WHEREAS small rural and urban local governments are struggling to provide adequate emergency services, such as fire protection, water treatment, and policing, due to escalating costs and insufficient federal and provincial funding, which compromises the safety and well-being of their citizens: THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED that UBCM and FCM call on the federal government to abandon plans to end the Joint Emergency Preparedness Program in 2013, as planned, and provide long term ongoing funding for the program; AND BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that UBCM petition the provincial and federal governments to establish a committee to discuss and implement a program providing assistance to local governments that adequately addresses the emergency service needs of people in these areas and the ability to pay for those services, to ensure the safety and well-being of all citizens in our province and our country.
