New B.C. emergency planning rules for local authorities start January 1, 2027

British Columbia’s local authorities have less than two months before the next phase of the Emergency and Disaster Management Act (EDMA) begins. Requirements to prepare risk assessments, emergency management plans and business continuity plans take effect on January 1, 2027.

How we got here

The Act received Royal Assent on November 8, 2023, replacing the Emergency Program Act. It organizes emergency management around four phases: mitigation, preparation, response and recovery.

The Province has been bringing it into force in stages. On May 11, 2026, it approved Order in Council 186, which sets the January date and amends the Emergency and Disaster Management Regulation. The start date follows local government requests for more time to prepare, according to the Union of BC Municipalities (UBCM).

What changes on January 1, 2027

Existing plans must be updated. A local authority with an emergency plan prepared under the old Act must review it and prepare a new plan that meets the EDMA’s requirements.

Plans have broader content requirements. Under the Act, risk assessments must identify all reasonably foreseeable hazards. Emergency management plans must include a plan for the evacuation and care of individuals and animals, along with measures to promote cultural safety. Plans must also summarize the consultation carried out with Indigenous governing bodies.

Review cycles become fixed. Each plan must set a time period for starting its next review:

• Emergency management plans: no more than 7 years
• Business continuity plans: no more than 5 years

Emergency management plans must be published. Local authorities, other than the Nisga’a Nation and treaty first nations, must publish their plans. Information can be withheld where publishing it could increase the risk of an emergency, or where specified freedom of information exceptions apply.

Indigenous governing bodies must be involved. Local authorities must consult and cooperate with the relevant Indigenous governing bodies when preparing or reviewing risk assessments and plans, and incorporate Indigenous knowledge if available. That knowledge cannot appear in a published plan unless it is already public or an Indigenous governing body consents in writing.

Regional districts have a narrower scope. They are not required to cover Crown land or private managed forest land, but must still identify any portion of that land needed to evacuate people or animals from a community.

What is still to come

• Guidance: The Province said in May that it was developing guidance to help local authorities prepare these documents.
• Completion dates: The January 2027 amendments set review intervals, but they don’t state a single date by which first documents must be finished. Local authorities should confirm expectations with the ministry.
• Funding: UBCM describes the need for a long-term funding and capacity-building framework as the main outstanding issue for local governments.
• Other sectors: Requirements for critical infrastructure owners and public sector agencies will take effect once the necessary regulations are completed. The Province hasn’t given a date.

Questions to ask now

For local authorities preparing for January, a useful starting point is to ask:

1. When was our current emergency plan last reviewed, and how far is it from the new requirements?
2. Does our risk assessment cover all reasonably foreseeable hazards?
3. Have we begun working with the Indigenous governing bodies whose territories or treaty areas are affected?
4. Do we have a business continuity plan, and who is responsible for reviewing it?
5. Which parts of our plan would we need to withhold when it is published?

This article is a general summary, not legal advice. Please check the Act, the Regulation and Order in Council 186 for the exact requirements.