British Columbia’s Land Owner Transparency Act

Laura M. Peach, Alistair G. Campbell and Peter Mennie

On November 30, 2020, British Columbia’s new Land Owner Transparency Act, S.B.C. 2019, c. 23 (“LOTA”) came into force. New applicants registering an interest in land may be required to file a Transparency Report setting out information about the applicant and the interest holders of real property. LOTA also requires most trustees, corporations, and partnerships that own land to file a Transparency Report before November 30, 2021. (1) What is LOTA? LOTA requires the registered owner of real property to report individuals with an indirect interest in land (i.e., ownership held through a corporation,…