2025

Whereas the Government of BC has recognized the potential impact of lobby activities for its public office holders and introduced the Lobbyist Transparency Act to provide the Government of BC legal tools to oversee, monitor and enforce lobbyist activities in pursuit of open, accessible, and accountable government; And whereas unregulated lobbying activities at the municipal and regional district level can lead to undue influence from special interest individuals, groups, or organizations and BC municipal governments and regional districts are not afforded the same statutory authority to mo

Whereas the mandate letters of the sitting provincial government include: - Growing the economy; - Affordability; - Strengthening healthcare; and - Community safety; And whereas the Province has mandated accelerated and densified housing, placing historical and unmet demands on social and community infrastructure such as education, transit, social welfare and supportive housing: Therefore be it resolved that UBCM ask the Province to focus on strengthening complete communities and make historically significant investments in schools, community mental health, and transit to accommodate the

Whereas the Province of British Columbia does not have a funding policy in place to offset costs associated to illegal dumping in rural areas of British Columbia; And whereas the dumpingtipping fees, equipment, and fuel costs to clean-up the effects of abandoned vehicles, garbage, and litter unfairly places hardships on the efforts of dedicated volunteers and requires the backing of private donations to cover the costs associated with the clean-up work; And whereas these sites are unsightly, negatively impact environmentally sensitive areas including waterways and natural spaces, posing

Whereas access to emergency medical care is essential for the health and safety of all British Columbians; And whereas ongoing staffing shortages are causing frequent emergency room closures across British Columbia, undermining public confidence in the healthcare system, and prompting Premier Eby, in his mandate letter to the Honourable Josie Osborne, Minister of Health, to acknowledge the need stating that the Minister take necessary steps to address temporary emergency room closures: Therefore be it resolved that UBCM call on the Government of British Columbia to provide health authorit

Whereas local governments with land in the Agricultural Land Reserve ALR can observe land use that may not be in compliance with Agricultural Land Commission ALC regulations raising concerns about the integrity of the ALR, and the long-term viability of agricultural production; And whereas the Agricultural Land Commission currently has only eight compliance and enforcement staffincluding six officers, one advisor, and one supervisorwho are responsible for overseeing approximately 4.6 million hectares of ALR land across British Columbia, which is greatly insufficient given the growing enfor

Whereas the Province of British Columbia, through BC Housing, is responsible for ensuring that emergency shelter beds are available to meet the needs of individuals experiencing homelessness across all communities; And whereas some communities have a disproportionately high number of emergency shelter beds per capita compared to other jurisdictions, causing unsustainable pressure on local resources and services in those communities: Therefore be it resolved that UBCM call on the Province of British Columbia and BC Housing to develop and implement a comprehensive, regionally equitable stra

Whereas the Fire Safety Act increases accountability for fire safety and strains financial resources of small municipalities that lack the capacity to conduct additional inspections and manage higher reporting, compliance, and training demands: Therefore be it resolved that UBCM lobby the provincial government to provide financial support to small municipalities in the form of grant funding to offset the cost of hiring of additional staff to manage new responsibilities under the Fire Safety Act; And be it further resolved that the grant funding be set at an amount to offset 100 of the cos

Whereas the Municipal Police Service Agreement and Municipal Police Unit Agreements expire in 2032; And whereas small municipalities that will cross the population threshold of 5,000 between the 2026 and 2031 censuses need to begin planning now to manage the increased policing costs that will devolve to them in 2032: Therefore be it resolved that UBCM work with the RCMP, Public Safety Canada, and the Ministry of Public Safety and Solicitor General to ensure that a new contract policing framework to replace the Municipal Police Service Agreement and the Municipal Police Unit Agreements in

Whereas psychological-only injury workplace claims have increased five-fold in British Columbia since 2018, particularly within the public safety sector; And whereas fire and police personnel suffer from occupational stress injuries at rates four times that of the general population, resulting in symptoms of anxiety, depression and trauma which, as a result the demands of their service to our communities, affect their work and personal lives; And whereas since 2019, over 500 first responders from local governments across BC have participated in the BC First Responder Resiliency Program FR

Whereas in the past 15 years, BCs population has grown 29 while public libraries have continued to rely on stagnant funding to provide services in increasingly challenging circumstances, including addressing the provinces important goals of enhancing economic growth, reducing costs for families, and making communities safer; And whereas public libraries continue to meet these goals by supporting the economic and social health of their communities, providing information and services for consumers, individuals seeking employment and career enhancement, entrepreneurs and small businesses, pro