Whereas Bills 44 and 47 mandated increased housing density across the province, requiring local governments to expand infrastructure to support the new housing and ensure complete communities; And whereas an infrastructure deficit already exists with risks of failure that could impact health and safety, and threaten growth of the provincial economy; And whereas local governments do not have financial tools linked to population and economic growth that could fund the capital renewal, expansion, and ongoing maintenance that will be required; And whereas local governments are increasingly taking on tasks that have historically been the responsibility of the provincial and federal government including providing lands and other financial supports for non-market and supportive housing, while also bearing costs related to medical emergency response, and managing encampments for growing numbers of unhoused British Columbians: Therefore be it resolved that the Province invest in a long-term, predictable allocation-based funding program to support expansion and operation of local government infrastructure services to support provincially-mandated housing growth including, but not limited to, water and sewer, transit, police and fire, and recreation; And further that the Province invest in its own areas of responsibility where there are already service deficits that will be further affected by housing-related population growth, namely health care family doctors, ambulances, hospitals, etc. and education classrooms, teachers, etc..
