BC Statutes Available On-line, Up To Date, And Free

Dec 23 2008

Effective January 1, 2009 the public will have free, online access to the up-to-date statutes and regulations of British Columbia.
Jan. 1, the public will no longer be required to pay to have access to up-to-date provincial statutes and regulations, Attorney General Wally Oppal and Labour and Citizens’ Services Minister Iain Black announced today.

“In an era of e-government, where law impacts so much on citizens and on business, government has a responsibility to provide ready, online access to the Province’s statutes and regulations,” said Oppal. “This is a significant step in enabling British Columbians to obtain the information they need on justice-related legislation.”

Free access to up-to-date statutes and regulations is made possible through a partnership between the Ministry of Attorney General, Queen’s Printer, the Law Society of British Columbia and the Law Foundation of British Columbia.

The current legislation can be located starting Jan. 1, 2009 on the Queen’s Printer website:

http://www.BCLaws.ca

“Providing British Columbians with free access to current legislation is an important step in helping to make justice more accessible,” said Black. “The project demonstrates that there are many partners within the justice system, and the Queen’s Printer is pleased to participate on this with the Attorney General and the Law Society of British Columbia.”

Funding from the Law Foundation of British Columbia will cover the cost of producing current legislation and making it available on the web in 2009. In 2010, Law Foundation funding will contribute half the cost, with ministries sharing proportionately the other half. From 2011 onward, the cost will be borne proportionately among the ministries.

The redesigned website allows the public to access up-to-date statutes and regulations previously only available by subscription to QP LegalEze. Queen’s Printer will continue to operate QP LegalEze, a more comprehensive subscription service for the legal community and other users that includes both current and historical documents.

As part of this initiative, B.C.’s statutes and regulations will also be published on the Canadian Legal Information Institute website at

http://www.canlii.org

Known as CanLII, this non-profit organization’s goal is to make Canadian law accessible for free on the Internet.

These items are intended for general informational purposes only and should not be construed or relied upon as legal advice. The legal issues addressed in these items are subject to changes in the applicable law. You should always seek legal advice concerning any specific issues affecting you or your business.