Opportunities for members to give feedback, have input, participate in advisory groups, and more.
The Province distributed two discussion papers to local governments to seek input on proposed distance criteria for cannabis retail stores and capacity requirements at licensed establishments with on-site liquor consumption. Local governments may provide written feedback to the Liquor and Cannabis Regulation Branch (LCRB) by December 31st. UBCM members that did not receive the discussion papers are asked to contact the LCRB.
The Ministry of Agriculture and Food has proposed a new regulation to encourage more food processing in the Agricultural Land Reserve on land that is not well suited for primary production. UBCM has provided a submission to share local government perspective and requests.
The Ministry of Water, Land and Resource Stewardship is inviting local governments to review a suite of new wetland and stream management standards, guidance documents, assessment tools, and data resources currently under development.
In June, local government staff and elected officials were invited to attend provincial virtual engagement sessions to discuss the draft of the next B.C. Road Safety Strategy, along with its first action plan. Over 100 representatives from 51 local governments and other organizations attended these sessions.
The Province is seeking feedback on a proposal that could expand food processing activity within British Columbia’s Agricultural Land Reserve (ALR). The Ministry of Agriculture and Food has released a discussion paper proposing a new “5% rule” that would allow certain food processing facilities to be developed on lower-capability ALR lands without Agricultural Land Commission approval, provided at least five percent of the product being processed is grown or raised in B.C.
The B.C. Road Safety Strategy Steering Committee is inviting local governments to participate in virtual engagement sessions regarding the upcoming B.C. Road Safety Strategy 2030. Formal invitations have been distributed to all local governments, providing details on session dates, registration and how to submit feedback.
Consultation is now under way to develop the regulations and policies to implement the Construction Prompt Payment Act (CPPA), starting with a Discussion Paper. The Act aims to ensure contractors and subcontractors will be paid on time for future construction projects.
UBCM is undertaking a governance review focused on the composition of the Executive board, in response to recent questions raised from members about representation on the Executive board, and to address a 2024 resolution (NEB14-2024) which proposes changing UBCM's name to be more inclusive of the diversity of local government types in British Columbia.
There will be several opportunities for engagement and feedback. The first is an online survey for local elected officials. The survey seeks member feedback on:
The Province is seeking feedback from local governments on ride-hailing and passenger transportation regulations in BC. Senior or technical staff from local governments who are interested in contributing to a review of the regulations are invited to contact the Ministry of Transportation and Transit (MOTT) to express interest.
UBCM and the Province have a joint working group focused on developing a framework for engaging local governments in Province-First Nations negotiations. At a joint session during the 2025 UBCM Convention, the working group solicited feedback to shape its work. An update from the working group now available.