Proposed Franchise Bill Introduced In B.C.

On Monday, October 5, the Liberal government in B.C. introduced Bill 38 (the Bill), enacting a Franchises Act (the Act), for first reading in its legislature. The possibility of franchise legislation in the province comes as no surprise given the government's recent investigation into regulating franchising, and the recommendation of the British Columbia Law Institute's (BCLI) Report on a Franchise Act for British Columbia (click here for more information). The private member's bill proposing franchise legislation that was introduced last spring, which we reported on here, did not progress past first reading.

• As expected, the proposed legislation closely follows the format of the Uniform Law Conference of Canada's Franchises Act and is substantially similar to the other legislation that is already in force in Alberta, Ontario, New Brunswick, Prince Edward Island and Manitoba.