Whereas provincial legislation requires local governments to conduct and report on annual dike inspections, and most local governments must contract this work at high cost to taxpayers due to a lack of certified staff; And whereas there is a significant need for dike maintenance and construction, yet a clear gap exists in both technical expertise and sustainable funding models which contribute to delays and construction setbacks that leave local governments vulnerable: Therefore be it resolved that UBCM request the provincial government to commit to stable flood and drought funding with predictable intake programs like the Disaster Resilience Innovation Fund; create a funded path forward to bring orphan dikes up to standard and assign authority to them or decommission them; provide cost-sharing and standardization for dike maintenance and inspection; update flood protection guidelines with clear, scalable targets so small systems arent held to the same standard as high-consequence areas; define how climate change is applied in design; and develop a single strategy that links flood mapping, land use rules, dike standards, funding, and responsibility.
