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Under the authority of the Emergency Program Act, the provincial government has announced new tools to support enforcement of ministerial orders. Effective immediately, police and other enforcement authorities, including bylaw officers, may issue $2,000 violation tickets for a…
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The recently announced federal Economic Response Plan includes provisions to clean up orphaned and inactive oil and gas wells in Western provinces. British Columbia, which has 350 orphaned wells, will see $120 million through this new initiative. This provision responds to…
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Local Governments may now submit their 2019 Gas Tax Annual Expenditure Report through UBCM’s online Program Information Management System (PIMS). All Local Governments are required to submit project and financial details for Gas Tax funded projects between January 1 and December…
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The provincial government introduced temporary changes to B.C.’s property tax framework to provide financial support for businesses and local governments earlier today. Among the changes introduced, local governments will have the ability to borrow, interest-free, from their…
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To help B.C. businesses affected by the COVID-19 pandemic, the Province and the Government of Canada have partnered with Small Business BC (SBBC) to launch an online support service to answer pressing questions about the support available to businesses. The dedicated website…
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The federal government has announced that it is expanding eligibility for the Canada Emergency Response Benefit (CERB) to include seasonal and part-time workers, such as volunteer firefighters. Seasonal workers, those who have exhausted employment insurance benefits, and those…
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The B.C. Ministry of Forests, Lands, Natural Resource Operations and Rural Development has published two fact sheets on the Modernized Land Use Planning Initiative. The Ministry acknowledges local governments’ important roles and perspectives in the process and commits to their…
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A Provincial Orders Support Team and Call Centre has been established to support local authority staff (e.g. municipal bylaw officers and equivalent local officials) that are supporting compliance of Provincial Orders to prevent the spread of COVID-19. This is the central point…
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UBCM has been monitoring and assessing the impact of COVID-19 on BC communities and local government operations and finances. Last week, UBCM reached out to a wide of range of local governments to gather information the immediate and projected long-term financial pressures…
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The provincial health officer (PHO) has issued new guidelines to support compliance with orders on business closures and gatherings, under the Public Health Act. The new guidelines for municipal bylaw officers and other compliance officers give clear instruction on warnings,…