2 Interpretation

• 2 In this Act, and in any by-law passed pursuant to this Act, unless the context otherwise requires,
• “assessed value” means assessed value as determined under the Assessment Act;
• “assessor” means an assessor appointed under the Assessment Authority Act;
• “city” means the City of Vancouver;
• “conservation” includes any activity undertaken to protect, preserve or enhance the heritage value or heritage character of heritage property or an area;
• “Council” means the Council of the city;
• “court” means the Supreme Court;
• “Crown lands” means real property belonging to Canada or the Province, and includes real property held in trust for a body or tribe of Indians;
• “elector” means a resident elector or a non-resident property elector;
• “fee” includes a fee by any name, including a charge;
• “heritage character” means the overall effect produced by traits or features which give property or an area a distinctive quality or appearance;
• “heritage property” means property that

• (a) in the opinion of a person or body authorized to exercise a power under this Act in relation to the property, has sufficient heritage value or heritage character to justify its conservation, or
• (b) is protected heritage property;

• “heritage value” means historical, cultural, aesthetic, scientific or educational worth or usefulness of property or an area;
• “housing cooperative” has the same meaning as in section 1 of the Cooperative Association Act;
• “housing information” means the housing information collected under section 574.2 [collection of housing information];
• “housing needs report” means a housing needs report within the meaning of Division (6) of Part XXVII;
• “improvements” for the purpose of levying rates means improvements as defined in the Assessment Act;
• “improvements” for purposes other than levying of rates includes buildings, structures, machinery and other things so affixed to the land as to make them in law a part of the land;
• “Judge” means a Judge of the Supreme Court of British Columbia;
• “land” does not include improvements;
• “land title office” means the office of the Vancouver Land Title District, and “registered”, when used in respect of real property, means registered in that office;
• “local government” means

• (a) the council of a municipality, including the Council of the city, and
• (b) the board of a regional district;

• “non-resident property elector” means a person who at the relevant time meets the qualifications under section 24;
• “occupier”, when used with respect to Crown lands, includes tenant and holder of an agreement to purchase;
• “other administrative body” means an unincorporated body other than the Council, that under this or another Act may exercise powers of the city or Council, and includes the Board of Parks and Recreation;
• “owner under agreement” means a person who is registered as the last holder, either directly or by assignment, of an agreement for the sale and purchase of real property;
• “parcel” means any lot, block, or other area in which real property is held or into which real property is subdivided, but does not include a street, or any portion thereof;
• “protected heritage property” means property that is

• (a) protected under section 12.1(2) of the Heritage Conservation Act,
• (b) designated as protected under section 593, or
• (c) listed in a schedule included under section 596A(3)(b) in an official development plan;

• “real property” includes land and every improvement thereon;
• “registered owner” means the person registered in the land title office as entitled to the fee simple;
• “regulating” includes authorizing, controlling, limiting, inspecting, restricting, and prohibiting;
• “resident elector” means a person who, at the relevant time, meets the qualifications under section 23;
• “strata corporation” has the same meaning as in section 1 of the Strata Property Act;
• “street” includes public road, highway, bridge, viaduct, lane, and sidewalk, and any other way normally open to the use of the public, but does not include a private right-of-way on private property.

1953-55-2; 1956-70-2; 1958-72-2; 1977-30-145, proclaimed effective September 30, 1977; 1978-25-333, 334, proclaimed effective October 31, 1979; 1985-20-40, effective October 1, 1985 for some purposes and in full effect January 1, 1987 (B.C. Reg. 291/85); 1989-40-218; 1993-54-60; 1994-43-83; 1994-52-132; 1997-25-160; 1999-37-281, effective September 28, 1999 (B.C. Reg. 3012/03); 2000-7-252; 2002-22-25, effective January 13, 2003 (B.C. Reg. 379/2002); 2004-34-19; 2010-6-125; 2014-19-112; 2018-23-43; 2018-20-5, effective April 16, 2019 (B.C. Reg. 91/2019); 2019-26-39; 2021-5-84; 2023-16-13.