BC Government Introduces Protection of Public Participation Act

The BC government has introduced and given first reading to Bill 29, the proposed Protection of Public Participation Act. The explanatory note provided with the Bill states that “This Act protects persons from being subjected to lawsuits that would stifle their ability to promote, in the public interest, action by the public or by any level of government. Provision is made in this Act for such lawsuits to be dismissed at an early stage, for defendants subjected to such suits to be indemnified for the costs they incur in responding to those proceedings and for the court to award additional damages to those defendants in appropriate circumstances.”