The first newly introduced government bills for the fall legislative session are aimed at preventing and responding to sexual violence at post-secondary institutions and increasing the penalties for sharing intimate images without a person's consent.
Jessie Sunner, minister of post-secondary education and future skills, introduced the Sexual Violence Policy Act, which will replace the Sexual Violence and Misconduct Policy Act. It will require post-secondary institutions to apply sexual violence policies to more than just students, and strengthen reporting requirements to more easily allow the province to hold schools accountable.
Sunner also introduced a 12-point post-secondary sexual violence action plan, which aims to improve response and develop a more inclusive approach.
These combined changes are meant to increase student involvement in the policy-making process and help develop a more trauma-informed approach to cases of sexual violence.
"Sexual violence and gender-based violence affect us all, and we have a collective responsibility to stop and prevent it," Sunner said at a news conference at the legislature on Monday, Oct. 6.
Attorney General Niki Sharma, meanwhile, introduced a bill calling for stricter penalties for illicit sharing of intimate images. If passed, it would amend the 2023 Intimate Images Protection Act by upping maximum fines from $5,000 to $75,000.
"Sharing someone else's intimate images without consent is a crime, whether it is done with the goal of extorting money, blackmailing someone, or as a tool for emotional abuse," Sharma said. "It is wrong, and we know that it can lead to tragedy."
To make it easier for people to have these images removed and seek compensation, the law allows victims to seek redress through the Civil Resolution Tribunal, rather than requiring them to go to court. The amendments to the law will alter this process and remove the requirement that the tribunal publish damage decisions online.
"The intent is clear," Sharma said. "We're adding more ways for victims to get justice, the justice that they deserve, and ensure that they can receive better compensation for the harms that they've endured.
Resolution in the civil tribunal does not prevent people from also seeking damages of up to $35,000 in provincial court and an unlimited amount in B.C. Supreme Court.
Since the act was first introduced in January 2024, the tribunal has heard 381 complaints, finding resolution in 316 cases.
Sharma touted the impact this has had so far in encouraging people to come forward.
"The average time to resolution is in like weeks that you can get a result," Sharma said. "That is a record for the justice system, that we can respond in such a way. So we see way more people coming forward here."
