2023

Whereas the province of British Columbia is prone to wildfires, which pose significant threats to public safety, communities, property, and the environment, and where climate change has contributed to an increase in the frequency, intensity, and severity of wildfires, thereby placing an unprecedented strain on available firefighting equipment; And whereas the Provincial Government has the responsibility to ensure that the BC Wildfire Service has adequate resources, including equipment, to effectively respond to and manage wildfires to safeguard lives, protect infrastructure, and preserve

Therefore be it resolved the UBCM call upon the Province of British Columbia to work with local governments and First Nations to support the protection and restoration of biological diversity in local communities, including establishing a Local Natural Areas Protection Fund to support local efforts to acquire land for biodiversity and ecosystem health.

Whereas the Province of BC is making historic investments in affordable housing, has initiated zoning and regulatory reform and has introduced demand-side measures to address the housing crisis; And whereas despite these actions, 13.4 of British Columbians live in core housing need, and as of May 2023 the average listed rental price for a two-bedroom unit in BC is 2,714; And whereas the share of units affordable to renters with the lowest 20 of incomes in Vancouver and Victoria is 1; And whereas province wide from October 2021 to 2022 the average change in rent on turnover of a two-be

Whereas in the interest of providing a safe potable drinking water supply, Regional Districts are encouraged by the Province to assume ownership and operation of failing or deficient water systems owned by improvement districts, water users communities, societies and private development; And whereas these water systems are not financially viable as they are very small in size frequently less than 100 customers with limited access to funding, they are located in rural or remote rural communities with a very limited tax base, and with no opportunity to amalgamate with other water systems to

Whereas the Ministry of Public Safety and Solicitor General has indicated that private insurance industry standards are not in the control of the Province of British Columbia; And whereas current insurance industry guidelines require fire apparatus to be replaced on a maximum 25-year basis or the fire insurance grades of a community will be adversely affected; And whereas the cost to replace fire apparatus is a large financial burden for small communities; And whereas a municipality is not permitted to utilize long-term borrowing from the Municipal Finance Authority to purchase new fi

Whereas BC has yet to develop an effective strategy to address the biggest constraint on new housing supplyour shrinking construction labour forceand offsite wood frame and mass timber construction has potential to deliver improvements of up to 50 labour productivity, 50 construction time and 20 cost savings, net zero and low embodied carbon construction and secure jobs in forest dependent and Indigenous communities; And whereas the greatest barrier to expanding offsite construction is insufficient market demand from public and private project developers unfamiliar with this novel approach

Whereas the rent ceiling caps for the Shelter Aid for Elderly Renters SAFER program have not been increased since 2018 and, as they range from 734 to 803, in no way reflect the reality of market rents paid by seniors in the Province; And whereas their income cannot exceed 30,600 for a single renter in Vancouver or 29,352 in the rest of the province leaving seniors living on less than minimum wage unable to access rent supports; And whereas the average income of a SAFER recipient is 23,660, and two out of three seniors who rent in this province receive no subsidy from government; And w

Whereas the Province of BC completed a Preliminary Strategic Climate Risk Assessment for BC in 2019 that found that extreme weather events will continue to worsen across the province in coming years including heat waves; And whereas some middle and high schools could be used as emergency, disaster or extreme weather shelters: Therefore be it resolved that UBCM advocate to the Ministry of Education to increase funding to school districts with facilities capable of being used as emergency, disaster or extreme weather shelters to implement and increase resiliency measures including but not l

Whereas the Township of Langley has the highest growth rate in Metro Vancouver and public transit has not kept up with population growth, resulting in inadequate services to support current and future Township of Langley residents and businesses; And whereas communities south of the Fraser, including Delta, Surrey, Township of Langley, City of Langley, Abbotsford, and Chilliwack have a combined population over 1.2 million and yet there is no interregional public transit connecting these respective Fraser Valley communities; And whereas existing transit routes and Highway 1 continue to be

Whereas the Ministry of Education and Child Care is responsible for BCs 10day childcare program, and Child Care BCs growing system of universal childcare has been life-changing for families, with demand far outstripping supply; And whereas the current grant-based process to expand universal childcare relies on grant applicants to coordinate all aspects of design and implementation, and local and Indigenous governments and nonprofit organizations often lack the resources to successfully manage this process in accordance with UBCM-funded childcare needs assessments and action plans: Therefo