Representatives sought for Decriminalization Local Government Working Group

UBCM and the Ministry of Mental Health and Addictions are seeking new members to join the Decriminalization Local Government Working Group from May 2024 to January 2026. Applicants must be senior local government staff, with preference given to candidates from small and medium communities, as well as communities in the North, Kootenays and Island regions.

Local Government Awareness Week: Focus on infrastructure

Infrastructure is a significant part of local government service delivery but is often underappreciated or overlooked by the public. This year’s theme for Local Government Awareness Week—May 12-18, 2024—invites local governments to tell the infrastructure story of their community or region, and the steps that are being taken to ensure sustainable service delivery.

Resolutions deadline is June 15

The deadline to have resolutions submitted for the UBCM Convention is now June 15. This is two weeks earlier than the previous June 30 deadline. An Extraordinary Resolution was passed at 2023 Convention to permanently move up the deadline by two weeks.

Any resolution submitted after June 15, and by noon on the Friday before Convention, is considered a Late Resolution. Late Resolutions are only recommended for debate if the topic is considered new, emergent, and not known as of the June 15 deadline.

The full resolutions process is outlined on our website.

Contribute to a new Climate Adaptation Policy Framework for BC forests

BC local governments and other interested parties are invited to contribute to the development of a Climate Adaptation Policy Framework. The Framework will guide the Ministry of Forests’ work on adapting to climate change, and establish a consistent approach to integrating climate change adaptation into strategic and operational decision-making by the Ministry.

The Ministry of Forests will hold three identical virtual workshops—April 23, April 25, and May 16, 2024, (all 9am – 12pm)—to discuss, explore, and elicit feedback on proposed policy shifts needed to move to a more resilient future state for BC forests and rangelands.

Contact FOR.ClimateAdapt@gov.bc.ca for more information and to register for a workshop.

2023 UBCM Convention minutes available

The minutes of the 2023 Annual Convention are now available. These minutes comprise the official record of the proceedings of the 2023 Annual Convention which was held in Vancouver, September 18-22.

Local Government RCMP Contract Management Committee Update

On January 10, 2024 the Local Government RCMP Contract Management Committee met with provincial government and BC RCMP representatives to discuss issues related to the Municipal Police Unit Agreements, and policing more broadly in British Columbia. Key issues discussed at the meeting are summarized in this article.