5 Minutes With

Politicians expect public scrutiny as a regular part of the job, but personal attacks, especially on social media, have increased noticeably. One workshop at Convention 2024 focused on mental health of elected leaders. UBCM spent five minutes with one panelist, the Honourable Janet Austin, Lieutenant Governor of British Columbia.

UBCM: Do you think the challenge of mental health for elected officials is getting worse?

Across BC, local governments are taking action to maintain public safety and address mental health and addiction issues. Every year the UBCM Convention plenary session delves into an issue being faced by all local governments, rural, urban and in between. This year the focus is the complex intersection of the toxic drug crisis, public use concerns and the impacts on communities, and their police, fire departments, and other local first responders. UBCM spent 5 minutes with one panelist, the CAO of Fort St. John Milo MacDonald to learn more.