Local Governments to Define Law Enforcement Priorities

WHEREAS the property tax, being the principal source of municipal revenue, is a regressive tax, and provincial and federal governments have access to a range of progressive tax revenue options; AND WHEREAS municipalities bear the full cost of enforcing the laws enacted by municipal councils, and provincial and federal governments should raise the revenue required to enforce laws enacted by the Legislature and Parliament from their tax sources: THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED that the UBCM request that the Government of British Columbia amend the RCMP police services contract as it concerns municipalities to enable municipal councils to define law enforcement priorities for the RCMP in municipalities commensurate with the share of policing costs paid from municipal sources.