Heritage Conservation Act

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Overview

Dates: August 28 to November 14

Who: The Ministry of Forests

What: Updating the Heritage Conservation Act (HCA)

Where: Province-wide

Why: Update the HCA to benefit all people in B.C. and ensure it is consistent with the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples

How: Online

Category: Families and Residents, Land and Water, Natural Resource Sector, Natural Resources, Reconciliation Initiatives

What is the Heritage Conservation Act update about?

The Heritage Conservation Act (HCA) encourages and enables the protection and conservation of sites with historical, cultural and/or archaeological value in B.C. These sites hold physical evidence of how and where people lived. Many of these sites in B.C. are culturally sensitive, contain ancestral remains, and have important sacred and spiritual value to First Nations in B.C. Altering these protected sites without a permit is prohibited under the Act. Learn more about these permits (PDF, 1MB).

Significant changes have not been made to the HCA since 1996. This project aims to update the HCA to address concerns that have been raised for a long time, including:

Making permitting faster and easier
Helping people and communities rebuild quicker after disasters such as wildfires and floods
Protecting heritage more effectively, reducing the risk of accidental damage to sacred or other significant sites
Strengthening the role of First Nations in decision-making about their own heritage and ancestors, in alignment with the Declaration Act 
Increasing transparency and access to information (including making it easier to find out if there is a protected site on your property) to support planning and development decisions

The Joint Working Group on First Nations Heritage Conservation (JWGFNHC), which includes members appointed by the First Nations Leadership Council (FNLC) and the B.C. Government, has been leading the HCA transformation process. The JWGFNHC serves as a forum for collaboration between the Province and FNLC on heritage matters.  

For more information, visit the engage site.

Project background

The purpose of the Heritage Conservation Act (HCA) is to encourage and enable the protection and conservation of cultural heritage in B.C. There are over 64,000 protected heritage sites in B.C. and 90 percent of these sites are of First Nations origin. To date, the Project has included two phases of engagement:

Phase 1: Summer and Fall 2022

Identified priority areas for change through broad engagement with First Nations and stakeholders. A backgrounder document was developed to inform dialogue:

Phase 1 Engagement Backgrounder (PDF, 1.5 MB)

Outcomes from Phase 1 engagement are outlined in the following What We Heard Reports:

Phase 2: Fall 2023

Broad engagement on proposed short-term changes with First Nations and stakeholders.

Outcomes from Phase 2 engagement with First Nations and stakeholders is outlined in the following Phase 2 What We Heard Report (PDF 1 MB).

Engagement in 2023 indicated that the proposed changes were in the right areas, but First Nations and stakeholders desired more robust, longer-term changes. In January 2024, a decision was made to develop a broader scope of proposed changes for future legislative session(s).  