One legacy of British Columbia's past reliance on hazardous substances is widespread contamination of land.
Neither B.C. nor federal legislation is aimed specifically at dealing with contaminated land, although the province has the power to order a person to conduct a clean-up under the Waste Management Act. [(2) -- 2. . Waste Management Act, s.22.] This power was recently amended to make it abundantly clear that it includes the power to order a clean-up by a person who caused the contamination in the past, even prior to the enactment of modern pollution control legislation. [(3) -- 3. . Waste Management Amendment Act, SBC 19?? ] At the same time, the B.C. government indicated its intention to introduce more-comprehensive legislation respecting contaminated sites.