Principles for local elected leadership


Publishing Date

A new online education course will help local elected officials explore responsible conduct principles. The resource, developed jointly by UBCM, the Local Government Management Association (LGMA) and the Ministry of Municipal Affairs, explores the themes of integrity, respect, accountability, leadership and collaboration, and how each of these is essential to effective governance by B.C.’s Councils and Boards.

Local government elected officials can access the course by contacting their Chief Corporate Officer or Chief Administrative Officer for the access code.

The on-demand eLearning course is the latest resource developed by the Working Group on Responsible Conduct. This working group - drawn from staff in the Ministry of Municipal Affairs, UBCM and the Local Government Management Association - was formed in response to requests from local governments for resources to strengthen the practice of responsible conduct.

The course is based on real-life scenarios that require the learner to make choices in light of responsible conduct principles and will be an aid to newly elected Councils and Boards as they seek to identify shared standards. It is being made available at no cost to every local government elected official in B.C.

To protect the confidentiality of learners, all of the course information input by them (except registration details) is protected by the learning platform.

This new resource joins several others that have been developed for local governments over the past five years:

  • The foundational principles for responsible conduct in British Columbia;
  • A model Code of Conduct and companion guide
  • An online database of external professional resources to support local educational initiatives or provide coaching and guidance
  • A guide to help local governments prepare for dealing with conduct issues.

The new course takes 60-90 minutes to complete. A certificate is provided to every learner that completes the course.

If you have questions, please contact Paul Taylor, UBCM Director of Communications.