2026

Whereas the Province of British Columbia requires land for the delivery of provincial services such as healthcare and social housing and relies on the availability of suitable land from local governments to accommodate these projects; And whereas local governments have limited or significantly diminished land holdings available, while the Province owns significant Crown Land resources that are suitable for development: Therefore be it resolved that UBCM urge the Province of British Columbia to prioritize the use of Crown Land for provincial services before pursuing land owned by local gov

Whereas industrial lands are essential to British Columbias economy, trade networks, and local employment; And whereas increasing land use pressures, including those arising from provincial housing policies, threaten the availability of industrial lands needed to support jobs, supply chains, food security, and longterm economic resilience: Therefore be it resolved that UBCM request the Province of British Columbia to protect and optimize industrial lands by establishing a BC Industrial Land Strategy, identify and inventory critical industrial lands and trade corridors, prioritize brownfie

Whereas fee simple title has long been the primary form of land ownership in British Columbia and provides landowners with certainty, stability, and the ability to securely own, use, and transfer property; And whereas recent public policy considerations have raised questions and concerns about the future of fee simple title and the security of private property rights in the province: Therefore be it resolved that UBCM demand that the Government of British Columbia affirm and uphold the security of fee simple title and the private property rights of landowners in British Columbia.

Whereas the Province of British Columbias Improvement District Governance: Policy Statement 2006 establishes a framework that encourages the eventual conversion of improvement districts to municipal or regional district jurisdiction with the main tool being prohibiting improvement districts access to provincial sewer and water infrastructure grants and long-term borrowing through the Municipal Finance Authority; And whereas these policy constraints limit improvement districts ability to finance required infrastructure renewal and regulatory compliance, creating significant financial barrie

Whereas municipal road networks in small rural communities continue to deteriorate to critical levels, requiring urgent rehabilitation to ensure public safety, emergency access, and essential municipal operations, with costs far exceeding the financial capacity of municipalities with limited tax bases; And whereas rural municipalities rely heavily on provincial and federal funding to maintain core infrastructure, and the diversion of limited capital reserves from other critical projects such as water system upgrades, poses risks to public health, long-term sustainability, and service deliv

Whereas public bodies are responsible for responding to requests for access to records pursuant to the Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act; And whereas requests are increasing in scope, complexity and frequency, requiring more pages of records to be searched or processed; And whereas small local governments have limited capacity and resources to respond to such access requests: Therefore be it resolved that UBCM call on the provincial government to establish a funding stream for small local governments with populations under 5,000, to draw from to help local governments

Whereas construction costs in northern and rural communities are significantly higher than in urban centres due to factors such as transportation, labour availability, climate, and supply chain constraints; And whereas provincially funded capital programs often prioritize the number of units or spaces created without adequately accounting for regional cost differences; And whereas this approach can disadvantage northern and rural communities by limiting their ability to access sufficient funding to deliver comparable projects: Therefore be it resolved that UBCM urge the Province of Briti

Whereas Community Works Funding provides local governments with significant funding for local priorities, many of which are in rural communities and are run by volunteer-led third-party organizations; And whereas the requirements around third-party organizations may now limit them from accessing this funding, thereby negatively affecting their ability to deliver much-needed services and programs in their communities: Therefore be it resolved that UBCM ask the federal government to consider relaxing the requirements for third-party organizations to access Community Works Funding so that l

Whereas the Province of British Columbia currently does not consider in-house expenses such as staff time, administrative support, and other internal resources used in the delivery of grant-funded projects as eligible recoverable expenses; And whereas recognizing in-house expenses as eligible costs would increase administrative efficiency, reduce reliance on external contractors, and support local governments in delivering grant-funded projects more effectively and cost efficiently: Therefore be it resolved that UBCM lobby the Province of BC to amend its grant program criteria to include

Whereas the Government of British Columbias 2026 Budget expands the application of the Provincial Sales Tax PST to a broader range of services, including professional services such as engineering, architectural, and related advisory services that are routinely required by local governments to deliver core infrastructure and services; And whereas local governments have limited revenue tools and are already facing significant financial pressures related to infrastructure renewal, climate adaptation, housing delivery, and regulatory compliance, and unmitigated application of the expanded PST