10 big decisions the B.C. government will make in this legislative session

Today marks the beginning of the third session of the 41stparliament of British Columbia.

It's an ornate title, but what it really means is that the government begins a four-month period where the legislature will be sitting most weeks and a number of important decisions are scheduled to be made.

Here are 10that you'll likely be hearing about.

1. Housing

Last year, the government made reforms around rental laws, but Premier John Horgan acknowledged that had "not made a dent" on the affordability of market-priced housing.

A host of measures to both increase supply and decrease demand from speculators is expected in the budget, scheduled for Feb. 20.

• 'We have not made a dent': John Horgan pledges more action on affordable housing in 2018

"We're going totax policy, we're going to need to work on supply, more housing, working with developersand communities to make sure we can get rapid approvals and get the housing people need," he said.

2. Child care

$10-a-day child care was at the top of the NDP's election platform and the government has committed to move towardthat, while acknowledging it could take a decade to fully enact their plan.

A partnership between the provincial and federal government is expected to start this year, providing more spaces and reducing the cost forparents, along with funding to train more child-care workers.

3. ICBC

Calling it a "dumpster fire", Attorney General David Eby pledged to make ICBC's projected $1.3-billion deficit a one-time affair. In early February he announced a series of reforms that would be legislated, including a $5,500 cap for pain and suffering on minor injury claims.

• From fender benders to rear-enders: a snapshot of 111 ICBC claims filed in one day

More changes are expected in the coming months, includingmaking higher-risk drivers with more infractions pay more and lower-risk drivers pay less.

4. Marijuana

Horganhas said legislation to regulate non-medicinal cannabis when it becomes legalized this July will take up a large portion of time in the chamber, because of the number of different laws that will need to be amended.

• B.C. unveils pot plans: marijuana to be sold in standalone government stores, separate from liquor

Already the government has announced marijuana will be sold in standalone stores, won't be allowed to be consumed inside vehicles, and that local governments will have a veto in licensing retail outlets in their boundaries.

Rules around the price structure of cannabis and how it can be bought and sold in rural areas will also be determined.

5. Transportation megaprojects

The municipal governments in Metro Vancouver have been eagerly pushing for financial approval of three large projects: a new Pattullo Bridge between Surrey and New Westminster, an extension of the Millennium Line in Vancouver and anLRT line in Surrey.

• Pattullo, Millennium Line, Surrey LRT announcements could all be coming

Those agreements could come in this session along with a decision on whether to approve a request by cities for carbon tax revenue to fill the remaining municipal funding gap for the projects.

6. Mobility pricing

Last year, TransLinkcreated an independent commission to explore how congestion could be reduced in the Lower Mainland, with the potential of generating additional revenue to pay for transit.

The commission is halfway through its work and has suggested the possibility of enacting a fee to enter areas like downtown Vancouver, similar to charges in some European cities.

• Drivers should pay more to drive more, report tells TransLink

The full report is due this springand if it contains any measures requiring new taxation, the provincial government will have to approve it something Horgan wouldn't speculate on earlier this year.

7. Ride-hailing

Could Uber and other ride-hailing companies be allowed to operate in B.C. soon?

A committeeincluding Green Party leader Andrew Weaver who has been vocal in his desire to legalize the practice in B.C. has been exploring the topic for the past month will producea report Feb.15.

• Uber and taxi industry give competing visions of the future to B.C. MLAs

Another report, focusing on the impact to the taxi industry, is also being produced by the government and is set to be released this spring, making it less likely legislation will come down before the summer break at the end of May.

8. BC Hydro rates

It's not a decision that will be made in the legislature, but whether hydro rates go up is a situation that bears watching.

In November, the government applied to have them frozen for the upcoming year, instead of the three per cent increase requested by hydro.

• Plenty of cracks in B.C. government's claim of hydro rate freeze

However, that decision will be made by the B.C. Utilities Commission, which delayed their decision after Horgan said, "I am now more convinced than ever that a better course of action on affordability is not a blanket reduction or freezes."

9. Money laundering

The government announced a casino money-laundering investigation after several reports of suspicious cash transactions at Richmond's River Rock casino.

• How does laundered cash shape B.C.'s economy? Report due in March

Lawyer Peter German a former deputy commissioner of theRCMPand author ofCanada's leading anti-money-laundering law textbook is in the middleof hisinvestigation, which he says will highlight the extent to which laundered cash has flowed into B.C.'s real estate marketand other sectors of the economy.

Afull report is due by the end of March.

10. Electoral reform

Finally, this fall voters will be asked to vote on changing B.C.'s electoral system to a form of proportional representation but the specifics aren't known yet.

Until Feb. 28, the public is invited tofill out an online questionnaireand make comments on various aspects of the electoral system, including their preferred voting system, ballot designand the distribution of public funding for designated groups to campaign.

Ebywill then prepare a report to cabinet with recommendations.