Bill 18 Passes Third Reading: Updates to B.C.’s Sexual Violence Policy Requirements

The Government of BC proposed the new Bill 18: Sexual Violence Policy Act to replace the existing Sexual Violence and Misconduct Policy Act, RSBC 2016, c. 23 (“Sexual Violence and Misconduct Policy Act”). Bill 18 passed its Third Reading on October 23, 2025, and will come into force on a date to be set by regulation of the Lieutenant Governor in Council.

When BC enacted the Sexual Violence and Misconduct Policy Act in 2017, it was one of the first provinces to require that post-secondary institutions implement a sexual violence and misconduct policy. The new Bill 18 introduces a more comprehensive framework aimed at strengthening prevention and improving institutional responses to sexual violence within the public post-secondary sector. The proposed legislation follows feedback from students, staff, Indigenous partners, and community organizations. In response to this feedback, the Ministry engaged in a review of existing policies and consulted with post-secondary communities and partners.

The current Sexual Violence and Misconduct Policy Act requires that public post-secondary institutions in BC:

• Establish a publicly available sexual violence and misconduct policy, which must be reviewed at least once every three years;
• Provide an annual report to their governing body on the implementation of the policy;
• Consult with students about the implementation and review of the policy; and
• If directed by the Minister, conduct a survey to assess the effectiveness of its policy.

These requirements will remain in place along with new additions under Bill 18 which expand and strengthen the statutory framework. Among the key additions are:

• Scope – expanding the policy scope beyond students to include faculty, employees, contractors, volunteers and board members;
• Objectives – establishing clear objectives that institutions must pursue in their policies to: promote the prevention of sexual violence; foster a safe learning and working environment; encourage a culture of consent and accountability; and recognize the needs of those who are most likely to be disproportionately impacted by sexual violence;
• Advisory committee – requiring institutions to establish a committee to advise the institution on the sexual violence policy and its prevention, response, and awareness efforts;
• Consultation and Reporting – establishing further requirements for consultation during policy reviews and more robust annual reporting requirements;
• Disclosure – providing institutions with express authority to share information about interim measures and case outcomes with those who raised an allegation;
• Consistency and oversight – establishing provincewide standards and expanding government regulation-making powers to ensure policies remain consistent and aligned with best practices;
• Survey – enabling the Minister to direct surveys assessing not only the effectiveness of policies but also efforts to prevent, respond to, and raise awareness about sexual violence; and
• Training – requiring institutions to make training related to sexual violence available to all members of their communities.

Bill 18 will be enacted alongside the Post-Secondary Sexual Violence Action Plan which is an action plan intended to the strengthen prevention and response to sexual violence across the sector. During the Second Reading of Bill 18, the Minister of Post-Secondary Education and Future Skills explained that this action plan includes 12 concrete actions under the following five strategic approaches:

• Lifting up Indigenous approaches;
• Increasing prevention through awareness and training;
• Improving institutional responses;
• Improving data collection and reporting; and
• Strengthening privacy and confidentiality.

The new legislation, along with other initiatives, is intended to support and operationalize the Post-Secondary Sexual Violence Action Plan.

We will continue to monitor the progress of Bill 18 and provide updates on when the legislation will be brought into force.

If you have any questions about these legislative developments, please contact your Harris lawyer.