Executive members met on July 15-17 for their quarterly Committee and board meetings. The July meeting provides closure on a number of year-end matters but also establishes direction for the year ahead. In addition to advancing virtual Convention planning and programming, Executive members discussed the 2020 resolutions process, and received a delegation from the Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing, Honourable Selina Robinson.
Highlights of the July 17th Executive meeting include:
- Received a report on the President’s activities since the last meeting.
- Received a report on provincial legislation and policy of interest to local government.
- Received a report from the 2020 Nominating Committee advising that the nominations process for Executive positions had been revised to accommodate the virtual Convention format; the nominations process was underway and the appointment of Chief Scrutineer had been completed.
- Received reports on the annual review of MOU and Agreements; Financial Statements for the month and the year ending May 31, 2020; annual statutory compliance report; a year-end status report of the 2019-20 annual work program; and the proposed work plan for 2020-21. It was noted that due to the pandemic, adjustments had been made to the past year’s work plan to accommodate emerging matters and advocacy work on the part of the Secretariat.
- Approved tentative dates for 2020-2021 Executive meetings, subject to approval by the incoming Executive in September.
- Received a status report on UBCM’s legal assistance fund.
- Approved the annual allocation of $7,500 to the Board of Examiners in support of the Jeff McKelvey scholarship fund.
- Received a financial statement on the UBCM-FCM Small Communities Travel Fund.
- Received a staff report on recent activities and updates for the Local Government Program Services and the Gas Tax Fund.
- Approved the Preliminary Budget for 2020-21 noting no member dues increase for the coming year.
- Received an update on the following policy files: cannabis taxation revenue sharing; auditor general for local government; the Safe Drinking Water for First Nations Act; federal additions to reserve policy; federal comprehensive and specific land claims policy; national inquiry into murdered and missing aboriginal women and girls; licensing of commercial dog and cat breeding; assessment appeals: special use properties; revitalization of the ALR and ALC; new RCMP labour relations regime; Emergency Program Act review; 911 emergency communication service delivery; RCMP auxiliary program; and vessel operation restriction regulations.
- Received a report on provincial legislation introduced into the House of interest to or affecting local governments.
- Received a report on the housing file providing updates on strata insurance, the Province’s Encampment Strategy, renter supports, federal housing updates, and UBCM’s submission to the Expert Panel on Supply and Affordability.
- Received an update on issues related to cannabis, including cannabis taxation revenue sharing.
- Received a report on public transit, noting that in follow up to concerns raised by transit communities, UBCM held a forum on June 16th with transit communities and affected partners. Executive directed that UBCM continue to work collaboratively with the Province, BC Transit, TransLink and BC communities to develop a strategy that will support the recovery and rebuild of public transit in BC.
- Received a report on a number of Agricultural Land Reserve and Agricultural Land Commission files related to Bill 52 and Bill 15 as well as other ongoing agricultural policy files.
- Met with the Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing and discussed the federal government’s announcement of $19 billion to provinces and territories for pandemic recovery; BC’s recovery strategy; Police Act modernization, UBCM Convention update and received an update on by-election and assent voting in a COVID-19 environment.
Highlights of the July 15 & 16th Committee meetings
Presidents Committee
Presidents Committee members approved the establishment of a Special Committee on Economic Recovery, comprising members of the Presidents Committee; and directed that UBCM prepare a submission to the Province as part of its Pandemic Recovery consultation. The Committee also approved the following appointments to the Cannabis Policy Technical Working Group (noting there are still vacancies):
• Kevin Cormack, Chief Administrative Officer, City of Nelson;
• Peter Monteith, Chief Administrative Officer, City of Chilliwack;
• Chris Coates, City Clerk, City of Victoria; and,
• Adam Goodwin, Social Development Specialist, City of Penticton.
Committee members also received the financial statements; reports on staffing; UBCM Reserves; 2020 Annual Report; member services; and discussed a number of year end matters such as the preliminary budget for 2020-2021. Delegations were received from KPMG (UBCM auditors) who discussed the Audit Findings Report; PionMatifat representatives shared an update on UBCM’s Investments, and the Committee received and update from the Trustees to the Municipal Pension Plan and Plan Partner Working Group.
Convention Committee
The Convention Committee received a report on the program details and planning timeline. The draft long program was approved and continues to be updated as planning progresses. The Committee reviewed the speaker gift report and selected three charities to support with this year’s speaker gifts. The Committee also received a report for information on the Internet Connectivity of UBCM Members as well as an update on sponsorship for the 2020 Convention.
Environment Committee
The Committee received a report on an engagement strategy for the draft recommendations of the Special Climate Action Committee. It was noted that three (3) webinars for local governments would be held on the recommendations and that the recommendations would also be distributed to the membership via the Compass. The Committee also reviewed a draft report of the Committee’s activities for inclusion in the annual report.
Community Economic Development Committee
Committee members discussed the impact of COVID-19 on their communities, their challenges and how they were doing in response to the Province’s restart plan. Members received updates on a variety of files including forestry, connectivity, ATV/ORV trail networks as a local economic development opportunity, update on BC Utilities Commission Inquiry into Municipal Utilities and approved the Committee’s contribution to the UBCM’s 2020 Annual Report.
Committee members also confirmed their support for the newly established UBCM Special Committee on Economic Recovery and noted it would assist by sharing and distributing resources, tools and best practices to local governments needing help with their own recovery efforts.
Health and Social Development Committee
The Committee reviewed a request from the BC Alliance of Healthy Living for a financial contribution towards their advocacy efforts for 2020-2021; considered the draft Annual Report; and received updates on the Local Government Child Care Resource Guide, the Vancouver Coastal Health vaping guide, the BC Alliance for Healthy Living’s Small Town Leaders in Active Transportation project and the Public Health Association of BC’s Community Food Development project.
Correspondence was received from the City of Vancouver, which requested an update on UBCM’s advocacy on a Universal Healthy School Food Program; the City of Parksville regarding their needle distribution bylaw; and the Fire Chiefs’ Association of BC regarding their work on pre-hospital emergency care.
Community Safety Committee
The Community Safety Committee discussed the upcoming provincial Police Act review, including UBCM’s request to be included as part of the review committee. Also considered was an update on the status of RCMP collective bargaining. Members received additional reports regarding RCMP outstanding issues; auxiliary policing; changes to provincial liquor policy; emergency management, including the ongoing Emergency Program Act review; court system modernization; and the 2020 Annual Report.
Indigenous Relations Committee
The Indigenous Relations Committee discussed the status of implementation of the Inquiry into Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls Calls to Justice, and potential advocacy on systemic racism. It also received updates on Federal Government and First Nation responses to COVID-19.
Resolutions Committee
The Resolutions Committee met to adapt the resolutions process to work in a three-hour time block at the virtual 2020 Convention. Highlights of the new process include:
- Use of one Endorse Block of resolutions, rather than three used in previous years.
- Use of a new Not Endorse Block of resolutions.
- One Extraordinary Resolution (ER) will be put forward seeking to amend our bylaws to allow for virtual conventions in the future, should the need arise.
- Ten Special Resolutions (SR) will be put forward on priority issues for individual consideration.
- If there is time remaining, following the consideration of one ER, ten SR, one Endorse Block and one Not Endorse Block, then No Recommendation (NR) resolutions will be considered individually, until the three-hour block of time expires. No amendments for the No Recommendation resolutions will be accepted. Those NR resolutions not addressed during Convention will be referred to the UBCM Executive.
- Members wishing to pull a resolution for individual consideration, from either Block, must do so in advance of Convention. They must have a motion from their Council or Board. They can send the motion, along with an explanation as to why they believe their resolution should be considered individually, to the UBCM Executive by 12:00pm on Friday, September 18. Executive will consider all requests received by the deadline. Any resolutions that the Executive agree to pull from either Block will be referred to the UBCM Executive for consideration following Convention. Any changes to the Blocks will be announced during the Resolutions session during Convention.
- Members wishing to submit a proposed amendment to any of the 10 SR resolutions must do so in advance of Convention. The deadline to submit proposed amendments to the UBCM Executive is 4:00pm on Monday, September 21.
- Submit requests to pull from either Block and/or proposed amendments to the 10 SR resolutions to: UBCM Executive c/o Jamee Justason, Resolutions and Policy Analyst via email: jjustason@ubcm.ca