Whereas many grants and public sector planning activities look largely at the population of an area as a determining factor in the grant amount, grant eligibility, and public service availability and levels; And whereas many communities in rural British Columbia experience a great increase in seasonal population, which puts a strain on existing public services: Therefore be it resolved that UBCM lobby the Province of British Columbia to begin enumerating the seasonal populations of rural communities to better understand and address the impact on infrastructure and the delivery of services during seasonal increases in population of rural communities.
Ministry of Municipal Affairs The Ministry of Municipal Affairs recognizes that the seasonal influx of people during specific times of year, for tourism and other purposes, may add additional pressure on existing public services, and that this pressure can be more acutely felt in rural communities. The Province is not considering enumerating the seasonal fluctuation of rural populations at this time. With respect to infrastructure grants, population base is not a standard metric or policy tool for evaluating applications. Local governments are responsible for planning service design and delivery based on known population and expected seasonal fluctuations, and are best placed to evaluate seasonal population changes and assess specific service pressures. For unconditional grants, any change in the way that a local government population is calculated would represent a significant shift in provincial policy, requiring considerable research and consultation into possible implications.