Messages from the UBCM President, general advocacy communications, and information about Local Government Week.
Victoria, BC – The Union of British Columbia Municipalities (UBCM) is calling on the Province to pause progress on changes to the Heritage Conservation Act until meaningful consultation can be conducted with local governments.
UBCM Resolutions are an essential part of local government advocacy in BC. Each year hundreds of issues are raised for debate at the UBCM Convention. The volume is an indicator of the wide range of issues that communities deal with – but the sheer number poses some challenges. UBCM Executive is proposing a new framework to streamline the process.
Audrey Moore, a longtime mayor and former UBCM President passed away on June 20, 2025, just months before her 98th birthday.
Moore served as Mayor of Castlegar from 1977 to 1993, the longest tenure in the city’s history. She was previously a city councillor from 1973 to 1977 and held key regional roles, including with the hospital board and the Regional District of Central Kootenay.
((xʷməθkʷəy̓əm (Musqueam), Sḵwx̱wú7mesh (Squamish) and səlilwətaɬ (Tsleil-Waututh)/Vancouver, B.C.)) The First Nations Leadership Council (FNLC) and its member organizations joined with the Union of BC Municipalities today to call on the Province to withdraw Bill 15 – the Infrastructure Projects Act.
Last week mayors, chairs, elected chiefs and CAOs joined with Minister Bowinn Ma in a conference call regarding Bill 15, Infrastructure Projects Act. The call provided an opportunity for the Province to provide information about the Bill and respond to questions.
With the retirement last year of UBCM’s Marie Crawford, a new appointment to the Board of Examiners has been made. Jared Wright, UBCM’s General Manager of Policy and Advocacy, is now the UBCM representative to the board. Marie was a longstanding member of the BOE, and we thank her for her years of service.
Earlier this week, Bill 15 (Infrastructure Projects Act) passed second reading. Since UBCM’s initial commentary, Bill 15 continues to generate discussion concerning the powers it provides to the provincial cabinet to override local regulatory processes in order to fast-track permitting for major infrastructure projects that the Province designates as ‘provincially significant’.
The Province of BC has introduced legislation that would give greater powers to the Cabinet to expedite the approval of projects it deems a matter of provincial significance.
Local Government Awareness Week is a month away: May 11-17, 2025. This year’s theme is Infrastructure. UBCM members are invited to participate by identifying a key infrastructure story in their area and engaging with residents on the work being done to ensure sustainable service delivery for growing and changing communities.
In response to the trade war with the US, UBCM has engaged Oxford Economics to develop modelling on how escalating tariffs will affect GDP, employment and a host of other macroeconomic impacts in BC and Canada. Read the full report: Macroeconomic impacts of the US-Canada Trade War.