Articles about UBCM's annual Conventions.
In a recent landmark ruling, the BC Supreme Court granted Cowichan Tribes Aboriginal title to about 800 acres in the City of Richmond including fee simple lands. Our panel of lawyers reviewed the case and discussed the implications for local governments across BC.
UBCM membership adopted the 2025 Annual Report and Financial Reports at the 2025 Convention. Executive Director Gary MacIsaac presented a summary of the past year at UBCM.
Read the Annual Report in full.
Newly elected leader of the Green Party of BC, Emily Lowan, addressed UBCM delegates at 2025 Convention, speaking of her vision for the province.
John Rustad, Leader of the BC Conservatives spoke to delegates at the 2025 UBCM Convention about his priority issues for the province.
Julian Daly, CEO of Our Place shelter society in Victoria, discusses a strategic shift in addressing street disorder by prioritizing healthcare as the first response. Julian was a panelist on the Disordered Downtown session earlier in the week.
Elections for the 2025-26 Executive are in process; seven positions have been decided.
The next President of UBCM will be Councillor Cori Ramsay (Prince George). Councillor Jenna Stoner (Squamish), Mayor Sarrah Storey (Fraser Lake), and Councillor Aimee Grice (Oliver) will be the First, Second and Third Vice Presidents respectively.
UBCM issued a press release this morning calling on the Province to pause progress on changes to the Heritage Conservation Act until meaningful consultation can be conducted with local governments.
UBCM is pleased to announce the winners of the 2025 Community Excellence Awards. These recipients stood out for going above and beyond the purposes of local government in BC. They are innovative, provide direct benefit to their community, and demonstrate leadership in their field.
Panelists at the plenary session convened around the state of BC economics. Between the Minister of Finance, two economists and the CEO of the Vancouver airport, the bottom line was that there is no quick way out of this structural financial situation.
This didn’t happen in the last six months, and it didn’t happen because of Donald Trump, said David Williams, VP of Policy for the Business Council of BC. It’s a structural issue stemming from shrinking revenue and expenditures growing way too quickly.
Among the interrelated complex social issues being discussed at Convention – street disorder, housing, homelessness, mental health and addiction, crime – is the healthcare policy around involuntary care. Dr. Daniel Vigo, the Province’s chief advisor on toxic drugs and concurrent disorders, spoke at the session Disordered Downtown: Rethinking Care for Those in Need. We caught up with him and Nanaimo Mayor Leonard Krog afterwards to learn more.