Premier David Eby’s NDP BC government has replaced the term “manhole covers” with the new, less illustrative term, “equipment access covers.”Eby’s government recently updated its indigenous style guide to ban the term "British Columbians" in favour of "people living in BC," because it’s more inclusive. In a legislative amendment put forth by the provincial Minister of Housing Ravi Kahlon, the BC government said it amended the Safety Standards Act, “striking out ‘manhole and handhole covers’ and substituting ‘equipment access covers.’”No reason for the change was given, however the term “manhole” comes up continuously in BC’s existing legislation and will evidently be a costly procedure to overhaul the province’s general paperwork to weed out the offending phrase. . The amendment did not go over well on social media. “British Columbians are struggling, facing crises in healthcare, public safety, housing, and costs of living,” wrote BC MLA Kevin Falcon on Twitter. “What is David Eby's out-of-touch NDP government prioritizing?” said Falcon. “Going out of their way to rename manhole covers to ‘Equipment Access Covers.’ Ridiculous!”.The post also garnered attention on Reddit. “The time wasted passing these bandaid laws instead of working on real problems!” one user wrote. “What percentage of women work a job that requires opening these things?” another person wrote. “That'll fix the homeless problem,” someone else said. “Probably related to Trudeau’s 1984 bill,” someone wrote, alluding to Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s new Bill C-63, the Online Harms Act. “Can’t say anything bad, misogynistic, or transphobic anymore or you will get life in prison.”
