Bill 16 would give B.C. increased power to seize private property

Proposed changes to B.C.'s Transportation Act would give the provincial government increased power to seize personal property around transit hubs, CTV News has confirmed.

The amendments in Bill 16 would allow the province's Transportation Financing Authority to acquire land near transit stations and bus exchanges for the purposes of building affordable housing, schools and other projects.

Late Tuesday, the Ministry of Transportation confirmed the government would also have the ability to expropriate private land to ensure the completion of those projects.

"If expropriation becomes necessary in some cases, properties will be purchased for fair market value," the ministry told CTV News in an email.

"Wherever possible, the province will seek to acquire land through mutual consent with landowners."

Under the current law, the Transportation Financing Authority can only purchase land for the construction of transportation projects, such as SkyTrain stations and bus exchanges.

But Transportation Minister Rob Fleming, who tabled Bill 16 on Tuesday, argued public transit is about more than "getting people from A to B."

"It's also about building greener and more liveable communities," Fleming said in a statement. "We will increase the level of affordable housing and services that are integrated into our significant investments in transit."

BC Liberal housing critic Mike Bernier raised concerns about the proposal this week, saying the bill is lacking in details, "like a lot of the things the NDP has done."

"We want to see densification, but it has to be done properly," Bernier said.

Bill 16 still needs to be debated in the legislature, and even if passed, the province and developers would still have to work with municipal governments before moving forward on any of the projects.

The Ministry of Transportation also noted there is already a "rigorous due-diligence process" the government follows before expropriating private property, and it would continue to do so under the proposed amendments.

With files from CTV News Vancouver's St. John Alexander