The Executive of UBCM has appointed a panel to undertake a review of the finance and sponsorship of its annual convention. The purpose of the review is to evaluate the various sources of revenue, including sponsorship revenue, currently in use for funding the convention. A newly established Review Panel will solicit input from local governments and make recommendations on policies and practices that uphold sound governance, transparency, affordability, and accountability for the overall event. Read more 

 

The next transfer of allocated funding from the Federal Gas Tax Fund will be distributed to BC local governments over the next 30 days. The Community Works Fund (CWF) is delivered twice annually to all local governments in British Columbia to support local priorities. Included in this payment is a one-time federal Top-Up funding payment, which was committed by the Government of Canada in Budget 2019. The current allocation will distribute more than $164 million in federal funding.

 

The Province has announced dates for policy engagement seminars in the Cariboo and Skeena Regions to discuss the Interior Forest Sector Renewal. Affected local governments will be contacted directly by district or regional forestry staff about the upcoming seminars. Read more 

 

The Ministry of Children and Family Development has announced an increase in funding available to create child care spaces in BC. The ChildCare BC New Spaces Fund is open to local governments, school districts, tribal councils, and First Nations governments to create child care spaces in their communities. The maximum grant funding has been increased from $1 million to $3 million per project. Non-profit organizations, including Indigenous organizations, are now eligible for up to $1.5 million per project. 

 

As a means to address the growing impacts of climate change and anticipated future flooding events, the Province has updated BC's Flood Emergency Plan. The updated Plan reflects an increased emphasis on collaboration and the four pillars of emergency management (mitigation, preparedness, response and recovery). Read more 

 

The recent retirements of Gary Paget and Beth Hancox at the Ministry of Municipal Affairs and Housing (MAH) have resulted in a couple of staffing changes at the Board of Examiners. Read more 

 

Each month we provide an update on UBCM funding programs and information on other programs, events and resources that may be of interest to local governments and First Nations. Read more