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ARTICLE · 16 OCTOBER 2025

Bill 20: Prompt Payment Legislation Introduced In British Columbia

Blake, Cassels & Graydon LLP
Blake, Cassels & Graydon LLP
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On October 7, the Government of British Columbia introduced Bill 20 in the B.C. legislature. Bill 20 implements long-anticipated reforms aimed at providing greater payment and cash-flow certainty for stakeholders...

CanadaReal Estate and Construction
Mark Johnson
Mark Johnson
Laura Cundari
Laura Cundari
Andrew Kavanagh
Andrew Kavanagh
Alison Burns
Alison Burns
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On October 7, the Government of British Columbia introduced Bill 20 in the B.C. legislature. Bill 20 implements long-anticipated reforms aimed at providing greater payment and cash-flow certainty for stakeholders in the construction industry. It proposes prompt payment legislation and abolishing Shimco liens, a problematic form of lien against holdback funds recently reaffirmed by the B.C. Court of Appeal.

Bill 20 proposes the new Construction Prompt Payment Act, whichis based on similar legislation enacted recently in other Canadian jurisdictions. Key aspects of Bill 20 include:

  1. New prompt payment rules
  2. A formal adjudication process
  3. Amendments to the Builders Lien Act, including abolishing the Shimco lien

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