2025

Whereas individuals facing severe mental health and addiction challenges require comprehensive and coordinated care, and the current resources in BC are insufficient to meet the growing demand for detoxification, rehabilitation, and supportive housing, leading to inadequate treatment and forcing individuals to leave their home communities for essential services; And whereas communities in British Columbia have experienced a significant increase in the street population, leading to heightened concerns about public safety, community well-being, and the challenges associated with mental healt

Whereas many rural communities across British Columbia rely on international students and skilled immigrants to support local economies, fill critical labor shortages, and sustain essential services; And whereas recent changes to federal immigration policies, including restrictions on international student enrollment, have significantly impacted rural colleges, businesses, and industries by reducing the available workforce and limiting economic growth: Therefore be it resolved that the UBCM petition the federal and provincial governments to develop a rural-focused immigration policy that

Whereas rural communities near the United States border are experiencing economic challenges due to declining tourism, which is a vital source of income for local businesses and job creation; And whereas these challenges are primarily caused by aging infrastructure, limited marketing support, and intense competition from well-funded US destinations, making it difficult for rural communities to attract and retain visitors: Therefore be it resolved that UBCM urge the Province of British Columbia to address declining tourism due to aging infrastructure, limited marketing support, and better-

Whereas the Province of British Columbia has been implementing frequent and substantial updates to the BC Building Code to enhance safety, energy efficiency, and accessibility; And whereas local governments require sufficient time and resources to adapt to these changes, including training staff, updating bylaws, and supporting local builders and developers in compliance efforts; And whereas an accelerated pace of code revisions can create unintended challenges, including increased construction costs, delays in project approvals, and difficulties for smaller local governments with limite

Whereas several community council, board, and hearing disruptions have been caused by uncivil and unprofessional conduct by a small number of elected officials, resulting in policy intervention, adjournments of meetings, and a movement toward digital instead of in-person meetings; And whereas the Community Charter and Local Government Act do not adequately provide local governments and the Province with the tools needed to respond effectively to the detrimental and paralyzing conduct of residents and elected officials who bully, harass and intimidate others despite the long history of loca

Whereas the current First Past the Post FPTP voting system used in municipal mayoral elections in British Columbia can result in elected mayors who are not a preferred choice of a majority of voters; And whereas ranked choice voting can ensure that elected mayors have broader support from the electorate, encourage more positive campaigning, and provide voters with more choice in electing the most preferred candidate: Therefore be it resolved that UBCM petition the Province of British Columbia to amend the Local Government Act to create a ranked choice voting system for mayoral elections.

Whereas local governments face challenges in collecting unpaid bylaw fines; And whereas the collection of unpaid bylaw fines through the property tax collection process will aim to streamline the enforcement of bylaws, enhance compliance and ensure that local governments can effectively manage and collect outstanding fines: Therefore be it resolved that the UBCM petition the Province of British Columbia to develop legislation that allows local governments to apply unpaid fines issued for property-related bylaw infractions to be collected by transfer to property taxes.

Whereas local governments need to replace aging fire apparatus to ensure continued effective emergency response capabilities; And whereas pursuant to local government legislation, a referendum is required for the authorization to spend public funds to replace fire apparatus, and the process of holding a referendum can bring significant costs to local governments, in particular small communities: Therefore be it resolved that UBCM ask the provincial government to remove the requirement to hold a referendum to replace fire apparatus for local governments under 15,000 in population.

Whereas the Ministry of Transportation and Transit is responsible for providing safe, well-maintained highways and oversees the privatized service contracts according to terms set out by the Province that define road maintenance standards across British Columbia; And whereas contract terms and local area specifications included in highway maintenance agreements apply to broadly scoped regions, creating critical gaps in safety and service standards, especially pertaining to communities that face severe winter conditions: Therefore be it resolved that UBCM request that the Ministry of Tran

Whereas under section 25 of the Coastal Ferry Act, which supersedes the BC Labour Relation Code, the Act states, it is deemed that the delivery of ferry services is necessary for the protection of the health, safety and welfare of the residents of British Columbia; And whereas inland ferry services in the interior create part of the highway, providing access to and from BC communities, some of which are entirely or partly accessed by ferry and have been limited by labour relation disruptions affecting citizens ability to access essential services such as health services, emergency services