Sicamous council returned victorious from the Southern Interior Local Government Association’s (SILGA) recent convention.
Held in Kamloops this year from April 30 to May 3, the annual event offers the 37 local governments in the region the opportunity to advocate for their communities, network, appoint the SILGA executive and debate resolutions, of which Sicamous had three.
The resolutions council put forward for SILGA endorsement included greater enforcement and consistent federal funding for the provincial Invasive Mussel Defence Program, economic recovery resiliency for tourism-dependent communities impacted by natural disasters and travel bans, and a comprehensive review of the Residential Tenancy Act.
“All three of our resolutions passed,” Mayor Colleen Anderson said while giving a SILGA recap at the May 8 Committee of the Whole meeting. “Sicamous does really well with resolutions, we always manage to nail what other people are thinking, so we should all be really proud of that.”
Coun. Malcolm Makayev, who also attended, was impressed with the outcome, particularly around the tenancy act and short and long-term rentals.
“The provincial government is transitioning their laws into place effective May 1, and one interesting thing is… in the opposite of downloading to local government, in this instance the provincial government is willing to enforce local government bylaws regarding short-term and long-term rentals,” he pointed out. “So that was interesting, the reversal of the normal… to help enforce our rules.“
The endorsed resolutions will now be forwarded to the Union of B.C. Municipalities (UBCM) for consideration at its conference in late September.
While at SILGA, which had a theme of Keep the Ball Rolling, participants heard presentations on the future of wildfires in B.C., the Short Term Rental Accommodations Act, intergovernmental relations and advocacy, navigating conflicts of interest and ethical role clarity, among others. Delegates also had the opportunity to tour Thompson Rivers University, the Tournament Capital Centre and Tk̓emlúps te Secwépemc, including the Kamloops Indian Residential School. There they heard the history of the facility that operated from 1923-1976, and speeches that included the partnership between Kamloops and Tk̓emlúps.
“It was really inspiring because it was kind of an example of how we can move forward too, so it was great,” Coun. Pam Beech said of the tour and presentation.
Further information on SILGA, including a complete list of resolutions, can be found at www.silga.ca.
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