Analysis of provincial housing plan

On the day before UBCM’s Housing Summit, the Province announced its new strategy for housing, Homes for People, an ambitious plan with wide-ranging elements that will have significant implications for local governments across B.C. UBCM will continue to push the Province for meaningful engagement with local governments, not just in legislative development, but also in subsequent stages of implementation.

Provincial plan to address homelessness

On April 3, the provincial government released its Belonging in BC homelessness plan. The plan covers the initial phase from 2022-2025, with immediate actions in the plan supported by $633 million from Budget 2022, and $1.5 billion from Budget 2023.

Strategic Priorities Fund approvals announced

Project approvals for the third Strategic Priorities Fund intake have been announced. In total, 45 projects will receive over $103.5 million in federal Canada Community-Building Funding across British Columbia.

Engagement opportunities following old growth webinar

As the province works to implement recommendations from the Old Growth Strategic Review, UBCM continues to advocate for local government to be included in the process. On April 13, UBCM hosted a webinar with the province to provide local governments with an update on the 14 recommendations made within the review. Webinar participants had an opportunity to learn about the implementation process, share feedback and ask questions of provincial staff about the process, funding programs and transition support. For local governments that missed the webinar, additional workshop dates have been provided by the Province.

We want your feedback on the Canada Community-Building Fund

The current 10-year Canada Community-Building Fund Agreement will expire on March 30, 2024. As we prepare to negotiate a new long-term agreement with the federal and provincial governments, UBCM wants feedback from our members on the current program.

2022 Annual Expenditure Report

If your local government received funding from the Canada Community-Building Fund in 2022, it’s time to submit the Annual Expenditure Report. Reports are due June 1, 2023. Read on for instructions and more information.

The federal government has granted an extension to May 15 for RCMP Municipal Police Unit Agreement contract holders to opt into a two-year plan to pay their share of retroactive costs associated with the RCMP Collective Agreement. This announcement was delivered via email to affected mayors on April 14, one day prior to the original deadline to opt in.

2022 UBCM Convention minutes

The minutes of the 2022 Annual Convention are now available. These minutes comprise the official record of proceedings at the 2022 Annual Convention, held in Whistler, September 12-16, 2022.