Whereas the Province of British Columbia implements changes to legislation in anticipation of providing benefit to all British Columbians; And whereas not all rural, remote communities are provided with capacity to fulfill new legislative requirements: Therefore be it resolved that UBCM request that the Province provide subject specific provincial employees on a regional level to support local governments with the increased legislative changes.
Ministry of Housing and Municipal Affairs The Ministry of Housing and Municipal Affairs is committed to supporting local governments in the implementation of legislative changes and requirements. The ministrys governance services team supports local governments and helps foster local government capacity-building by providing a range of advice and education about a variety of topics such as local elections, approval processes, and governance. Ministry staff are regionally assigned to local governments and improvement districts throughout BC and can be directly contacted through the online Local Government Division Staff Finder. The Ministry of Housing and Municipal Affairs also offers small community grants to municipalities with populations up to approximately 19,000. These are unconditional grants for municipalities and can be used to support local government capacity building. The Province has also created a new Minister of State for Local Governments and Rural Communities with the mandate to serve as the key point of contact for local governments bringing concerns, suggestions, or feedback to government. The Minister of State will work with Ministerial colleagues to address issues proactively and ensure that local government advice informs government initiatives. Local governments are encouraged to utilize these provincial supports to assist in the implementation of legislative changes.