Everything from controlling rat populations and silencing train whistles to the opioid crisis will be up for debate when politicians from across the province gather in Vancouver this month for the annual Union of B.C. Municipalities convention.
“The reason we go to FCM or UBCM is to make sure there is a volume of voices pushing federal — or provincial, in this case — legislators of all parties to keep their minds focused on issues of municipal importance,” said Victoria Coun. Chris Coleman.
West Kelowna has put forward a resolution, endorsed by the Southern Interior Local Government Association, calling on the province to develop and fund a strategy to reduce and/or control B.C.’s rat population.
Vanderhoof, while acknowledging that rail traffic continues to increase throughout the province, says train whistles “severely infringe upon citizens’ quiet, peace, rest, enjoyment, comfort and convenience.” It’s looking for support for a resolution calling on Transport Canada to require rail corporations to “provide a safe environment in which whistle sounding will be discontinued.”
Several resolutions up for debate this year deal with coping with and combating overdoses in the midst of the opioid crisis that has gripped the province.
In a resolution the UBCM executive recommends be referred to the B.C. School Trustees Association, Maple Ridge is calling on the province to create standards for middle and high schools to address drug use and potential overdose, including protocols and training for administering naloxone to reverse overdoses.
Abbotsford, armed with a report prepared by its police, maintains the real answer to solving the opioid crisis is in finding a way to stop people from starting drugs. The municipality has forwarded a resolution calling on the province to develop a comprehensive cross-governmental prevention and intervention program, and an implementation plan that has a long-term vision, is well governed and is funded with measurable outcomes.
The Squamish-Lillooet Regional District is seeking support to call on the province to continue funding and support beyond 2017 for the Child and Youth Mental Health and Substance Use Collaborative.
The UBCM convention, from Sept. 25 to 29 brings together mayors, councillors and regional-district officials, as well as provincial and federal politicians and senior bureaucrats to explore issues and discuss common problems.
“It’s an association trying to make sure it gets its message in front of provincial leaders,” said Coleman, who also is chairman of the B.C. Caucus of the Federation of Canadian Municipalities.
The UBCM convention “is certainly of some value in informing you as to what the government is up to and what their plans are,” said Victoria Coun. Geoff Young.
Esquimalt Mayor and Capital Regional District chairwoman Barb Desjardins agreed.
“There’s significant value in getting together with people from other municipalities within the province and also when you can translate that into FCM, when you can hear what’s happening across the country,” Desjardins said.
“There are questions and concerns you might have in your municipality that you’re hearing others have or they may have already solved. There’s significant value in the networking.”
Resolutions put forward by local municipalities include:
• Metchosin calling for support for a federally designated Aboriginal Day as a new statutory holiday.
• Oak Bay calling for local-government electoral-finance reform, including a limit on corporate or union donations in local-government elections.
• Oak Bay, Victoria and Ladysmith calling for development of a national strategy for abandoned vessels.
• Several resolutions from Victoria including: ensuring the use of residential property for housing through adjustment to the property transfer tax and the capital-gains exemption for primary residences; restoration of local governments’ authority to introduce a land-value tax; a call on the province to cover a larger share of infrastructure project costs; and a call for incentive programs to support energy efficiency and to allow the cost recovery of municipally financed green energy.
