purposes of subsection (1), the provincial administrator

(a) may not specify the Nisga’a Nation or a treaty first nation, and

(b) must specify

(i) not less than 8 and not more than 15 local authorities in total,

(ii) at least one regional district,

(iii) at least one municipality, and

(iv) at least one local authority from at least 3 of the following associations:

(A) Association of Kootenay and Boundary Local Governments;

(B) Association of Vancouver Island and Coastal Communities;

(C) Lower Mainland Local Government Association;

(D) North Central Local Government Association;

(E) Southern Interior Local Government Association.

(3) If a representative of each of the local authorities specified by the provincial administrator under subsection (1) is also a member of a committee of the Union of British Columbia Municipalities, for the purposes of section 40 (a) of the Act,

(a) the provincial administrator may consult and coordinate with the committee, and

(b) any consultation and coordination with the committee is deemed to constitute consultation and coordination with the local authorities.

Division 3 – Emergency Management Planning by Local Authorities

Establishment of multijurisdictional emergency management organization

12 (1) A multijurisdictional emergency management organization may be established by one or more of an agreement, bylaw, resolution, law or other legal instrument.

(2) An instrument referred to in subsection (1) must be in writing and include at least the following:

(a) the names of the members of the multijurisdictional emergency management organization;

(b) in relation to each member of the organization,

(i) a description of the areas and matters for which the organization has responsibility on behalf of the member for the purposes of section 21 (2) (a) of the Act, and

(ii) in the case of a member that is a local authority,

(A) the powers or duties of the local authority that may be exercised or must be performed by an employee of a member of the organization under section 19 (2) (b) of the Act, and

(B) a description of the areas in which the powers and duties referred to in clause (A) may be exercised or must be performed.

(3) A local authority, the government or an Indigenous governing body may join a multijurisdictional emergency management organization by one or more of an agreement, bylaw, resolution, law or other legal instrument.

(4) An instrument referred to in subsection (3) must be in writing and include, in relation to the new member of the organization, the matters referred to in subsection (2) (b) (i) and (ii) (A) and (B), as applicable.

(5) An instrument referred to in subsection (1) or (3) may include other provisions, including terms and conditions relating to the exercise of powers and performance of duties under the Act.

(6) Despite subsections (2) and (4), if more than one instrument is used for the purposes of subsection (1) or (3), the instruments must collectively meet the requirements of subsection (2) or (4), as the case may be.

Local authority to provide copy of instrument

13 For the purposes of section 21 (3) (a) (i) of the Act, an instrument referred to in section 12 (1) or (3) of this regulation, including any amendments to the instrument, is a prescribed record.

4 Column 1 of the table in the Schedule is amended by striking out "Fire Safety Act" and substituting the following:

Fire Safety Act, other than the following:

(a) section 48 (2) (b) as that provision relates to the portfolio of the Minister of Housing and Municipal Affairs;

(b) section 48 (3) (b);

(c) section 48 (3) (d) and (e) as those provisions relate to the portfolio of the Minister of Housing and Municipal Affairs;

(d) section 48.1.

Schedule 2

Premises Identification Regulation

1 Section 11 (1) of the Premises Identification Regulation, B.C. Reg. 125/2022, is amended by repealing the definition of "affected area" and substituting the following:

"affected area" means an area to which a declaration of a state of provincial emergency or declaration of a state of local emergency, made under the Emergency and Disaster Management Act, applies; .

Strata Property Regulation

2 Section 17.23 (3) of the Strata Property Regulation, B.C. Reg. 43/2000, is repealed.

Water Sustainability Regulation

3 Section 39 (1) (o) of the Water Sustainability Regulation, B.C. Reg. 36/2016, is amended by striking out everything after "during" and substituting "a declaration of a state of provincial emergency or declaration of a state of local emergency, made under the Emergency and Disaster Management Act, that involves flooding;".

Schedule 3

1 The Emergency and Disaster Management Regulation, B.C. Reg. 235/2023, is amended by adding the following sections:

Emergency management plans

14 (1) For the purposes of section 52 (2) (h) of the Act, an emergency management plan must include the following:

(a) a summary of any consultation undertaken in accordance with section 55 (1) (a) of the Act in relation to the emergency management plan and the risk assessment prepared by the local authority under section 47 (2) of the Act;

(b) a time period within which the local authority must initiate a review of the emergency management plan.

(2) The time period referred to in subsection (1) (b) must end

(a) not more than 7 years after the preparation of the emergency management plan, and

(b) thereafter not more than 7 years after the completion of the preceding review and revision of the emergency management plan.

(3) For the purposes of section 47 (4) of the Act, a local authority must

(a) initiate a review of the local authority’s emergency management plan within the period referred to in subsection (1) (b) of this section, and

(b) revise the emergency management plan as necessary to ensure that the plan meets the requirements of section 52 of the Act.

Local emergency plans – transition

15 If a local authority has a local emergency plan that the local authority prepared or caused to be prepared under the Emergency Program Act, the local authority must

(a) review the local emergency plan, and

(b) prepare an emergency management plan that meets the requirements of section 52 of the Act.

Publication requirements

16 (1) A local authority, other than the Nisga’a Nation or a treaty first nation, must publish each emergency management plan that is prepared or revised under section 47 of the Act or section 15 (b) of this regulation.

(2) Subsection (1) does not apply to the following:

(a) any information that, in the opinion of the local authority, could reasonably be expected to increase the risk of an emergency occurring;

(b) information that may not or must not be disclosed under the following provisions of the Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act:

(i) section 12 (3) [local public body confidences];

(ii) section 13 (1) [policy advice or recommendations];

(iii) section 14 [legal advice];

(iv) section 15 (1) or (2) [disclosure harmful to law enforcement];

(v) section 16 (1) [disclosure harmful to intergovernmental relations or negotiations];

(vi) section 17 (1) [disclosure harmful to the financial or economic interests of a public body];

(vii) section 18 [disclosure harmful to the conservation of heritage sites, etc.];

(viii) section 18.1 (1) [disclosure harmful to interests of an Indigenous people];

(ix) section 19 (1) or (2) [disclosure harmful to individual or public safety];

(x) section 21 (1) or (2) [disclosure harmful to business interests of a third party];

(xi) section 22 [disclosure harmful to personal privacy];

(xii) section 22.1 (2) [disclosure of information relating to abortion services].

(3) A local authority must not include in an emergency management plan that is published under subsection (1) any Indigenous knowledge of an Indigenous people that is provided to the local authority under section 55 of the Act, unless one of the following applies:

(a) the Indigenous knowledge is publicly available;

(b) an Indigenous governing body that acts on behalf of the Indigenous people consents in writing to the publication of the Indigenous knowledge.

Risk assessments and emergency management plans – regional districts

17 (1) Despite section 47 (2) of the Act and subject to subsection (2) of this section, a regional district is not required to prepare a risk assessment or an emergency management plan in respect of the following land:

(a) Crown land;

(b) private managed forest land as defined in the Private Managed Forest Land Act.

(2) If a regional district does not prepare a risk assessment or an emergency management plan in respect of land referred to in subsection (1) (a) or (b), the regional district must, as the case may be,

(a) identify in its risk assessment any portion of the land that is necessary for the purpose of evacuating individuals or animals from a community, or

(b) identify in the emergency management plan for the area closest to a community any portion of the land that is necessary for the purpose of evacuating individuals or animals from the community.

Business continuity plans

18 (1) For the purposes of section 53 (2) (b) of the Act, a business continuity plan of a local authority, other than the Nisga’a Nation or a treaty first nation, must include a time period within which the local authority must initiate a review of the business continuity plan.

(2) The time period referred to in subsection (1) must end

(a) not more than 5 years after the preparation of the business continuity plan, and

(b) thereafter not more than 5 years after the completion of the preceding review and revision of the business continuity plan.

(3) For the purposes of section 47 (4) of the Act, a local authority must

(a) initiate a review of the local authority’s business continuity plan within the period referred to in subsection (1) of this section, and

(b) revise the business continuity plan as necessary to ensure that the business continuity plan meets the requirements of section 53 of the Act.

Index Page| Previous Regulation| Next Regulation| Cumulative Index Page

Copyright © 2026: King's Printer, Victoria, British Columbia, Canada