On April 16, 2012, the provincial government tabled legislation that will change the limitation period for advancing a civil law suit.
Currently, the Limitation Act, sets out different time limits within which a plaintiff must advance a civil law suit, depending on the nature of the claim.
Bill 34 proposes a single, two-year time limit in the majority of cases and reduces the maximum time limit for advancing a claim to 15 years from the date of the offending act. If passed, Bill 34 would not be applied retroactively.
In addition to simplifying the law and streamlining the justice system, Bill 34 will align the limitation periods in British Columbia with those of other several other provinces, including Alberta and Ontario.
If passed, Bill 34 will repeal the current Limitation Act, but will not have retroactive application. Rather, a transition clause will apply to those currently involved in legal disputes.
Bill 34 received second reading on April 23, 2012