2022

Whereas local governments are required to set greenhouse gas reduction targets and decarbonizing the energy supply is critical to the Provinces efforts in reaching its low-carbon future as communities transition towards becoming more energy-efficient; And whereas communities may have opportunities to create clean and renewable energy projects, such as micro-hydro, geothermal, or solar power; And whereas such projects are typically only viable where local governments are guaranteed to be able to sell the power at a economically beneficial cost: Therefore be it resolved that UBCM encoura

Whereas there are many instances throughout British Columbia where both private and public utilities have infrastructure located within private property and no associated statutory rights of way or easement was registered against title to the property in the Land Title Office at the time of installation many years ago; And whereas utilities are responsible for their infrastructure within private property because they are of benefit to the public and essential to the operation and maintenance of these critical services: Therefore be it resolved that UBCM ask the provincial government to w

Whereas local governments across British Columbia are increasingly being impacted by severe weather events that are creating complex emergency situations; And whereas local governments are legislated to plan for, respond to, and assist their communities in recovering from these emergencies: Therefore be it resolved that UBCM encourage the Province of British Columbia create an annual funding model for local governments to more adequately prepare for and respond to local emergencies.

Whereas many communities across the province, particularly in rural and remote areas, there exists a shortfall of qualified staff to provide healthcare services; And whereas the COVID-19 pandemic has created additional demand on healthcare services; Therefore be it resolved that UBCM ask the Province of British Columbia to increase funding for additional resources to provide necessary primary healthcare services across the province such as increased Primary Care Network funding to support team based care in clinics physicians, nurse practitioners, physical therapists, etc; funding for n

Whereas in recent years there have been significant increases of wildfire activities in both number and size across the Province of British Columbia; And whereas the Open Burning Smoke Control Regulation requires that a person must ensure that every reasonable alternative for reducing, reusing or recycling vegetative debris is used in order to minimize the amount of vegetative debris to be open burned; Therefore be it resolved that UBCM ask the Province of British Columbia to further limit the Open Burning Smoke Control Regulation to prohibit open burning across the province as an alter

Whereas local governments are eligible to join the Recycle BC program as a contracted collector provided that they are an incorporated municipality with a minimum population of 5,000 residents and have had a curbside garbage collection program in place for a minimum of two years in advance of the new curbside program for the same households; And whereas Recycle BCs Packaging and Paper Product Extended Producer Responsibility Plan, revised June 2019, notes that in 2021, Recycle BC will assess the feasibility of servicing smaller, densely populated communities of less than 5,000 residents t

Whereas the FireSmart Mitigation Rebate program, funded by the provincial CRI FireSmart Community Funding and Supports Program is a useful and popular component of municipal FireSmart hazard mitigation programs and the current reimbursement maximums were set, and have remained unchanged since program inception, in 2019: Therefore be it resolved that UBCM ask the provincial government to review the guidelines restricting reimbursement maximums to 50 of eligible costs, to a maximum of 500 per property, with consideration to increasing these financial incentives to motivate more property ow

Whereas public lands in British Columbia are facing complex and cumulative pressures, with competing demands between stakeholders and ever-increasing impacts to wildlife and ecosystems, and in 2018 the Province of BC committed to work collaboratively with Indigenous governments, communities, and stakeholders to modernize land use planning, including collaborating with Indigenous governments in natural resource management that is informed by the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples UNDRIP and the Truth and Reconciliation Commission Calls to Action; And whereas the

Whereas small, rural and remote municipalities have limited resources and capacity to take on complex flood risk mitigation projects; And whereas the regulatory regimes of the provincial and federal agencies responsible for in-stream infrastructure works, and funding those works, operate independently of each other, resulting in mis-aligned approval windows, inconsistent application of environmental regulations, and an unnecessarily onerous and time-consuming process to get approval for critical flood mitigation works in already disturbed ecosystems, resulting in significantly higher cos

Whereas communities across British Columbia are struggling to assess and mitigate the risk from flooding with historic berms, dikes and dams in various states of repair where pre-emptive work is constrained by Ministry of Environment Regulations; And whereas communities do not have taxation and borrowing capacity to address the financial commitment required to safeguard infrastructure and residential development: Therefore be it resolved that UBCM ask the Province of British Columbia to create a strategy to reassume the responsibility for existing abandoned berms, dikes, dams and histori