British Columbia AG News

Statement on Sikh Heritage Month

Attorney General Niki Sharma has released a statement recognizing April as Sikh Heritage Month in British Columbia, celebrating over a century of Sikh community contributions since the first Sikh migrants arrived in the early 1900s. The statement highlights BC's position as home to one of the largest Sikh populations outside India and the largest Vaisakhi celebrations in North America. The AG also references the Province's intervention in the federal challenge to Quebec's Bill 21 before the Supreme Court of Canada and the recently introduced Safe Access to Places of Public Worship Act, which would establish protected access zones around places of worship.

Miscellaneous Statutes Amendment Act 2026 Introduced in BC Legislature

The BC government introduced the Miscellaneous Statutes Amendment Act, 2026, to the legislative assembly on April 1, 2026, proposing amendments across seven statutory areas including the Judicial Review Procedure Act (introducing a 60-day application deadline), Fuel Price Transparency Act (industry-funded cost recovery), Zero-Emission Vehicles Act (target adjustments), housing and infrastructure statutes, tenancy acts (correcting errors and aligning evidence rules), University Endowment Land Act (ticketing enforcement), and the Correction Act (mental health crisis response and expanded ISO authority). If passed, the amendments would affect corrections, judicial reviews, tenancy disputes, fuel pricing transparency, ZEV mandates, and local governance across British Columbia.

BC Ministers Issue Statements for Prevention of Violence Against Women Week

Niki Sharma (Attorney General), Nina Krieger (Minister of Public Safety and Solicitor General), and Jennifer Blatherwick (parliamentary secretary for gender equity) released joint statements on April 20, 2026, marking Prevention of Violence Against Women Week in British Columbia. The ministers highlighted recent achievements including federal Criminal Code reforms shaped by B.C. priorities, advancement of Stanton Report recommendations to strengthen intimate-partner violence responses, increased maximum damages for intimate-image abuse victims, and improved family violence supports during separation and divorce proceedings. The government noted it provides more than $60 million annually to support over 475 victim-service and violence-against-women prevention programs throughout the province.