British Columbia’s Court of Appeal has ruled in Gitxaala v. British Columbia that the province’s Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples Act (DRIPA) incorporates UNDRIP and creates legally enforceable obligations, overturning a 2023 Supreme Court finding that DRIPA was not justiciable. The court held that B.C.’s automatic online mineral claim-staking system under the Mineral Tenure Act, used to grant claims on Banks Island between 2018 and 2020, is inconsistent with UNDRIP because it provides no opportunity for prior consultation. All B.C. mining-related statutes and regulations must now be interpreted as consistent with UNDRIP, signalling tighter consultation requirements at the mineral claims stage.

Ed Miliband has confirmed the government will deliver a full implementation plan within three months for the Nuclear Regulatory Taskforce’s recent review recommendations, signalling a rapid timetable for regulatory change across the UK nuclear programme. The taskforce’s work is expected to affect licensing and consenting pathways for new large-scale reactors and small modular reactors, with direct implications for design approvals, site investigations and construction sequencing. Civil and geotechnical teams on nuclear projects should anticipate tighter programme constraints and potential revisions to safety case documentation and regulatory interfaces in early 2026.

UK net zero building targets for 2030 and 2050 are at risk, with a House of Commons energy security and net zero committee report warning of a shortfall of at least 250,000 construction workers for new housing alone, plus large numbers for retrofit. MPs call for a nationally recognised, industry-backed construction and retrofit skills programme, expanded “try-before-you-buy” training, and targeted public funding to support SMEs in taking on inexperienced trainees. The report also flags likely short‑term reliance on importing specialist skills unless domestic completion and retention rates in construction FE improve sharply.