Along with statutes, regulations are considered primary sources of law. Referred to as delegated or subordinate legislation, regulations have the same binding legal effect as statutes. However, unlike statutes, regulations are not made by the Provincial Legislature. Regulations are made by persons or bodies to whom the Legislature has delegated the authority to make them. For example, the Lieutenant Governor in Council (Cabinet), a Minister or an Administrative Agency may have this delegated power. The authority to make regulations must be expressly stated in a statute, called an enabling statute. While an enabling statute tends to state general principles and rules, the regulations made pursuant to the act "flesh out" the details necessary for the administration of the statute. A new or amending regulation comes into force on the date that it is deposited with the Registrar, unless a different date is stated in the regulation, pursuant to the Regulations Act, RSBC 1996, c 402, s 4.
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Begin your search with the loose-leaf volumes, Consolidated Regulations of British Columbia [LAW LIBRARY reference room (level 2): KEB78 .B74 (LC)]. The regulations are arranged in these volumes in an alphabetical sequence, under the short title of the enabling statute. If you have difficulty locating the regulations that you are looking for, turn to volume 1 of the Consolidation. Note that at the front of this volume there are several useful access tools for locating regulations such as a Table of Contents, a Concordance, and an Index. Since the loose-leaf volumes of the Consolidated Regulations are not completely up-to-date, check for new or amending regulations published since the filing of the latest update pages, by carrying out the following steps: • Check the latest update information at the front of volume 1 of the Consolidation. • For the text of new regulations, consult the biweekly issues of B.C. Gazette Part II [LAW LIBRARY level 3: KEB71 .A24 (LC)]. The earlier volumes of British Columbia regulations can be found in the same location.
The full citation of a British Columbia regulation consists of: The title of the regulation. The designation BC Reg. The regulation number and the year combined. From 1958 through 1999, the number took the form of BC Reg 15/83. Commencing with January 2000, the numbers are in the form BC Reg 111/2000. Reference to any particular section(s). Examples: Adoption Agency Regulation, BC Reg 292/96. Adult Guardianship (Abuse and Neglect) Regulation, BC Reg 13/2000.
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