Trade, Investment Labour Mobility Agreement TILMA

WHEREAS the Trade, Investment and Labour Mobility Agreement TILMA signed by the BC and Alberta governments and due to come into force in April 2007 and binding on local governments in April 2009: a makes it possible for outside investors to impose substantial legal expenses on local governments and potentially to overturn local government contracts, bylaws and regulations including land use, zoning and environmental bylaws decided by local governments to meet the wishes of their residents within the powers granted under existing BC legislation; b creates a situation where any rezoning approved by a BC local government will have the effect of establishing statutory precedent such that similar zoning cannot be denied to other applicants - if requested zoning similar to that granted in other cases is denied by the local government it will be liable to a maximum of 5 m per case; c provides no protection for the Agricultural Land Reserve ALR despite a section of the agreement where each province has the opportunity to insert exceptions, exposing the ALR to laws governing agricultural land in Alberta where a reserve does not exist: THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED that the Union of BC Municipalities convene an urgent meeting of concerned local governments to form a working group that will: a be sufficiently resourced to undertake an immediate review of the impact of this agreement on local governments, and b immediately upon conclusion of this review, undertake negotiations with the provincial government to have TILMA amended so that it is in alignment with current local government legislation and protects local governments from the consequences of this Agreement.