WHEREAS the Province of British Columbia in cooperation with UBCM has been refining the Community Charter to improve the function of local government: THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED that the Province of British Columbia provide a progress report and evaluation of the recommendations from the 2010 Regional District Task Force Report and conduct a review of the current regional district governance structure with the intention to continue to improve the relationship between municipalities and regional districts in British Columbia.
Ministry of Community, Sport Cultural Development The Regional District Task Force Task Force was created by UBCM in 2008 to consider issues and challenges facing regional districts and to identify possible solutions and strategies. The Task Force recognized that regional districts are a federation of municipalities and electoral areas and are a resilient and established form of local government able to meet the unique and changing circumstances of particular regions. The Task Forces 2010 recommendations led to a program of both legislative and non-legislative incremental change focused on practical problems. Legislative amendments over the past number of years have included timelines for service reviews, streamlining land use bylaw approvals, allowing regional districts to borrow from their own reserve funds, enabling regional districts to seek elector opinion on an issue of regional interest and most recently, enabling regional districts to set their own oath of office. Non-legislative activities have included supporting the development of regional district political leadership through the Local Government Leadership Academy, working with ten regional districts in the three high growth regions on their regional growth strategies and continuing to assist regional districts in resolving service disputes. The Ministry has also worked in partnership with UBCM and LGMA to increase the dispute resolution capacity of senior staff and elected officials e.g., working with RD Chairs and CAOs on conflict resolution and collaboration training at local government conferences and developing and documenting best practices. The Ministry continues to be interested in working with local governments on practical problems and issues. For example, the Ministry recognizes that regional districts are diverse and can face unique challenges that may require customized solutions. To accommodate regional diversity, the Province has in the past provided requested regulatory authorities to regional districts e.g., stormwater treatment, feral cats, and explosives. Additional authority, when appropriate, can be used to address issues that are specific to a regional district. The Ministry recognizes the important role that Regional Districts play in efficient, economic and effective service delivery in the Province.