Resolutions Process

Members are urged to submit resolutions first to Area Associations for consideration. Resolutions endorsed at Area Association annual meetings are submitted automatically to UBCM for consideration and do not need to be re-submitted to UBCM by the sponsor.

Please contact your Area Association for resolution submission procedures at the regional level.

Both UBCM and its member local governments have observed that submitting resolutions first to Area Associations results in better quality resolutions overall. If absolutely necessary, however, local governments may submit council- or board-endorsed resolutions directly to UBCM prior to June 30, each year.

Details on submission of resolutions, including late resolutions, are included in the Procedures for Submitting Resolutions linked below.

Procedures for Submitting Resolutions to UBCM

Staff and elected officials are strongly encouraged to follow the writing guidelines set out by UBCM. A clear, concise resolution is easier to understand, and this increases the likelihood that the membership will grant it their endorsement. Further, clear resolutions will prompt more direct responses from the provincial or federal government, or relevant organization.

Writing Guidelines for Resolutions

Use the sample resolution for formatting guidelines.

Following the June 30 deadline, the Resolutions Committee meets to review, organize and make recommendations on all resolutions. Resolutions are organized in three sections for in-person Conventions, as described below:

Section A resolutions address priority issues relevant to all local governments.

Section B is divided into three parts:
Part 1: Resolutions that support established UBCM policy
Part 2: Resolutions on new issues or issues considered previously but not endorsed, within the jurisdiction of local government
Part 3: Resolutions on new issues or issues considered previously but not endorsed, outside the jurisdiction of local government

Section C contains resolutions that are referred to similar resolutions in the Resolutions Book; to policy papers, reports, or special sessions at Convention; or to Area Associations.

Section A and B resolutions are introduced for debate in the order in which they appear in the Resolutions Book.

Selected Section B resolutions are considered as a block. Any voting delegate may withdraw a resolution from a block to speak in opposition or propose an amendment.

Section C resolutions are not admitted for debate.

Analysis of late resolutions—those received after June 30—is undertaken in the Resolutions Committee's "Report on Resolutions Received After the Deadline." This report may be considered after Section A has been debated, but not before the time printed in the Convention program. Historically, this report has been presented to the membership on the last day of Convention, at the beginning of the final policy session.

For detailed information on the consideration of resolutions, see Handling of Resolutions at Convention.

In preparation for in-person Conventions, UBCM has prepared a series of information articles about resolutions. Each article will focus on an aspect of the resolutions process, with the goal of educating the membership about resolutions and how they are handled from concept to Convention to conveyance.

1. What is a Resolution? 
2. The Resolutions Continuum – From Concept to Conveyance
   • Article #2 Attachment - Continuum Diagram
3. The ABCs of Resolutions Categories
   • Article #3 Attachment - Organization of Resolutions in the Resolutions Book
4. Classification of Resolutions
   • Article #4 Attachment - Subject Area Classifications in the Resolutions Book
5. What is a Consent Agenda Block and Why do we use Them?
6. How does the Resolutions Committee make their Recommendations?
   • Article #6 Attachment - Main Types of Resolutions Committee Recommendations
7. How to Vote for Resolutions and What are the Percentages Required to Endorse?
   • Article #7 Attachment - Percentage Thresholds Required
8. When can one Speak to a Resolution?
9. What is an Amendment and When can one be Proposed?
10. Late Resolutions – Must be New and Emergency for Admission
11. Off-The-Floor Resolutions – Considered on Friday Morning

In preparation for the 2021 virtual Convention and Resolutions Sessions, UBCM has prepared a series of information articles about the updated resolutions process.  These articles will also be published in The Compass newsletter in the Spring and Summer of 2021.    

Article #1 Updated Resolutions Process for the 2021 Convention - April 28, 2021

The updated 2021 Conference Rules and Procedures for Handling Resolutions are available starting on page 5 of the 2021 Resolutions Book.  

The organization of resolutions can be found on page 3 of the 2021 Resolutions Book. 

If you have questions or comments, please contact Jamee Justason, Resolutions and Policy Analyst.