Whereas Section 2 of the Community Charter states that consultation is a key principle defining the local governmentprovincial government relationship and acknowledges that the residents of BC are benefited when both local and provincial governments work together; And whereas provincial policies such as the Caribou Recovery Program, Old Growth Forest Policy Review and the Provinces decision not to appeal the Supreme Courts decision in Yahey v. British Columbia impact communities in a variety of ways both directly and indirectly: Therefore be it resolved that UBCM lobby the Province of BC to engage in meaningful consultation with municipalities that will be impacted by provincial policy.
Ministry of Municipal Affairs The Province has an ongoing commitment to consult with local governments, both formally and informally, on matters that specifically affect them. Consultation is enshrined as a legislative principle as part of the Province recognizing local governments as an order of government. This principle is key in defining the local-provincial relationship. Consultations build strong government-to-government relationships based on mutual respect and recognition. They enable the collaboration needed to develop and implement successful agreements, legislation, policies and programs that take the views of all levels of government into consideration and accomplish important things for people in all communities throughout British Columbia. When it comes to implementing that consultation principle, it is important to recognize that what is the most timely and effective consultation process will look different in every case. It will be different depending on factors such as the nature of the subject at hand, the scaled impact on local government interests, the varying stakeholders also interested, the Provinces obligations and interests, and timing considerations. The Ministry acknowledges that sometimes there may be circumstances where gaps in process steps may exist on urgent items, as Government focuses on making important choices to help people. There may also be times when the province and local governments have a difference of views on the outcome of consultations and will ultimately need to accept that they disagree. Municipal Affairs staff are available to offer other ministries advice and support on specific projects as needed. The Province remains committed to the important principle of consultation and acting on it appropriately in its dealings with local governments.