Insurance Act, RSBC 1996

Updated this post again (October 4, 2013)

Some sections of the new limited revision of the Insurance Act have been brought into force multiple times.

The whole Act, "except sections 155 to 157 and 168", came into force effective July 1, 2012, as per BC Regs #191/2012 and #194/2012.

On March 18, 2013, section 155 came into force via BC Reg #276/2012.

However, things got interesting with BC Reg #207/2013:

  • section a brought 155 to 157 and 168 into force on September 27, 2013.
  • section b brought section 155 into force on September 27, 2013.
  • section c brings sections 156 and 157 into force on March 31, 2014.

To make matters more complex, sections 155 to 157 of the revised Insurance Act are amending sections 37, 61(2), 68(1), 76(2), 78, 79(1), 80, 81, 92, 104(2), 119(2), 127(1) of the act itself. See the historical table.

This post may be updated again if an amending regulation is issued.

Updating this post (April 4, 2013)

Depending of the date of the material that you're looking at, the new limited revision of the Insurance Act may be cited differently .

Between July 1, 2012 and March 13, 2013, it is cited as the Insurance Act, SBC 2012, c. 37. After March 14, 2013, you should cite it as the Insurance Act, RSBC 2012, c. 1.

How did that happen?

The BC Government introduced the Miscellaneous Statutes Amendment Act, 2013, SBC 2013, c. 12, as Bill 8 on February 20, 2013. Among other things, it amends the Interpretation Act, RSBC 1996, c. 238, s. 43 and the Statute Revision Act, RSBC 1996, c. 440, ss. 4 to 6, to clarify how BC acts should be properly cited after a limited revision.

These changes allow limited revisions to be identified as revised statutes in the annual statute volumes. 



According to section 43 of the 
Miscellaneous Statutes Amendment Act, 2013, SBC 2013, c. 12, these amending sections came into force upon Royal Assent, March 14, 2013.

This means that any limited statute revision will be given an RSBC citation, and published in the annual statute volume for the year. Therefore, the revised Insurance Act, SBC 2012, c. 37 has been issued a new citation and chapter number - it is now the Insurance Act, RSBC 2012, c. 1.

Original Post (July 4, 2012)

Effective July 1, 2012, the revised Insurance Act, SBC 2012, c. 37, was brought into force by BC Reg #191/2012 as a limited revision under the Statute Revision Act, RSBC 1996, c. 140. It consolidates the previously existing act and its amendments, and revises it by simplifying the numbering and updating the style and language.

Please note that BC Reg #194/2012 amends BC Reg #191/2012, to bring the revised Insurance Act, "except sections 155 to 157 and 168", into force effective July 1, 2012.

To make matters more complex, sections 155 to 157 of the revised Insurance Act are amending sections 37, 61(2), 68(1), 76(2), 78, 79(1), 80, 81, 92, 104(2), 119(2), 127(1) of the act itself. See the historical table.

Section 155 was proclaimed into force by BC Reg #276/2012 (effective March 18, 2013).

What does this mean?

The new revised Insurance Act replaces the Insurance Act, RSBC 1996, c. 226, as of July 1, 2012.

The authority for this can be found in section 7(2) of the Statute Revision Act which states that when a limited revision comes into force, the Acts or provisions it replaces are repealed to the extent that they are incorporated in the limited revision.

Section 8(1) states that a revision does not operate as new law but has effect and must be interpreted as a consolidation of the law contained in the Acts and provisions replaced by the revision.

How did this happen?

The Statute Revision Actsection 1(b) gives the Chief Legislative Counsel the power to prepare a limited revision.

When preparing any revision, certain changes to acts may be made without going through the usual legislative process (therefore there is no bill and no debate). Allowable changes are set out in section 2 of the Statute Revision Act.

The revision is then given to the Clerk of the Legislative Assembly for presentation to a select standing committee for examination.

If the committee approves the revision and recommends that it be brought into force, a copy of the revision will be deposited with the Clerk of the Legislative Assembly as the official copy.

Both general and limited revisions are brought into force by regulation.

Ho do I cite it?

As per section 6(2) of the Statute Revision Act, a limited revision may be given a chapter number as if it were enacted in the current session of the Legislative Assembly, and the limited revision may be published in the volume of Acts enacted in that session.

Therefore, this act will now be cited as the revised Insurance Act, SBC 2012, c. 37.

October 4, 2013