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Making the most of UBCM

The annual meeting of the Union of British Columbia Municipalities was held Sept. 22 to 26 and was attended by hundreds of elected officials

The annual meeting of the Union of British Columbia Municipalities was held Sept. 22 to 26 and was attended by hundreds of elected officials and local government staff representing some 93 per cent of B.C.’s population.

The meeting included many unique learning opportunities including policy sessions, study sessions, forums, workshops, clinics and cabinet panels that involved a number of provincial cabinet ministers.

The resolution sessions addressed a wide variety of local and provincial issues and resulted in a series of resolutions, which are then forwarded to the provincial government for comment.

Some of the topics addressed at the meeting included: management of catastrophic events, LNG opportunities in B.C., facilitating rural development, asset management, assessing community wildfire risk, investing in green energy, rail safety, log exports, improving civic engagement, obtaining citizen inputs to policy decisions, B.C. skills for jobs blueprint (BC jobs plan) and community partnerships, creating supportive communities for people with dementia, tackling poverty at the local level, economic impact of BC ferries, 2014 election rule changes, reporting on contaminated sites, increasing accessibility in communities for people with disabilities, improving health for remote and local communities, urban deer management, impacts of the landmark Tsilhqot’in decision on local governments and the B.C. rental housing index, among others.

A highlight of the meeting for me was the Rural BC Project presentation and discussion.

Following years of research and deliberation, a specific series of recommendations were made with the goal of enhancing prosperity and development in rural B.C. (More information on this issue is available at www.sibacs.com)

Following this session Coralee Oakes, minister of Community, Sport and Cultural Development, announced the formation of a new rural development committee that will act on the recommendations given.

Within the recommendations was the concept of a rural dividend, an opportunity to generate new funds to support rural development projects.

A key session featured Ministry of Health officials discussing their strategic plans to enhance health care in rural B.C. Minister Terry Lake outlined the guiding principles for planning rural health-care services and described the long-term strategies to improve provision of services.

Another highlight of the meeting was accepting the prestigious Community Excellence Award for Partnerships on behalf of all of the partners in the Shuswap Lake Integrated Planning Process (SLIPP).

The partners in this program included the Columbia Shuswap Regional District, Thompson Nicola Regional District, Regional District of North Okanagan, City of Salmon Arm, District of Sicamous, Ministry of Environment, Ministry of Forests Lands and Natural Resource Operations, Fraser Basin Council, First Nations, RCMP, and community representatives.

The award recognizes the excellence inherent in the design of the SLIPP program, and how it facilitated collaboration across a number of government agencies.

Congratulations are extended to the UBCM executive and staff who organized an outstanding educational and networking program and to (outgoing) president Rhona Martin who did us all proud with her capable chairing of the meeting.

If you would like to suggest topics for future articles, or participate in our community advisory panel surveys, please contact me at pdemenok@csrd.bc.ca.

-Paul Demenok is the Area C Director for the Columbia Shuswap Regional District