The outgoing UBCM Executive met on September 13 to address decisions required before Convention. The newly elected Executive met on September 18 where UBCM’s new President, Councillor Jenna Stoner, welcomed new and returning members to the Executive.
Highlights from the September 13 meeting:
Convention: Executive members were briefed on their assignments during the Convention. It was noted that the total number of registered delegates was down by 225 compared to last year likely due to the upcoming local elections and fewer provincial staff in attendance.
A list of proposed recipients for the 20, 25 and 35-year Long Service Awards was reviewed and approved. Janet Austin, a former Lieutenant Governor of BC and Gary MacIsaac, UBCM’s outgoing Executive Director, were granted Life Memberships.
Late Resolutions: Five late resolutions were submitted after the June 15 regular submission deadline. The Executive determined that the issues raised by each were not new or unknown as of the June 15 deadline and therefore none were recommended to be admitted for debate. These five late resolutions were published in the ‘Report on Resolutions Received After the Deadline’ which was included in Policy Book 1.
Next Generation 911: The Executive was advised that E-Comm will be rolling out its Next Generation 911 system across the province in the coming weeks. The Province has allocated $60 million to support implementation, with some funding remaining unallocated. Remaining funds will be primarily geared towards establishing three-digit 911 dialing services in communities in BC where appropriate connectivity exists, and where the community currently relies on 10-digit emergency numbers.
Other Highlights:
- Kim Grout was introduced as the new UBCM Executive Director.
- A request for membership by the Yuułuʔiłʔatḥ Government (Ucluelet) was approved.
- Updates on the current state of Canda-US Trade Policy and the Heritage Conservation Act were received for information.
- The Executive received a Nominating Committee report outlining the eligible nominations submitted for Executive positions by the July 31st deadline.
- A final draft of the 2026-2027 UBCM General Fund Budget was approved.
- A copy of UBCM’s submission in response to the Ministry of Agriculture and Food’s Discussion Paper on Encouraging Food Processing Inside the Agricultural Land Reserve was provided for information.