Whereas the Ministry of Municipal Affairs and Housing has deemed that municipal boundary extensions into adjacent electoral areas of a regional district be guided by the principle of consultation with those affected, including First Nations whose traditional territory encompasses the proposed area of extension; And whereas the discretionary nature of municipal consultation with adjacent electoral area residents who are most affected by a municipal boundary extension with impacts to taxation, revenues, infrastructure and overall service provision by regional districts is inequitable to that of municipal residents: Therefore be it resolved that UBCM work with the Province of BC to amend the Local Government Act section 123 to remove the discretionary nature of the consultation process and mandate that the minister be required to direct that a vote on the question of including all or a portion of an adjacent electoral area into a municipality under this section be taken, in the form specified by the Minister.
Ministry of Municipal Affairs and Housing Under the Local Government Act, the Minister has the authority to order an assent vote of the electors in the proposed boundary extension area. This is typically conducted in situations where the proposed area has a population over 200 persons, or the proposal has significant implications. For smaller-scale boundary extensions, the Ministry requires that municipalities provide opportunities for property owners in the extension area to share their feedback and views. Responses are carefully reviewed by the Ministry. As part of the boundary change request, the municipality requesting the extension is responsible for collaborating with the regional district to identify and address potential impacts. This may include mitigation measures, such as a financial agreement to transition to new service costs over time or commitment to specific shared service arrangements. Proposals are reviewed by the Ministry based on technical and administrative criteria.