Messages from the UBCM President, general advocacy communications, and information about Local Government Week.
The federal government has approved the Province of BC’s request to further control consumption of illicit drugs in public spaces. The change took place immediately as of May 7, 2024. Possession of small amounts of illicit drugs is still permitted.
UBCM’s Executive Board met with provincial leaders in Victoria to talk about common challenges local governments are dealing with across the province, with a focus on housing and homelessness, community safety, and infrastructure. Meetings with Premier Eby, Ministers Kahlon, Farnworth, Whiteside, Conroy and more, were an opportunity to discuss the ways these issues are affecting communities across the province, and what action is needed from the Province.
Homelessness is a serious and growing issue in BC, and local governments are seeing firsthand the need for more shelter spaces, affiliated social services, and bolstered first responder capacity. The UBCM Executive is meeting with the Premier, Ministers, and opposition MLAs to discuss these issues, and look for constructive solutions.
Local Government Awareness Week is just over a month away: May 12-18, 2024. The theme this year is Infrastructure. UBCM members are invited to participate by identifying a key infrastructure story in their area and engaging with residents on the work being done to ensure sustainable service delivery for growing and changing communities.
The Union of B.C. Municipalities intends to apply to the B.C. Supreme Court for intervenor status in a lawsuit brought against the Province of B.C. by the Harm Reduction Nurses Association challenging the legality of the Province’s Restricting Public Consumption of Illegal Substances Act.
The act, which received Royal Assent in November 2023 but which has not yet been brought into force, bans the use of illicit drugs in certain public and recreation-focused spaces including:
Infrastructure is a significant part of local government service delivery but is often underappreciated or overlooked by the public. This year’s theme for Local Government Awareness Week—May 12-18, 2024—invites local governments to tell the infrastructure story of their community or region, and the steps that are being taken to ensure sustainable service delivery.
The Act that incorporates UBCM will be updated to better reflect the diversity of our membership and address out-of-date provisions. The Municipal Affairs Statutes Amendment Act (2024) will replace the word “municipalities” in the preamble to the UBCM Act with “local governments”. UBCM’s name will not be changing.
Since its inception in 2005, the Canada Community-Building Fund has delivered over $4.6 billion in federal funding for local infrastructure in British Columbia. With the current administrative agreement set to expire on March 31, UBCM, the Province and the Government of Canada are continuing discussions on the long-term renewal of this program.
Finance Minister Katrine Conroy tabled the 2024 provincial budget in the legislature earlier today. Notably for local governments, the Budget does not include any new funding commitments for shelter spaces, addiction treatment and recovery, harm reduction and community mental health programs. To dampen housing demand, the Province is moving forward with a flipping tax that closely aligns with a recommendation from UBCM’s 2018 Housing Strategy.
A report prepared by BC Stats shows that British Columbia’s population growth rate has surged over the past three years due to higher national immigration targets. Nearly 150,800 migrants came to the province in 2022, roughly 52,000 of whom were permanent immigrants. In 2023 the population of BC experienced an annual growth rate above 3%, marking the highest annual increase since the 1970s.