When B.C. municipalities forced the province to delay controversial changes to the Heritage Conservation Act in September, they hoped the extra time would give the NDP government a chance to actually fix the problems.

“Your feedback will result in changes to the legislation,” Premier David Eby told them at the Union of BC Municipalities convention, after local mayors and councillors organized a near revolt to the point his government had no choice but to temporarily back down.

Seven weeks later though, nothing has changed.

The UBCM released a report Thursday stating that, despite a few webinars with provincial officials, the revisions remain a half-baked mess likely to delay building projects, drive up costs and anger the general public.

“Now that we’ve had more time to review and consider the proposed changes, it's clear the proposed changes are going to have a wide range of unintended consequences that impact construction costs for homes and infrastructure, and the time required for permitting to the time required for construction,” UBCM president Cori Ramsay said in an interview.

The government says the overhaul is needed to boost protection of First Nations cultural sites, and improve an outdated process that, as the premier has put it, isn’t working for anyone anymore.

But once UBCM........

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