Whereas the City of Langford acknowledges the vital role of health care, mental health care, and social services in building a resilient and safe community; And whereas the Provinces failure to meet its commitments in these areas has unfairly burdened local governments, straining local resources and compromising public safety, thus exacerbating social inequity through heightened property taxes: Therefore be it resolved that UBCM strongly urge increased provincial funding and support for health care, mental health care, and comprehensive housing initiatives to alleviate the strain on local government resources and enhance public safety; And be it further resolved that UBCM call on the provincial government to demonstrate good faith by covering the heightened share of policing costs, recognizing the provincial responsibility in shifting these public safety costs to local governments due to inadequate provision of social services and health care.
Ministry of Housing and Municipal Affairs Ministry of Public Safety and Solicitor General The Province recognizes that access to health care, affordable housing, and social services are key components of supporting resilient and safe communities across BC. The Province is committed to making communities safer by working with law enforcement and social agencies to address street disorder, crack down on organized crime, and address repeat offenders. To support policing and public safety, options for a fair and equitable police shared funding model are being explored by the Ministry of Public Safety and Solicitor General, as recommended by the Special Committee on Reforming the Police Act. Extensive engagement with local governments was undertaken as part of the Policing and Public Safety Modernization initiative. Engagement with local governments will continue as policy options related to funding models are explored and as the overall scope and clarity of priorities for the Policing and Public Safety Modernization initiative are confirmed. The Province is committed to strengthening health care and mental health care by increasing recruitment and training of health professionals and expanding access to family doctors. This will help ensure that British Columbians can access the care they need, no matter where they live. Increased access to addictions treatment will provide help for people whose struggles require intensive supports. The Province also acknowledges that access to affordable and appropriate housing is a key part of building resilient and safe communities. The Province will continue to implement its Homes for People plan, working with partners across the housing sector to increase the supply of affordable rental, co-op and non-market housing. The Province is also implementing Belonging in BC, a plan to prevent and reduce homelessness. The plan adds thousands of new supportive housing units and 240 complex-care spaces across the province as well as multidisciplinary regional response teams designed to rapidly respond to encampments to better support people sheltering outdoors to move inside.