Infrastructure Survey

The Infrastructure Projects Act is a new law in British Columbia that helps streamline government decision-making for critical infrastructure projects that provide people with the services they need and drive economic growth. The Infrastructure Projects Act enables tools that support faster delivery of major infrastructure projects in B.C., without reducing environmental standards or compromising the province’s obligations to First Nations.

The Ministry of Infrastructure wants to hear from you about new infrastructure policies. We’re asking First Nations, members of the public, and interest-holders such as local governments, business organizations, environmental groups and the construction sector to share their thoughts on how to reach decisions on project approvals faster. This engagement will take a phased approach from summer 2025 through to early spring 2026. 

The first phase involves gathering feedback about the possible eligibility requirements an infrastructure project must meet to be considered for designation as a Provincially Significant project. This survey is one opportunity available to provide direct feedback on this topic. For other opportunities available visit the engagement website.

Background Information on the Infrastructure Projects Act

The Act lets the provincial government designate infrastructure projects into two categories: Provincial Capital projects and Provincially Significant projects. Information on Provincial Capital projects can be found on the engagement website. 

Provincially Significant projects are designated by the provincial government on a project-by-project basis based on specific requirements. These projects are built by other organizations such as:

• B.C. Crown corporations (such as BC Hydro) 
• Local governments 
• First Nations 
• Private companies

Once a project is designated as Provincially Significant, it will be assigned some or all six tools outlined in the Act to help remove delays. This doesn’t mean the project or the permit is guaranteed to be approved. It means the project has access to a faster process to reach the final approval stage. More information on the tools is available later in this survey and can be found on the engagement website. 

Four types of requirements will be used to assess the projects: 

1. Project Types 
2. First Nations Decision-Makers' Support 
3. Core Requirements 
4. Additional Benefits

A project must meet all four requirements to be designated as Provincially Significant. 

The image below shows the possible eligibility requirements for designating projects as Provincially Significant. To learn more about these requirements, see our website.

The second eligibility requirement – First Nations Decision-Makers' Support – means the project must have support from significantly and directly impacted First Nations decision-makers to be designated as Provincially Significant. The province must continue to meet its duty to follow consultation requirements.  

Goal of Public Engagement  

Public engagement is a key component of developing policies related to the Infrastructure Projects Act. At this stage, we are looking for public input on:  

• Possible eligibility requirements used to assess Provincially Significant projects 
• Concerns with the tools enabled by the Act that designated projects will be able to access 
• Specific suggestions related to the eligibility requirements for Provincially Significant projects and the tools enabled by the Act 

The information you provide us within this survey will help inform the implementation of the Act.   

Why might this matter to you? 

Projects designated as Provincially Significant will have access to the tools outlined in the Act to help speed up permitting decisions. How the provincial government decides to designate these projects as Provincially Significant will be based on the eligibility requirements. 

This questionnaire takes approximately 15-20 minutes to complete. 

The questionnaire will be closed for feedback on September 30, 2025 at 4:00pm PST.