2022

Whereas climate change is real and causing significant changes in the way local, provincial, and federal governments do business and provide services; And whereas the Province of BC has provided funding for Community Wildfire Protection Plans and Fire Smart programs for local governments; And whereas the continual drying and heating of our forests in British Columbia causes wildfires to ignite much more readily and to travel at higher speeds across the forested areas: Therefore be it resolved that UBCM request the BC Wildfire Service to take action to reduce fuel loading around the per

Whereas in BC home buyers pay a provincial Property Transfer Tax PTT at a rate of 1 on the first 200,000 of the purchase price and 2 on the remainder up to and including 2 million; And whereas according to the BC Real Estate Association the average single-family home increased 22 in value in the past 2 years since June 2020 to 915,000; And whereas the Property Transfer Tax is not related to the cost of services provided, the 2 tax on amounts over 200,000 creates an additional cost to homeowners making affordability more out-of-reach for more homebuyers: Therefore be it resolved that UBC

Whereas land used for the purposes of extracting, storage of products manufacturing or transporting of goods are categorized as Class 5 Light Industry in the BC Assessment Act Prescribed Classes of Property Regulations BC Reg.

Whereas public safety is of equal concern to both municipal and regional district residents; And whereas rural populations are growing steadily; And whereas provincial policing compliments have not been increased at the same rate as municipally funded positions; And whereas lack of police resources affects rural safety and is putting a strain on municipal budgets: Therefore be it resolved that UBCM request that the province increase the provincially funded positions immediately; And be it further resolved that future resource allocations accurately reflect the rural demands for policin

Whereas during the 1992 negotiations between the federal Solicitor General and the provincial negotiating team it was agreed that the Province of BC would be responsible for 90 percent of the share of the RCMP costs in communities with more than 15,000 residents and for 70 percent of the costs in communities with less than 15,000 residents; And whereas there have been significant increases in RCMP costs as a result of the collective bargaining process that municipalities must pay since the thresholds were set in 1992: Therefore be it resolved that UBCM urge the provincial and federal gove

Whereas many small local governments provide First Responder Program services to assist the BC Emergency Health Services Ambulance services; And whereas the provision of assistance to the BC Ambulance Services is very valuable; And whereas some costs associated with providing the service on behalf of BC Emergency Health Services are paid for by BC Emergency Health Services while hourly pay for First Responders and all vehicle costs are paid by the taxpayers of the local governments that assist the BC Ambulance Services: Therefore be it resolved that UBCM request the BC Emergency Health S

Whereas many small local governments provide highway rescue services in large geographic areas outside of their jurisdictions; And whereas the Province of BC has increased funding to communities in the past several years to help offset the costs of the service provided; And whereas costs continue to rise for components of the service including fuel, vehicle repairs, vehicle replacement and training: Therefore be it resolved that UBCM request the Province of BC to review the funding allowances to cover more costs associated with the provision of highway rescue services by small local gov

Whereas the high number of call volumes for volunteer fire departments to respond to medical calls far exceeds regular fire related needs; And whereas the resources of volunteer fire departments and concerns for volunteer retention and burnout is a concern due to excessive medical calls: Therefore be it resolved that UBCM lobby the provincial government to support additional funding and review any feasibility studies to ensure that provincial resources for BC Ambulance and 911 services are adequate to service local populations.

Whereas British Columbians are continuing to struggle to access primary care and establish relationships with a family doctor despite a Provincial commitment to a new primary care network model in 2018; And whereas the Province of British Columbia offers limited alternatives with limited funding to the fee for service model for physician compensation: Therefore be it resolved that UBCM ask the Province of BC to consider, implement and adequately fund alternative physician compensation models to replace the fee for service model to better support continuity of care and encourage doctors to

Whereas libraries in British Columbia are largely financed by levies paid by local governments, and where provincial library funding has remained stagnant for the past 10 years; And whereas public libraries are central to communities, providing equitable access to vital resources, including internet, computers, digital library tools, and in-person services from expert staff; And whereas public libraries provide British Columbians with low-barrier services, that support job seekers and small businesses, that increase literacy in communities, that advance reconciliation with Indigenous peop