2023

Whereas British Columbia and Canada have committed to protecting and restoring biological diversity, including in the Convention on Biological Diversity and the Together for Wildlife Strategy; And whereas protecting and restoring biological diversity contributes toward more resilient and healthy local communities, as well as ecosystem health, while helping to contain emergency management and infrastructure costs in the context of climate change: Therefore be it resolved that the Province work with local governments and First Nations to support the protection and restoration of biologica

Whereas the current RCMP cost-sharing agreement consists of a 70 municipal and 30 federal government cost-share ratio for municipalities with a population of less than 15,000; And whereas municipalities experiencing population growth face a sudden and significant increase in financial responsibility when the population threshold of 15,000 is crossed: Therefore be it resolved that UBCM advocate to the Federation of Canadian Municipalities, to the Province of BC and to the Government of Canada for the introduction of additional population tiers to the RCMP cost-sharing agreement to ease th

Whereas log debris is a significant and repeated cause of damage to coastlines, natural assets, and waterfront infrastructure and piers, and poses a risk to public accessibility and safety of waterfront areas; And whereas log accumulation on coastlines is increasing due to more frequent storm events in winter and log removal is cost-prohibitive for local governments to individually and proactively address on a continuous basis: Therefore be it resolved that UBCM request the Province to: 1 Establish an inter-agency working group to investigate sources of log debris within the Strait of Geo

Whereas farmland plays a vital role in supporting local food production, promoting agricultural sustainability, and preserving green spaces within municipalities; And whereas farmland located within municipal boundaries faces unique challenges and pressures, such as increased property values, limited space, and proximity to urban development, which can hinder its viability and continuity as productive agricultural land; And whereas equitable tax treatment of farmland, regardless of its location within a municipality, would promote fairness among farmers and reduce barriers to agricultur

Whereas First Nations are constitutionally recognized as a level of government in Canada and British Columbia, and have the inherent right to self-government, including decision-making over their own lands, resources, and governance through the provisions outlined in United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples and provincial Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples Act; And whereas Section 90 of the Community Charter provides for the ability for confidential government to government negotiations, but does not include First Nations in this provision: Therefore b

Whereas BC local governments are entering a period of significant replacement for most of their essential infrastructure and facilities built in the 1950s through 1980s requiring debt in order to do so and regular electoral approval for debt servicing greater than 5 of local government revenues will no longer be manageable, given the staff resources and cost to facilitate approval processes, and more importantly the risks of not being able to fund replacement of essential infrastructure; And whereas the debt borrowing capacity for BC local governments under Section 174 of the Community Cha

Whereas amendments to the Agricultural Land Commission Act and Agricultural Land Reserve Regulation were amended such that the Agricultural Land Commission ALC is no longer accepting Agricultural Land Reserve ALR Exclusion Applications from private property owners; And whereas ALR Exclusion Applications are now only accepted from local governments or First Nation or other prescribed bodies; And whereas under the new legislative scheme, the responsibility for submitting ALR Exclusion Applications including all application requirements such as public hearings, advertising, signage, and rev

Whereas the Province of BC is experiencing a homeless crisis and the number of individuals experiencing homelessness is increasing; And whereas the number of shelter spaces is not sufficient or lack staff capacity to house our vulnerable individuals experiencing homelessness and results in a number of individuals living in encampments; And whereas municipalities are responsible for land use and mental health, addictions and housing does not fall under the jurisdiction of municipalities: Therefore be it resolved that UBCM lobby the provincial government to direct BC Housing to provide man

Whereas there is a lack of transparency for how assessed value is calculated for major industrial properties in British Columbia; And whereas there is a closure allowance for major industrial and electrical properties in British Columbia that allows for the reduction of improvement value to 10 of the cost for major industrial and electrical properties when they cease operations in British Columbia; And whereas local governments face significant economic and taxation challenges when major industrial and electrical proponents cease operations in their communities: Therefore be it resolved

Whereas there is a lack of Public Health Officers in rural and northern British Columbia; And whereas the current staffing levels are impacting development approval processes for obtaining public health permits; And whereas there is limited training opportunities for Public Health Officers in rural and northern British Columbia: Therefore be it resolved that UBCM lobby the provincial government to increase the provision of locally offered training and support for Public Health Officials in rural and northern British Columbia.