The Infrastructure Projects Act is a new law in British Columbia that helps streamline provincial government decision-making for critical infrastructure projects that provide people with the services they need and drive economic growth. The Act enables tools to deliver major infrastructure projects faster, without reducing environmental standards or compromising the province’s obligations to First Nations.
The Ministry of Infrastructure is seeking input on new infrastructure policies from First Nations, the public, and interest-holders including local governments, business organizations, environmental groups, and the private construction sector.
What is a Qualified Professional?
In British Columbia, there are numerous laws, rules, and policies that set out circumstances where professionals who are qualified to perform certain types of work can provide expert advice, conduct assessments, and certify that specific regulatory or technical requirements are met. These professionals, often referred to as Qualified Professionals (QPs), are typically registered with professional regulatory bodies under the Professional Governance Act (such as engineers, biologists, geoscientists). Qualified Professionals can also include accredited practitioners whose qualifications are recognized by the B.C. government or professional bodies (such as archeologists). Under the Infrastructure Projects Act, the specific definition, qualifications, and responsibilities of Qualified Professionals will be detailed in regulations currently under development.
The questions in this survey do not fully account for First Nations governments, traditional knowledge holders, or Indigenous organizations who have unique perspectives on traditional knowledge qualifications and how QP certification might affect them. Recognizing this, we will be seeking detailed feedback through First Nations advisory sessions separately.
The Proposed Qualified Professional (QP) Reliance Model
The Infrastructure Projects Act enables the B.C. government to designate an infrastructure project as Provincial Capital or Provincially Significant. This designation allows those projects access to up to six tools available through the Act to streamline approval decisions. The proposed Qualified Professional Reliance Model is one of these tools.
Currently, projects submit permit applications for review by provincial decision-makers. The purpose of the proposed Qualified Professional Reliance Model is to allow qualified individuals with specific professional experience to certify that the standards required to issue a permit have been met. For permits that are appropriate for this model, this new approach will speed up provincial permitting decisions for projects. More information on the proposed Qualified Professional Reliance Model can be found on the engagement website.
- This questionnaire takes approximately 15-20 minutes to complete
- The questionnaire will be closed for feedback on October 31, 2025 at 4:00pm PST
Please note: This online feedback form supports all newer comparable browsers like Firefox, Chrome, Opera, Microsoft Edge, etc. with activated JavaScript. Your browser settings must have cookies enabled for the questionnaire to run properly and inactivity on the questionnaire for longer than one hour will result in the questionnaire timing out.
Collection Notice: The information you provide will be collected to inform the development of policy frameworks related to the implementation of the Infrastructure Projects Act. If you have questions about the collection of this information, please contact: Senior Director, Citizen Engagement, CitizenEngagement@gov.bc.ca. This information is being collected by the Ministry of Citizens’ Services on behalf of the Ministry of Infrastructure under the authority of section 26(c) and 26(e) of the Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act (“FOIPPA”).
All responses will be kept confidential and remain anonymous. Participation is completely voluntary, and you may skip any questions you prefer not to answer.
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There are 20 questions in this survey.
