Whereas a healthy environment is essential for the wellbeing of residents, local communities and local economies, and the cumulative impacts of inadequate provincial environmental regulations impose costs and risks on local communities, including risks associated with climate change, drinking water supply, wildfire hazard, flooding, and security of municipal infrastructure, and may undermine local government planning; And whereas in order to protect and restore biological diversity and ecosystem health, and advance the objective of reconciliation, the provincial government has committed to fully implement the recommendations of the 2020 Old Growth Strategic Review OGSR, including recommendation 2: Declare conservation of ecosystem health and biodiversity of British Columbias forests as an overarching priority and enact legislation that legally establishes this priority for all sectors: Therefore be it resolved that UBCM call on the Province of British Columbia to work with Indigenous leadership to, in a timely way, develop and the process and timelines through which they will develop new legislation to protect and restore biological diversity and ecosystem health, in a manner consistent with the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, and with the involvement of local governments, civil society groups, Indigenous and western scientific experts, and the concerned public.
Ministry of Forests The Province remains interested in supporting local governments by improving the timeliness of provincial authorizations under multiple pieces of legislation. Water Sustainability Act WSA authorizations have received significant attention with increased staffing for high application volume regions as well as prioritizing decisions that relate to health, safety, and public infrastructure. Influxes of provincial and federal flood infrastructure funding, such as in 202021, increased pressures the various staff responsible for authorizations under the Land Act, Wildlife Act, Dike Maintenance Act DMA and the WSA to support related applications and decisions. Authorizations to support dike maintenance or improvement works often require independent decisions under both federal and provincial legislation. While permit requirements are typically complementary to one another, in some cases, statutory decision-makers may have differences in the exercise of their independent authorities. Ministry of Forests staff work with the Department of Fisheries and Oceans staff in the review process to the extent possible, while maintaining the integrity of the review process in alignment with the regulatory decision requirements. The proponents professionals should work with the federal and provincial regulators to address any possible differences to the extent possible as part of the application process. Applications under the WSA and now the DMA new as of October 17, 2022 are submitted through FrontCounter BC which adds more formality to the application content requirements and acceptance process. The Ministry of Land, Water and Resource Stewardship is also leading a Permitting Solutions initiative to advance cross sector improvements to the adjudication of complex permitting issues. As always, the reliance on qualified natural resource professionals to provide complete submissions is a critical element that will help applicants obtain timely decisions. The Province is working across government to address flood risk. The lead for repairs and maintenance of most dikes rests with local diking authorities, stemming back to when those dikes were constructed. However, the provincial government has been working closely with First Nations, local authorities and other government partners to address flood risks and upgrade dikes. This includes an investment of 123 million for over 300 flood risk reduction projects in the last five years through programs such as the Community Emergency Preparedness Fund CEPF, Adaptation, Resilience and Disaster Mitigation Program ARDM and National Disaster Mitigation Program NDMP. The Province appreciates the differences across local diking authorities to fund dike maintenance work. The Ministry of Municipal Affairs supports governance-oriented discussions where there are ongoing challenges. Engagement this fall on the BC Flood Strategy will explore a potential new flood-risk reduction paradigm, including work with local governments and other partners to address concerns and barriers in dike management. Local governments are encouraged to provide input into the BC Flood Strategy through one or more of the engagement opportunities. The Province recognizes it has an important role in both leading and supporting flood risk reduction. Decisions on floodplains and holistic local approaches to flood risk reduction are stronger when made in the context of relationships, values and buy-in from the community-level, along with support and guidelines from the Province. The Province is currently leading a project to update floodplain mapping in high risk areas that will assist local governments and First Nation communities in better understanding flood hazards. Where upstream risks to public safety are identified, the Province remains open to discussing measures that may be appropriate as part of risk reduction. The Province will continue to work collaboratively with local governments, First Nations and other partners to explore and implement a broad range of flood risk reduction options. A combination of flood protection alongside flood accommodation, risk avoidance and community-led retreat will lead to higher levels of resilience.