2021 Resolutions

Whereas NCLGA is comprised of a 14-member board that includes seven appointed regional representatives from each regional district that advocate issues on behalf of north central local governments;

And whereas larger municipalities have topics that require advocacy of which small communities/ regional districts are unfamiliar with:

Therefore be it resolved that the NCLGA Executive be asked to consider the board member composition be amended to better reflect the members and communities it represents.

Whereas watershed management lacks provincial oversight and capacity resulting in inadequate watershed management and consideration in the landscape level planning within BC;

And whereas local governments and Non-Governmental Organizations (NGO) do not have the jurisdictional authority, capacity and resources needed to properly manage watersheds to ensure the long-term health and sustainability of watershed:

Therefore be it resolved that NCLGA and UBCM lobby the Province of BC to work with local governments and NGOs to define the authorities and responsibilities while providing adequate resources needed to ensure proper watershed stewardship.

Whereas seniors in northern and rural BC have limited options for housing;

And whereas a range of seniors housing is needed in every community:

Therefore be it resolved that the NCLGA lobby BC Housing to investigate new affordable housing models for seniors in northern communities.

Whereas homelessness is an undesirable situation in every community in BC;

And whereas homelessness is a complex issue which may involve mental illness, addictions, systemic racism, and lack of appropriate housing options and supports:

Therefore be it resolved that the NCLGA lobby the provincial government to develop a long-term strategy to eliminate homelessness, and in the meantime, fund year-round day programming and drop in spaces for the homeless population.

Whereas housing shortages impede the livability of British Columbians and impact a rural community’s ability to attract and retain professional talents and labour thereby negatively affecting the economy;

And whereas there has been a demonstrated need, transferred social responsibility and pressure on rural local governments that lack the financial capacity and professional expertise to develop lands suitable for various forms of housing to encourage small scale developers to construct such housing:

Therefore be it resolved that NCLGA and UBCM lobby the Province of BC to partner with local governments by creating funding programs to encourage small scale developers to provide much needed housing in rural BC.

Whereas there is a shortage of general physicians (GP's) throughout Canadian communities, especially rural communities, and the current number of medical school graduates are not able to meet the needs for GP’s in British Columbia:

Therefore be it resolved that NCLGA and UBCM lobby the provincial government to engage or support our universities in increasing seats for medical students in British Columbia.

Whereas there is lack of reasonable online access of health records such as x-rays and other diagnostics to allied health professionals, and health history is important in providing quality health care for British Columbians:

Therefore be it resolved that NCLGA and UBCM lobby the provincial government to urge all the health authorities in the province to grant online access to health records for allied health professionals in BC.

Whereas overdose from illicit drug toxicity is now the leading cause of unnatural death in BC¹ and the BC Center for Disease Control advises that “wide access to harm reduction and development of a comprehensive system of care remain key goals for saving and improving lives”;

And whereas the Province of BC has made funding grants available to eligible agencies to provide initiatives for harm reduction and access to treatment centres for those at risk of drug overdose:

Therefore be it resolved that the NCLGA and UBCM lobby the Province of BC to streamline, expedite and increase the grant funding process to enable eligible agencies to more easily access funds for harm reduction and access to treatment centres for those at risk of drug overdose.

Note 1: http://www.bccdc.ca/about/news-stories/stories/2020/overdose-fatalities-unacceptably-high

Whereas many of our smaller and remote rural communities are served by independent fire services;

And whereas many local governments are receiving legal advice that offering funding or other supports to independent fire services can expose the local government to legal and financial risk:

Therefore be it resolved that NCLGA and UBCM lobby the provincial government for specific legal and statutory measures designed to remove any and all legal or financial risk from local government for providing financial or other supports to independent fire services.

Whereas Williams Lake has repeatedly called for stronger sentencing for prolific and repeat offenders being released into the community;

And whereas the judiciary has consistently failed to adequately ensure community safety when releasing prolific and repeat offenders on conditions:

Therefore be it resolved that NCLGA and UBCM petition the provincial and federal governments to enact legislative and regulatory changes to the criminal justice system to apply stricter penalties and ensure adequate incarceration of prolific criminals, including consistent use of electronic monitoring when released on conditions.

Whereas local government is only able to collect a 911 call answer levy from landline subscriptions;

And whereas landline subscriptions across the province are decreasing;

And whereas local governments in the province do not have the ability to collect a 911 call answer levy from cellular telecommunications platforms:

Therefore be it resolved that UBCM petition the Province of BC to enact a provincial 911 levy to include the collection of monthly charges from mobile devices, and provide these funds directly to local government 911 service providers.

Whereas municipalities between 5,000 and 14,999 in population pay 70% of RCMP costs and municipalities over 15,000 in population pay 90% of RCMP costs which is the largest cost centre in a local government’s operating budget;

And whereas RCMP contract policing wage increases are imminent with the implementation of a unionized workforce within the next two years which will place an additional financial burden on municipalities:

Therefore be it resolved that the NCLGA and UBCM lobby the provincial government to implement a police funding formula that fairly and equitably distributes RCMP expenses to all governments throughout the province.

Whereas Santics v. Vancouver (City) Animal Control Officer, 2019 BCC 294 sets out that there is no longer discretion of the Courts to provide conditional orders to rehabilitate dangerous dogs, and that Courts must decide whether a dangerous dog poses an unacceptable risk to the public and must be destroyed or released back to its owner;

And whereas animal control officers can create individualized remedies, but cannot require seizure and rehoming of dangerous dogs:

Therefore be it resolved that the NCLGA and UBCM petition the Province of BC and relevant Provincial Ministries to amend legislation in the Community Charter with regards to dangerous dogs to allow for conditional orders by judges, which would provide the Courts alternative means of dealing with dangerous dogs if they are deemed to not be an unacceptable risk to the public, and to also allow animal control officers additional powers to seize and re-home dangerous dogs, and to determine destruction when a serious injury and/or death has occurred.

Whereas broadband and cellular services are essential components of sustainable, resilient, and vibrant communities;

And whereas there are still considerable impediments to overcome in looking to the private sector providing meaningful, cost effective service to rural and remote communities:

Therefore be it resolved that NCLGA and UBCM lobby the federal and provincial governments to directly invest in the ownership and development of the needed capital infrastructure to facilitate effective, efficient and cost effective broadband services in rural and remote communities where a private sector business case does not exist.

Whereas most municipalities in BC have accounts with BC Hydro with several meters and several locations, and they are invoiced for the aggregate consumption of electricity on those meters;

And whereas many municipalities have undertaken power generation initiatives through BC Hydro's net metering program which limits reimbursement to only the connected meter and prohibits the application of any excess power generation capacity to the aggregate invoice;

And whereas the BCUC's June 23, 2020 decision on BC Hydro's application to amend Net Metering Service under Rate Schedule 1289 encouraged, but did not require BC Hydro to consider how virtual net metering might be achieved that would allow this transfer to take place:

Therefore be it resolved that the NCLGA and UBCM lobby the provincial government to enforce the BCUC's June 23, 2020 Decision on BC Hydro's application to amend Net Metering Service under Rate Schedule 1289 and direct BC Hydro to develop and implement virtual net metering.

Whereas elected officials are regularly exposed to health and safety risks, including COVID-19, in the course of serving their constituents;

And whereas WorkSafe BC regulations cover local government employees, but not elected officials:

Therefore be it resolved that NCLGA and UBCM request the Province of BC amend the WorkSafe BC health, safety and COVID-19 regulations to provide coverage for local elected officials.

Whereas many BC communities are seeing a significant increase in hazardous goods being transported by rail through their communities;

And whereas those hazardous goods pose a real threat to the environment and communities along the rail corridor:

Therefore be it resolved that NCLGA, UBCM and FCM request that Transport Canada review and consult with local governments on the safe transport of hazardous goods by rail in BC, in order to strengthen safety requirements and reduce the risk to BC communities and the environment in the event they are faced with a rail emergency.

Whereas local governments in BC are orders of government that are the first to respond to questions/concerns, resulting from emergencies, whether natural disasters like wildfires and floods or pandemics like the current COVID-19 pandemic;

And whereas local governments require accurate and timely information that can be shared with their residents, both for safety purposes and to reduce anxiety of their residents;

And whereas the communication from local health authorities and the provincial government to local governments, although improving, has only reached the minimum acceptable standard of twice weekly updates once a local pandemic outbreak has been declared:

Therefore be it resolved that NCLGA and UBCM lobby the BC Government to find ways/means to have accurate and more timely community-based information that can be shared with local governments and their residents during declared local and provincial states of emergency.

Whereas electoral areas have distinct needs for infrastructure and other purposes, and some electoral areas have challenges in making those projects viable due to lower residential populations and competition against municipalities for the same limited grant dollars:

Therefore be it resolved that NCLGA and UBCM lobby the provincial and federal governments to amend their grant programs to ensure a grant stream for electoral areas only.

Whereas CleanBC is a pathway to a more prosperous, balanced, and sustainable future;

And whereas northern, remote, and rural communities face barriers to work towards the goals outlined in CleanBC due to lack of resources, training, and capacity at a local and regional level, such as Energy Step Code Certified Energy Advisor and dealerships providing options for electric vehicles:

Therefore be it resolved the NCLGA and UBCM lobby the Province of BC to provide greater support of resources, training, and capacity-building for northern, remote, and rural communities as they work towards meeting the CleanBC Plan goals, in particular the aspects of Cleaner Transportation and Better Buildings.

Whereas physical activity is no longer required in the school curriculum for Grades 11 and 12;

And whereas research has proven that those who participate in consistent amounts of physical activity have better physical and mental health and reduced risks of developing many diseases1, and the Province of BC recognizes that physical activity has a positive impact on students’ health and achievement, and helps them develop good habits that can contribute to longer, healthier lives2:

Therefore be it resolved that the NCLGA and UBCM lobby the Province of BC to implement a change in the provincial school curriculum to mandate physical activities in all grades including Grades 11 and 12.

Note 1: https://bmcpublichealth.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/1471-2458-13-813

Note 2: https://www2.gov.bc.ca/gov/content/education-training/k-12/administration/legislation-policy/public-schools/daily-physical-activity