Whereas Part 12 of the Local Government Act and related regulations governing the preparation and implementation of Regional Growth Strategies have not been reviewed in 20 years; And whereas the decades since the legislation was passed have seen shifts in provincial and local government issues and community contexts; And whereas the Greater Vancouver Regional District v. Langley Township and Wall Court ruling 2014 raised questions about the effect of Regional Growth Strategies; And whereas outdated and ambiguous legislation is felt to have contributed to a prolonged and expensive Regional Growth Strategy update process in the Capital Regional District; And whereas many regional districts and municipalities across the province will in coming years be involved in reviews and updates of Regional Growth Strategies; And whereas other jurisdictions have more recently updated growth strategy legislation e.g. Alberta and Ontario: Therefore be it resolved that UBCM request the Province to actively engage local government including First Nations in a comprehensive review and update of Part 13 of the Local Government Act and related regulations.
Ministry of Municipal Affairs and Housing The Province provides support to regional districts that are in the process of developing, amending or implementing a Regional Growth Strategy RGS. The experiences of regional districts with the RGS process, including the recent challenges of the 2014 Langley Township court case and the 2018 Capital Regional District RGS dispute resolution process, continue to inform the Province of areas in which the RGS legislation could be strengthened. A review of the RGS legislation could provide an opportunity to address RGS process elements, and take into consideration contemporary regional growth issues. The Province is currently considering what a review of the legislation would entail and will be developing options for next steps. Should a review of the legislation be undertaken, the Province would engage in a comprehensive discussion with UBCM, local governments and First Nations to further understand any challenges and explore potential solutions.