minutes of the 109th annual convention ubcm co… · councillor mel kositsky* langley township *...

MINUTES OF THE 109th ANNUAL CONVENTION

Victoria, B.C.September 25 - 28, 2012

2011–2012 UBCM EXECUTIVE President Director Heath Slee East Kootenay RD First Vice-President Mayor Mary Sjostrom Quesnel Second Vice-President Director Rhona Martin Columbia Shuswap RD Third Vice-President Mayor Barry Janyk* Gibsons Past President Councillor Barbara Steele Surrey Vancouver Rep. Councillor Tim Stevenson** Vancouver Metro Vancouver Rep. Mayor Greg Moore Port Coquitlam Small Community Rep. Councillor Galina Durant Stewart Electoral Area Rep. Chair Al Richmond Cariboo RD AKBLG Councillor Wesly Graham Creston LMLGA Councillor Lorrie Williams New Westminster NCLGA Chair Art Kaehn Fraser-Fort George RD SILGA Councillor Noreen Guenther* Lake Country AVICC Chair Joe Stanhope Nanaimo RD Director at Large (5) Mayor James Atebe* Mission Mayor Sharon Gaetz Chilliwack Mayor Dave Pernarowski Terrace Councillor Murry Krause Prince George Councillor Jerrilyn Schembri*** Tumbler Ridge Vancouver Metro Area Rep. (2) Councillor Sav Dhaliwal Burnaby Councillor Mel Kositsky* Langley Township

* These individuals were defeated in the 2011 Local Government Elections. Councillor Harry Kroeker, City of

Merritt became the new SILGA Representative; Mayor Peter Fassbender, City of Langley became the second Vancouver Metro Area Representative; and Councillor Claire Moglove, City of Campbell River became a Director at Large. The Third Vice-President position remained vacant in accordance with UBCM bylaws.

** Councillor Kerry Jang was appointed as the new City of Vancouver representative. *** Councillor Jerrilyn Schembri was elected as an Electoral Area Director for the Peace River RD in November 2011.

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GENERAL INDEX

Subject Page ELECTORAL AREA DIRECTORS FORUM (MORNING) ........................................................1 SMALL TALK FORUM (MORNING) ..........................................................................................1 MID-SIZED COMMUNITIES FORUM (MORNING) ................................................................2 LARGE URBAN COMMUNITIES FORUM (MORNING) ........................................................3 REMARKS BY FCM PRESIDENT, COUNCILLOR KAREN LEIBOVICI ................................3 SOCIAL MEDIA AND LOCAL GOVERNMENT LEADERSHIP PLENARY ........................3 PROVINCIAL POLICY SESSIONS ...............................................................................................3 WELCOME RECEPTION ...............................................................................................................4 CONVENTION OPENING SESSION ...........................................................................................4 ANNUAL MEETING ......................................................................................................................4 KEYNOTE SPEAKER, ANNA MARIA TREMONTI ..................................................................6 PRINCIPAL POLICY SESSION – RESOLUTIONS .....................................................................6 ADDRESS BY THE HONOURABLE BILL BENNETT, MINISTER OF COMMUNITY, SPORT AND CULTURAL DEVELOPMENT .......................9 CABINET PANELS ........................................................................................................................10 COMMUNITY EXCELLENCE AWARDS .................................................................................11 ADDRESS BY ADRIAN DIX, MLA, LEADER OF THE OFFICIAL OPPOSITION .............12 POLICY SESSION – RESOLUTIONS ..........................................................................................12 ADDRESS BY JANE STERK, LEADER OF THE GREEN PARTY OF BC .............................57 DELEGATES LUNCH ...................................................................................................................57 CONCURRENT WORKSHOPS ...................................................................................................58 UBCM ANNUAL BANQUET ......................................................................................................58 ADDRESS BY THE HONOURABLE JAMES MOORE, MINISTER OF CANADIAN HERITAGE AND OFFICIAL LANGUAGES ....................................................59 POLICY SESSION – RESOLUTIONS ..........................................................................................59 INSTALLATION OF PRESIDENT-ELECT, MAYOR MARY SJOSTROM ............................68 ADDRESS BY THE HONOURABLE CHRISTY CLARK, PREMIER .....................................68 CONVENTION CLOSING ...........................................................................................................68

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INDEX OF APPENDICES Appendix Subject Page A Address by FCM President, Councillor Karen Leibovici ............................................... 69 B President's Address – Director Heath Slee ....................................................................... 73 C Address by The Honourable Bill Bennett, Minister of Community, Sport and Cultural Development ......................................................................................................... 78 D Policy Paper: Modernizing Building Code Safety Regulations .................................... 84 E Address by The Honourable James Moore, Minister of Canadian Heritage and

Official Languages .............................................................................................................. 95 F Policy Paper: Packaging and Printed Paper Product Stewardship ............................ 100 G Policy Paper: Collaborative Watershed Governance Accord ..................................... 107 H Address by The Honourable Christy Clark, Premier ................................................... 110 I Report on Attendance at the 2012 Convention .............................................................. 116 J Resolutions Not Admitted for Debate ............................................................................ 117 K Pre-conference Study Sessions & Study Tours .............................................................. 119

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INDEX TO ENDORSED RESOLUTIONS Resolution No. Title Page No.

SPECIAL RESOLUTION

SELECTED ISSUES SR1 Service Agreements with First Nations & the Regulatory Gap ................................................................. 7

SECTION A RESOLUTIONS

FINANCE A1 Renewal of Infrastructure Funding Programs .............................................................................................. 8

TAXATION A2 Local Government Involvement in Review of Municipal Taxation .......................................................... 8

COMMUNITY SAFETY A3 Reductions to Coast Guard Marine Radio/Traffic Control Centres ......................................................... 8 A4 Policing in Remote Rural Towns & Villages ................................................................................................. 9 A5 Decriminalization of Marijuana ...................................................................................................................... 9 A6 Medical Emergency Services Alarm Calls Cost Recovery ........................................................................ 12 A7 Elimination of Emergency Preparedness Funding .................................................................................... 12

ENVIRONMENT A8 Oil Tanker Traffic ............................................................................................................................................ 13

SECTION B – PART 1 RESOLUTIONS

COMMUNITY SAFETY B1 Rural Policing Policies .................................................................................................................................... 13 B2 Provincial Judicial Resources ........................................................................................................................ 14 B3 Fraser Gravel Management ........................................................................................................................... 14 B4 Flood Mitigation Funding .............................................................................................................................. 14 B5 Ambulance Assists & Accident Callouts ..................................................................................................... 15

TRANSPORTATION B6 Coastal Ferry Act Review ................................................................................................................................ 15

TAXATION B7 Delivery of Property Tax Notices via Email ............................................................................................... 16 B8 Expert Panel Review of Business Taxation ................................................................................................. 16

FINANCE B9 Capital Costs of Fire Suppression ................................................................................................................. 16 B10 Generating Sustainable Funding for Rural Fire Departments ................................................................. 16 B11 Local Government Grants .............................................................................................................................. 16 B12 Support for Provincial Community Recreation Infrastructure Funding ................................................ 17 B13 Infrastructure Funding Criteria .................................................................................................................... 17

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Resolution No. Title Page No. B14 Flood Protection Infrastructure .................................................................................................................... 18 B15 Commercial Vehicle Licensing – Heavy Industrial Traffic ....................................................................... 18 B16 Funding for Water Infrastructure Projects .................................................................................................. 18 B17 Use of Reserve Funds for Park Development ............................................................................................. 19 B18 Property Transfer Tax .................................................................................................................................... 19 B19 Road Rehabilitation & Associated Funding Options ................................................................................ 19 B20 Revenue Sharing ............................................................................................................................................. 19

ENVIRONMENT B21 BC Conservation Service Capacity ............................................................................................................... 20 B22 Funding for BC Conservation Service ......................................................................................................... 20 B23 Removal of Derelict & Abandoned Vessels from Coastal Waters ........................................................... 20 B24 Increased Funding & Resources for Stream Protection ............................................................................. 21 B25 Energy Efficiency Improvements for Homeowners .................................................................................. 21 B26 Brownfields ...................................................................................................................................................... 21 B27 Milk Containers ............................................................................................................................................... 22 B28 Extended Producer Responsibility ............................................................................................................... 22 B29 Illegal Dumping Enforcement ....................................................................................................................... 22 B30 Agricultural Plastics Recycling ..................................................................................................................... 22 B31 Use of Reclaimed Water ................................................................................................................................. 23

LAND USE B32 Strategic Engagement Agreements .............................................................................................................. 23

COMMUNITY ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT B33 Raw Log Exports ............................................................................................................................................. 23 B34 Farm Mentorship Programs .......................................................................................................................... 24 B35 Buy BC .............................................................................................................................................................. 24 B36 Powerline Improvements .............................................................................................................................. 24

HEALTH B37 School Based Youth Mental Health Services .............................................................................................. 24 B38 Medical Transportation in Rural BC ............................................................................................................ 25 B39 Palliative Care in BC ....................................................................................................................................... 25 B40 Community-based Care for Seniors ............................................................................................................. 25 B41 Funding for Enhanced Seniors’ Outreach & Preventative Health Programs ........................................ 25 B42 MSP Premiums for Seniors ............................................................................................................................ 26

SELECTED ISSUES B43 Housing for Adults with Developmental Disabilities ............................................................................... 26 B44 Transitional Housing in Rural & Remote Communities ........................................................................... 26 B45 Cellular Service ............................................................................................................................................... 26 B46 Mechanical Insulation .................................................................................................................................... 27 B47 Renewal of Provincial Heritage Programs .................................................................................................. 27 B48 Regulation of Public Water Services ............................................................................................................ 27 B49 Community Access Program Funding ........................................................................................................ 28 B50 BC Childcare Plan ........................................................................................................................................... 28 B51 Privatization of Water Systems ..................................................................................................................... 28 B52 BC Building Code ........................................................................................................................................... 28

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Resolution No. Title Page No.

SECTION B – PART 2-a RESOLUTIONS

LEGISLATIVE B53 Requirements to Exempt Necessary Water Works Projects from Elector Approval ............................ 29 B54 Services Outside Municipality ...................................................................................................................... 29 B55 Resort Municipalities ...................................................................................................................................... 43

COMMUNITY SAFETY B56 Equity in Funding for Municipal Police Services ....................................................................................... 30 B57 Responding Safely to Hoarding .................................................................................................................... 30 B58 National Sex Offenders Registry .................................................................................................................. 30 B59 Authority to Remove Gang Members from Licensed Establishments .................................................... 31 B60 911 Pocket Calls ............................................................................................................................................... 31 B61 Streamflow Data from Independent Power Projects ................................................................................. 31 B62 Flood Mitigation Approval ............................................................................................................................ 32

TRANSPORTATION B63 Provincial Funding for Cycling Infrastructure ........................................................................................... 32 B64 Upgrades to Community Airstrips .............................................................................................................. 32 B65 Long Term Translink Funding Model ......................................................................................................... 33

TAXATION B66 Taxable Occupiers of Hospitals .................................................................................................................... 33 B67 Cell Service Payment in Lieu of Taxes ......................................................................................................... 33 B68 BC Hydro Grant in Lieu of Taxes ................................................................................................................. 33

FINANCE B69 Local Government Funding .......................................................................................................................... 34 B70 Federal Infrastructure Funding ..................................................................................................................... 34 B71 Reinstatement of Dedicated Line Item for Library Funding in BC ......................................................... 34

ENVIRONMENT B72 Wildlife Conflict .............................................................................................................................................. 34 B73 Qualified Environmental Professionals ....................................................................................................... 35 B74 Exterior Full Cut-off Lighting ....................................................................................................................... 35 B75 Tsunami Debris to Hit West Coast in 2014 ................................................................................................. 35 B76 Blue Carbon Credits ....................................................................................................................................... 35 B77 Protection of Potable Water ........................................................................................................................... 36 B78 Regulation of Abandoned Boats & Derelict Structures Along Public Waterways ................................ 36 B79 Enabling Fish Access to Historical Spawning Grounds at BC Hydro Dams ......................................... 36 B80 Changes to Fisheries Act .................................................................................................................................. 36 B81 Disposal of Gypsum Containing Asbestos .................................................................................................. 37

LAND USE B82 Agricultural Land Commission Fill Application ....................................................................................... 37 B83 Agricultural Land Commission Policy No. 11 ............................................................................................ 37

COMMUNITY ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT B84 Fencing Adjacent to Highways ..................................................................................................................... 37 B85 Five Year Strategy for BC Natural Gas Use ................................................................................................ 38 B86 Three Phase Power ......................................................................................................................................... 38

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Resolution No. Title Page No. B87 Canada European Union Trade Agreement ............................................................................................... 38 B88 Public Procurement Under the Comprehensive Economic & Trade Agreement .................................. 39

REGIONAL DISTRICTS B89 Declared Nuisances ........................................................................................................................................ 39 B90 Stormwater Management in Electoral Areas .............................................................................................. 39

HEALTH B91 Doctor Shortage in BC .................................................................................................................................... 40 B92 Smoke Free Outdoor Public Places .............................................................................................................. 40 B93 Declining Health Services .............................................................................................................................. 43

SELECTED ISSUES B94 Cold Weather Funding ................................................................................................................................... 41 B95 On-site Provincial Service Delivery Rural Communities ......................................................................... 41 B96 Funding for Northern Colleges .................................................................................................................... 41 B97 Transient Worker Data Collection ................................................................................................................ 41 B98 Amendments to the Residential Tenancy Act Dispute Resolution Process .............................................. 42 B99 Public Lakeshore Access ................................................................................................................................ 42 B100 Accessible Ballot Program ............................................................................................................................. 42 B101 Closure of Citizenship & Immigration Canada Offices ............................................................................ 43

SECTION B – PART 2-b RESOLUTIONS

HEALTH B102 Community Water Servicing ........................................................................................................................ 44 B103 Assessing Communities for Physician Recruitment .................................................................................. 45 B104 Office of the Seniors Advocate ...................................................................................................................... 45

COMMUNITY ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT B105 Reinstatement of Farm Funding for Deer Fencing .................................................................................... 45 B106 Fencing of Agricultural Interface ................................................................................................................. 45 B108 Innovate BC’s Natural Gas Transportation Network ................................................................................ 46 B109 Integrated Landscape Planning Guidelines ................................................................................................ 46

COMMUNITY SAFETY B110 Family Violence Prevention Legislation ...................................................................................................... 46 B111 Licenses Issued Under Marijuana Medical Access Regulations .............................................................. 47 B112 Strategic Wildfire Prevention Initiative Funding ....................................................................................... 47 B113 Full Funding for Fuel Abatement ................................................................................................................. 48 B114 Funding Forest Fuel Mitigation .................................................................................................................... 48

TRANSPORTATION B115 Provincial Development of Rural Transportation Strategy ...................................................................... 48 B116 UBCM Railway Committee ........................................................................................................................... 49

ENVIRONMENT B118 Water Stewardship ......................................................................................................................................... 49 B119 Commercialization of Water ......................................................................................................................... 49 B120 Contaminated Soil Relocation ....................................................................................................................... 49

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Resolution No. Title Page No. B121 2012 Carbon Neutral Goals ............................................................................................................................ 50 B122 Shipping of Dangerous Goods Liabilities ................................................................................................... 50 B123 Regulating the Sale of Unsterilized Rabbits ................................................................................................ 51 B124 Wildlife Trapping ............................................................................................................................................ 51 B125 BC Stewardship Regulations Relating to Packaging & Printed Paper .................................................... 51 B126 Genetically Engineered Free Zones .............................................................................................................. 52

TAXATION B128 Tax Collection Legislation ............................................................................................................................. 53 B130 Vacant & Derelict Building Tax Rate ........................................................................................................... 53

FINANCE B132 Small Community Grant ................................................................................................................................ 54 B136 Liability for Contaminated Sites ................................................................................................................... 55

ASSESSMENT B139 Rural Tourism Assessments .......................................................................................................................... 55

LAND USE B141 Siting of Telecommunications Towers & Antennae .................................................................................. 61

SELECTED ISSUES B142 Time Allotted for Resolution Debate at UBCM .......................................................................................... 62 B143 Market Rental Housing Stock ....................................................................................................................... 62 B145 Building Regulations – Non-potable Water ................................................................................................ 63

SECTION B – PART 3-a RESOLUTIONS

COMMUNITY SAFETY B146 Release of Dangerous Offenders ................................................................................................................... 63 B147 Provincial Remediation Process for Inappropriately Used Buildings .................................................... 64 B148 Workplace Safety Awareness ........................................................................................................................ 64

SELECTED ISSUES B149 Wireless High Speed Internet ....................................................................................................................... 64

SECTION B – PART 3-b RESOLUTIONS

TAXATION B151 Skilled Professionals ....................................................................................................................................... 65

ENVIRONMENT B154 Shark Fin Harvesting ...................................................................................................................................... 65

SELECTED ISSUES

B156 Signage & Safe Pull-outs for Highway Areas with Cell Phone Coverage .............................................. 66

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Resolution No. Title Page No. B157 Liquor Services for Events in Unlicensed Venues ..................................................................................... 66 B158 Restore Funding to Katimavik ...................................................................................................................... 67

SECTION C – PART 3 RESOLUTIONS

TRANSPORTATION C37 Highway of Tears Safety ................................................................................................................................ 67

RESOLUTIONS RECEIVED AFTER THE DEADLINE LR1 Call Answer Levy for Wireless Service Providers ..................................................................................... 60 LR2 Invasive Species – Quagga & Zebra Mussels .............................................................................................. 60 LR3 Small Water Systems Treatment ................................................................................................................... 60 LR6 Requirement for By-elections ........................................................................................................................ 60

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INDEX TO NON-ENDORSED RESOLUTIONS Resolution No. Title Page No.

RESOLUTIONS NOT ENDORSED ER1 Extraordinary Resolution to Change the Name of the Union of British Columbia Municipalities .................................................................................................................................................... 6 SR2 Travel Expense for Participating in UBCM Committee Meetings............................................................. 7 B107 Export of Landfillable Solid Waste............................................................................................................... 46 B117 Levy for “One Time Use” Plastic Bags ........................................................................................................ 49 B127 Noxious Weeds & Range Lands ................................................................................................................... 52 B129 School Property Tax Rebate for Class 6 Businesses ................................................................................... 53 B131 Tax on Biofuel.................................................................................................................................................. 53 B133 Municipal Price Index .................................................................................................................................... 54 B134 Remuneration of Municipal Councils.......................................................................................................... 54 B135 Re-distribution of Gaming Revenue ............................................................................................................ 54 B137 Federal Gas Tax Funding Eligibility ............................................................................................................ 55 B138 Business Class Exemption ............................................................................................................................. 56 B140 Making Boards of Variance Optional........................................................................................................... 61 B144 Motor Vehicle Insurance for Elected Officials ............................................................................................ 63 B150 Tax Benefits for Volunteers ........................................................................................................................... 64 B152 Move Up the HST to GST/PST Transition Deadline................................................................................. 65 B153 WorkSafe BC – Hazardous Materials Regulations..................................................................................... 65 B155 Duty-free & Tax-free Limits .......................................................................................................................... 66

WITHDRAWN LR4 Discontinuation of Live Television Coverage of Council Meetings........................................................ 59

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MINUTES of the

ONE HUNDRED AND NINTH ANNUAL CONVENTION

of the Union of BC Municipalities held in

VICTORIA, B.C. on

September 25, 26, 27 and 28, 2012

FORUM CLINICS On Tuesday, September 25, 2012 the Electoral Area Directors, Small Talk, Mid-Sized Communities and Large Urban Communities Forums were preceded by the following clinics at 7:30 a.m.:

• LiveSmart BC: Small Business Program • Maximize Your Climate Action Commitments • Tsunami Debris • Powers of Mayor and Council • BC Ideas: Solutions for Stronger Communities

ELECTORAL AREA DIRECTORS FORUM Chair Al Richmond, Electoral Area Representative and Chair for the Forum, called the session to order at 9:00 a.m. on Tuesday, September 25, 2012. The Forum opened with a speech from Honourable Bill Bennett, Minister of Community, Sport, and Cultural Development. The Minister then assisted the Local Government Leadership Academy in acknowledging EAD delegates who had earned their Level 1 and 2 certificates. The first presentation addressed the Resource Road Act and the implications of the Act on regional districts. The presenter was Don Gosnell, Manager, Resource Roads, Ministry of Forests, Lands and Natural Resource Operations. After a short break, Andy Witt, Manager Habitat Management, Ministry of Forests, Lands and Natural Resource Operations presented on the Riparian Area Regulation. Mr. Witt addressed the conflicts of using Qualified Environmental Professionals; questions about enforcement related to the Regulation; and questions about how the Ministry of Environment, the Department of Fisheries and Ocean, the Qualified Environmental Professionals and other agencies communicate with one another. The last presentation discussed updates to provincial legislation that affect rural areas. Specifically, updates were provided on amendments to the Local Government Act and Dispute Resolution Capacity Building. The panelists were Michelle Dann, Policy Project Manager,; Rejan Farley, Director Intergovernmental Relations and Stephen Russo, Senior Policy Analyst, all with the Ministry of Community, Sport and Cultural Development. The session adjourned at 12:00 p.m. for a lunch sponsored by the Municipal Finance Authority of BC.

SMALL TALK FORUM The session convened at 9:00 a.m. on Tuesday, September 25, 2012 with Mayor Galina Durant, Small Community Representative, in the Chair. Mayor Durant welcomed the delegates to the session and

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provided an overview of UBCM’s work over the past year on issues of specific interest to small communities. Mayor Durant was assisted throughout the Forum by facilitator Dan Rogers. The Forum opened with a special presentation that focused on the decline of medical services in small communities. The special presentation was organized to follow up on a motion from the 2011 Small Talk Forum on this issue, and to complement a related resolution put forward by the District of Stewart for consideration at the 2012 Convention. Mayor Stephanie Killam from the District of Mackenzie; Dr. Greg Halseth from UNBC; and Georgina MacDonald from the Vancouver Island Health Authority provided local government, academic and health authority perspectives, respectively. Facilitator Dan Rogers then chaired a discussion of health related issues amongst the delegates. Following the discussion of medical services, Councillor Randal Macnair from the City of Fernie shared his community's success story of the planning, construction and mixed use of the Fernie Dirt Jump Park. After a brief refreshment break, the delegates reconvened for a special presentation on succession planning for small communities. Mayor Howie Cyr and Tate Bengtson, Deputy CAO, both from the City of Enderby shared their experience of a multi-year transition process from a retiring CAO to a new Deputy CAO. Tom MacDonald, Executive Director of the Local Government Management Association (LGMA) wrapped up the special presentation by sharing information about LGMA programs that can help local governments cope with staff transitions, succession, and limited staff experience. Facilitator Dan Rogers then chaired a discussion of issues related to the environment and economic development. A final success story was presented by Mayor Kevin Acton from the Village of Lumby. He spoke about the planning and construction of a housing and complex care facility for seniors, and its positive effect on the economy and culture of his community. At 11:35 a.m., UBCM President Heath Slee introduced the Honourable Bill Bennett, Minister of Community, Sport & Cultural Development, who spoke briefly to delegates. Minister Bennett also presented awards to elected officials from small communities who had earned a Level 1 or 2 certificate from the Local Government Leadership Academy. The Forum adjourned at 12:00 p.m. for a luncheon sponsored by Spectra Energy.

MID-SIZED FORUM Mayor Dave Pernarowski, Director at Large, and Chair of the Forum, called the session to order at 9:00 a.m. on Tuesday, September 25, 2012. The first panel presentation addressed the recruitment and retention of skilled staff at the local government and community level. Presentations were made by Tom MacDonald, Executive Director, Local Government Management Association; Trina Harrison, Director of Human Resources, City of Victoria; and Dr. Paul Kershaw, Associate Professor, University of British Columbia. A question and answer period followed the presentations. After a short break, the members received brief remarks from the Honourable Bill Bennett, Minister of Community, Sport, and Cultural Development. The Minister then assisted the Local Government Leadership Academy in acknowledging delegates who had earned their Level 1 and 2 certificates. Following the certificate presentation, a second panel presented on economic development. The panel highlighted best practices in downtown revitalization, partnerships, and business retention. Presenters included Scott Randolph, Economic Development Manager with the Powell River Regional Economic Development Society; Sandy Blue, Manager of Strategic Economic Initiatives with the District of Maple Ridge; Mayor James Baker of the District of Lake Country; and Stephen Banmen, Chief Financial Officer for the District of Lake Country. The session adjourned at 12:00 p.m. for a lunch sponsored by the Municipal Finance Authority of BC.

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LARGE URBAN COMMUNITIES FORUM

Councillor Kerry Jang, Vancouver Representative, and Chair of the Forum, called the session to order at 9:00 a.m. on Tuesday, September 25, 2012. The Forum opened with a presentation by Myron Orfield, Professor of Law, University of Minnesota on a range of urban development challenges facing local government. Following a short question period, the members received a brief address from the Honourable Bill Bennett, Minister of Community, Sport, and Cultural Development. The Minister then assisted the Local Government Leadership Academy in acknowledging urban delegates who had earned their Level 1 and 2 certificates. After a short break, the members received a presentation by Richard Rosenthal, Chief Civilian Director, Independent Investigation Office on the role of the newly created office in undertaking independent investigations into police actions. The session adjourned at 12:00 p.m. for a lunch sponsored by TELUS.

REMARKS BY FCM PRESIDENT

At 1:30 p.m., UBCM President, Director Heath Slee, introduced Councillor Karen Leibovici, President of the Federation of Canadian Municipalities, who addressed the Convention. Councillor Leibovici spoke about the current activities of FCM with a focus on the development of a Long Term Infrastructure Program. Mayor Mary Sjostrom thanked Councillor Leibovici. The FCM President’s address is annexed to these Minutes as Appendix A.

SOCIAL MEDIA AND LOCAL GOVERNMENT LEADERSHIP PLENARY

The Plenary Session was opened at 1:45 p.m. by President Heath Slee. After brief opening remarks, President Slee introduced the following panel of presenters: • Mayor Frank Leonard, District of Saanich • Mayor Sharon Gaetz, City of Chilliwack • Mayor Mike Bernier, City of Dawson Creek • Jonathan Fowlie, Legislative Reporter, Vancouver Sun • Kim Van Bruggen, Acumen Communications Panelists shared their thoughts and observations on how social media tools are changing local government leadership from the campaign trail to day-to-day governance. Topics included social media impact on relationship building, issues management, media relations and public expectation of local government and elected officials. The session concluded with a brief question and answer period, and it was adjourned at 3:00 p.m.

PROVINCIAL POLICY SESSIONS Four concurrent workshops convened at 3:15 p.m. The sessions were:

• Small Water Systems Working Group • Community Poverty Reduction Strategies • Improving Employment for Persons with Disabilities • BC Policing Plan

The sessions adjourned at 4:45 p.m.

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WELCOME RECEPTION The Welcome Reception was held from 5:00-7:00 p.m. at the Crystal Gardens and was hosted by the City of Victoria and UBCM.

WEDNESDAY CLINICS On Wednesday, September 26, 2012, the Convention commenced at 7:30 a.m. with the following clinics:

• Provincial Athletic Commissioner Update and Discussion • Spot the Drug House • First Nations Participation as Members of Regional Districts • Municipal-Rail Proximity Guidelines • Community Destination Development: A Partnership Opportunity

CONVENTION OPENING SESSION The President, Director Heath Slee, called the 109th Annual Convention to order at 8:30 a.m. on Wednesday, September 26, 2012 at the Victoria Conference Centre. Ms. Soleil Demers, Ms. Kali Moreno, and Mr. Greg Baan-Meiklejohn from Victoria High School led the conference in the National Anthem. Mr. Henri Lock, United Church Chaplain with University of Victoria Multifaith Services gave the invocation. PRESIDENT’S ADDRESS The President, Director Heath Slee, provided the Opening Address to delegates. The President’s Address is annexed to these Minutes as Appendix B.

ANNUAL MEETING The First Vice-President, Mayor Mary Sjostrom, in the Chair opened the Annual Meeting. ADOPTION OF CONFERENCE RULES AND PROCEDURES On regular motion, duly moved and seconded, the Conference Rules and Procedures as printed in the Annual Report and Resolutions Book were adopted. MINUTES On regular motion, duly moved and seconded, the Minutes of the One Hundred and Eighth Annual Convention of the Union of British Columbia Municipalities, held in Vancouver, British Columbia, on September 27-30, 2011 were adopted as printed and distributed. ANNUAL REPORT The President, Director Heath Slee, presented the Annual Report, which, on regular motion, duly moved and seconded, was adopted. FINANCIAL STATEMENTS Second Vice-President, Director Rhona Martin, presented the Audited Financial Statements of the Union of British Columbia Municipalities for the year ending June 30, 2012. On regular motion, duly moved and seconded, the statements were adopted. The Audited Financial Statements were circulated in the Annual Report. A copy of the budget for the year commencing July 1, 2012, as approved by the Executive, was also circulated to the membership for their information.

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APPOINTMENT OF AUDITORS On regular motion, duly moved and seconded, that the Executive be empowered to appoint auditors for the year commencing July 1, 2012, was adopted. APPOINTMENT OF COMMITTEES The First Vice-President, Mayor Mary Sjostrom, announced the appointment of the following Convention Committees and officials: NOMINATING COMMITTEE Councillor Barbara Steele, Past President, Chair Mayor Christina Benty, Association of Kootenay and Boundary Local Governments Chair Joe Stanhope, Association of Vancouver Island and Coastal Communities Councillor Lorrie Williams, Lower Mainland Local Government Association Councillor Harry Kroeker, Southern Interior Local Government Association Mayor Mitch Campsall, North Central Local Government Association CONVENTION COMMITTEE Mayor Mary Sjostrom, Chair Councillor Wesly Graham Director Jerrilyn Schembri Chair Art Kaehn Councillor Harry Kroeker SCRUTINEERS Elsie Lemke CAO, District of Peachland, Chief Scrutineer Patti Ferguson CAO, City of Armstrong, Deputy Chief Scrutineer David Allen CAO, Town of Golden Heather Avison Corporate Administrator, City of Terrace Doug Fleming CAO, District of Chetwynd Paul Gipps Deputy CAO, District of Mission Leslie Groulx Corporate Administrator, District of Clearwater Fred Manson CAO, City of Parksville Ron Poole CAO, District of Kitimat Patrick Robins CAO, District of Central Saanich Deborah Sargent CAO, Town of Smithers Lynda Shykora CAO, Township of Spallumcheen Corien Speaker CAO, District of Squamish PARLIAMENTARIAN Ian Izard, Q.C., Clay and Company Former Law Clerk and Clerk Assistant, Legislative Assembly of BC WELCOME FROM THE CITY OF VICTORIA Mayor Dean Fortin brought greetings from the City of Victoria. FIRST REPORT OF THE NOMINATING COMMITTEE FOR THE POSITIONS OF UBCM TABLE OFFICERS Councillor Barbara Steele, Chair of the Nominating Committee, presented the first report with the nominations for Table Officer positions: President: Mayor Mary Sjostrom, City of Quesnel First Vice-President: Director Rhona Martin, Columbia Shuswap Regional District Second Vice-President: Councillor Sav Dhaliwal, City of Burnaby Third Vice-President: Director Al Richmond, Cariboo Regional District

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KEYNOTE SPEAKER, ANNA MARIA TREMONTI Mayor Mary Sjostrom introduced Anna Maria Tremonti, the keynote speaker. Following Ms. Tremonti’s address, a brief question and answer session ensued. Following her address, Mayor Sjostrom thanked Ms. Tremonti.

PRINCIPAL POLICY SESSION – RESOLUTIONS The first Resolutions session began at 10:30 a.m. with Mayor Sharon Gaetz, Chair of the UBCM Resolutions Committee, in the Chair. Mayor Gaetz was joined by the other members of the Resolutions Committee: Mayor Greg Moore, Councillor Sav Dhaliwal and Chair Joe Stanhope. They were assisted by Parliamentarian Ian Izard, UBCM Executive Director Gary MacIsaac and other UBCM staff. Rules for dealing with resolutions adopted during the Annual Meeting were reviewed by the Chair. The Convention then commenced with consideration of resolutions. EXTRAORDINARY RESOLUTION ER1 EXTRAORDINARY RESOLUTION TO CHANGE THE NAME OF UBCM Executive THE UNION OF BRITISH COLUMBIA MUNICIPALITIES WHEREAS the Union of British Columbia Municipalities is incorporated pursuant to the Union of British Columbia Municipalities Act, S.B.C. 2006, c. 18 for the purpose of representing in one organization the various municipalities of the Province; AND WHEREAS the Union represents and serves municipalities, regional districts, first nations and other local governments within the Province; AND WHEREAS the Union Bylaws require that any request of the Union to the Government of the Province for an amendment to the Act, and any amendments to the Union Bylaws, may only be made pursuant to Extraordinary Resolution duly adopted by the Union: THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED by Extraordinary Resolution that the Union requests that the provincial government amend the Union of British Columbia Municipalities Act as follows:

(a) replace all uses, except for those uses in section 3(j), of the terms “municipal”, “municipal government” and “municipality” with “local government”;

(b) replace all uses of the term “UBCM” with “UBCLG”; AND BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED by Extraordinary Resolution that upon the above amendments to the Act coming into force that the Union’s Bylaws be amended as follows:

(a) the title of the Bylaws be changed from the “Union of British Columbia Municipalities Bylaws” to the “Union of British Columbia Local Governments Bylaws”;

(b) in section 4(d) delete the term “UBCM”; (c) in sections 4(k) and 5(d) replace all uses of the phrase “municipality, regional district or other

membership” with “local government”; (d) in section 12(b), replace the phrase “municipalities and regional districts” with “local

governments”; (e) replace the reference to “union of British Columbia Municipalities” referred to in the adopting

clause following section 23(e) with the word “Union”. A motion, duly moved and seconded, that the enactment clauses be amended to change the name of the Union of British Columbia Municipalities to the Local Government Association of British Columbia, was not endorsed.

ON MOTION, was NOT ENDORSED

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SPECIAL RESOLUTIONS SR1 SERVICE AGREEMENTS WITH FIRST NATIONS & THE UBCM Executive REGULATORY GAP WHEREAS local governments seek to build strong relationships with First Nations and support their economic development aspirations; AND WHEREAS local governments have in good faith developed service agreements with First Nations to facilitate economic development on reserve lands, despite the fact that:

• reserve lands are exclusively federal lands and jurisdiction, outside of local government regulatory and taxation authority, and yet reserve lands are included within local government boundaries;

• there is an inability for local governments to regulate utility services on reserve lands; and • without effective regulatory tools, local governments are exposed to financial, environmental

and public health liability if a problem arises with a local government service provided to reserve lands:

THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED that the provincial and federal governments work with UBCM and First Nations to close the regulatory gap that presently exists regarding the establishment of service agreements between local governments and First Nations; AND BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the provincial and federal governments, in collaboration with UBCM and First Nations, provide local governments with effective legislative tools to protect themselves and reduce their exposure to financial, environmental and public health liability.

ON MOTION, was ENDORSED SR2 TRAVEL EXPENSE FOR PARTICIPATING IN UBCM COMMITTEE UBCM Executive MEETINGS WHEREAS local government staff are asked to sit on various committees formed by the UBCM, with the local governments covering all travel expenses to participate in committee meetings; and travel expenses might act as a barrier to participation on UBCM committees and working groups by staff from some local governments; AND WHEREAS an evaluation of UBCM committee appointments over the past 5 years estimates that an average of $30,000 per year would be required to pay for the travel expenses of local government staff attending UBCM meetings: THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED that UBCM increase member dues by 3% annually to provide reimbursement for travel expenses for local government staff participating in UBCM committee meetings. A motion, duly moved and seconded, that the enactment clause be amended by striking the word “annually”, was endorsed. The resolution, as amended, then read: THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED that UBCM increase member dues by 3% to provide reimbursement for travel expenses for local government staff participating in UBCM committee meetings.

ON MOTION, as amended, was NOT ENDORSED Mayor Greg Moore assumed the Chair and commenced consideration of Section A resolutions.

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SECTION A RESOLUTIONS A1 RENEWAL OF INFRASTRUCTURE FUNDING PROGRAMS Comox WHEREAS the Building Canada plan will expire in 2014, federal Gas Tax Agreements expire in 2015, and the federal government is now consulting on a Long Term Infrastructure Plan meant to inform both the next federal/provincial infrastructure program and the permanent Gas Tax Fund; AND WHEREAS the purpose of federal and provincial funding should be to provide communities in British Columbia with a source of stable, predictable and long-term funding to help them address their infrastructure needs and meet sustainability objectives; THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED that UBCM negotiate a wider range of eligible projects, under a new federal/provincial infrastructure funding program and the permanent Gas Tax Fund program, to include all infrastructure projects deemed to be a local priority.

ON MOTION, was ENDORSED A2 LOCAL GOVERNMENT INVOLVEMENT IN REVIEW OF MUNICIPAL Burnaby TAXATION WHEREAS the Province of British Columbia is undertaking a Local Government Revenue Sources Review and a Business Taxation Review, both of which have a significant relationship to the local government tax structure and the ability of local governments to provide quality and comprehensive services to their citizens; AND WHEREAS the Community Charter (Sections 276 and 277) lays out a framework for meaningful consultation and negotiation between the Province and the Union of BC Municipalities, as the voice for local government in BC: THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED that the Province of British Columbia provide a significant opportunity and role for the participation of the UBCM and BC local governments in the Local Government Revenue Sources Review and a Business Taxation Review, in the assessment of any arising results and recommendations, and in seeking local government consent for any future implementation of the finding of these review processes.

ON MOTION, was ENDORSED A3 REDUCTIONS TO COAST GUARD MARINE RADIO/TRAFFIC Gold River CONTROL CENTRES Sayward Strathcona RD WHEREAS the Canadian Coast Guard has announced its intention to reduce the number of Canadian Coast Guard Marine Communication and Traffic Services (MCTS) Officers on watch at five strategically located centres in British Columbia, three of which are on Vancouver Island, possibly posing a serious threat to the safety of coastal communities, boaters, fishers, mariners, aviators and the environment; AND WHEREAS the lives of many residents and visitors in these communities could be put at risk by the reduction of officers at MCTS centres: THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED that UBCM petition the federal government to maintain the current levels of staff on watch year round at all five MCTS centres on our coast. A motion, duly moved and seconded, to amend the resolution by adding a second enactment clause, was endorsed. The resolution, as amended, then read: THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED that UBCM petition the federal government to maintain the current levels of staff on watch year round at all five MCTS centres on our coast;

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AND BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that UBCM urge the Ministry of Fisheries & Oceans to suspend the announced closure of Coast Guard facilities on the West Coast and that UBCM host a meeting of impacted communities and the Minister to discuss the impacts of these closures and possible alternatives to closures.

ON MOTION, as amended, was ENDORSED A4 POLICING IN REMOTE RURAL TOWNS & VILLAGES Tahsis WHEREAS resident policing is a core community value in rural towns and villages; AND WHEREAS a number of the more remote communities in British Columbia stand to lose their resident policing due to the RCMP's requirement to meet the Canadian Labour Standards regarding working alone: THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED that the UBCM lobby the Province of British Columbia to provide the necessary funding to allow the RCMP to fulfill their obligation to their members under the Canadian Labour Standards and maintain a resident police presence in remote rural towns and villages.

ON MOTION, was ENDORSED A5 DECRIMINALIZATION OF MARIJUANA Metchosin WHEREAS marijuana prohibition is a failed policy which has cost millions of dollars in police, court, jail and social costs; AND WHEREAS the decriminalization and regulation of marijuana would provide tax revenues: THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED that UBCM call on the appropriate government to decriminalize marijuana and research the regulation and taxation of marijuana.

ON MOTION, was ENDORSED NOMINATIONS FROM THE FLOOR FOR THE POSITIONS OF UBCM TABLE OFFICERS At 11:55 a.m., Councillor Barbara Steele, Chair of the Nominating Committee, called for nominations from the floor for Table Officer positions in addition to those already placed in nomination. Those nominated at the close of the nominations for Table Officer positions were: President: Mayor Mary Sjostrom, City of Quesnel First Vice-President: Director Rhona Martin, Columbia Shuswap Regional District Second Vice-President: Councillor Sav Dhaliwal, City of Burnaby Third Vice-President: Director Al Richmond, Cariboo Regional District At the conclusion of nominations, Councillor Steele declared the positions of President, First Vice-President, Second Vice-President and Third Vice-President elected by acclamation. The Convention adjourned for lunch at 12:00 p.m.. All Area Associations hosted lunches during this period. The Convention re-convened at 1:45 p.m.

ADDRESS BY THE HONOURABLE BILL BENNETT MINISTER OF COMMUNITY, SPORT AND CULTURAL

DEVELOPMENT The President, Director Heath Slee, introduced the Minister of Community, Sport & Cultural Development, The Honourable Bill Bennett and invited the Minister to address the Convention. The

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Minister's address is annexed to these Minutes as Appendix C. Mayor Mary Sjostrom thanked the Minister.

CABINET PANELS At 3:00 p.m. the following concurrent panels were held: Jobs and the Economy Honourable Pat Bell, Minister of Jobs, Tourism and Skills Training Honourable Mike de Jong, Minister of Finance Honourable Mary Polak, Minister of Transportation and Infrastructure Honourable John Yap, Minister of Advanced Education, Innovation and Technology and

Minister Responsible for Multiculturalism Honourable Naomi Yamamoto, Minister of State for Small Business Resources and the Environment Honourable Rich Coleman, Minister of Energy, Mines and Natural Gas Honourable Norm Letnick, Minister of Agriculture Honourable Steve Thomson, Minister of Forests, Lands and Natural Resource Operations Honourable Terry Lake, Minister of Environment Healthy Families Honourable Margaret MacDiarmid, Minister of Health Honourable Don McRae, Minister of Education Honourable Stephanie Cadieux, Minister of Children and Family Development Honourable Moira Stilwell, Minister of Social Development Honourable Ralph Sultan, Minister of State for Seniors Community Services Honourable Bill Bennett, Minister of Community, Sport and Cultural Development Honourable Ida Chong, Minister of Aboriginal Relations and Reconciliation Honourable Shirley Bond, Minister of Justice and the Attorney General Honourable Ben Stewart, Minister of Citizens’ Services and Open Government At 4:15 p.m., the Honourable Terry Lake, Minister of Environment, assisted with the presentation of the 2012 Energy and Climate Action Awards sponsored by the Community Energy Association.

FCM – TARGET 2014: BUILDING OUR FUTURE At 4:30 p.m., FCM staff and board members discussed the work underway to mobilize members to make sure their priorities are reflected in a new federal infrastructure program. FCM staff provided an overview of their work to date in developing FCM’s Target 2014 campaign, their advocacy agenda for a long term infrastructure program. The Convention adjourned at 5:15 p.m.

THURSDAY CLINICS On Thursday September 27, 2012 the Convention commenced at 7:30 a.m. with the following clinics:

• Collaborative Watershed Governance in BC • Responsible Gambling Goes Grassroots in Your Community • Developing Your Volunteer Fire Department • Preserving BC’s Dinosaurs • Empowering Citizens Through Data

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COMMUNITY EXCELLENCE AWARDS Winners received their awards at a special awards breakfast, held on Thursday, September 27, 2012. Winners of the 2012 Community Excellence Awards were: BEST PRACTICES, General Winner: City of Trail Downtown Opportunities & Action Committee Honourable Mention: City of Surrey Safe & Active School Program BEST PRACTICES, Social Media Winner: City of Port Coquitlam

BEST PRACTICES, Civic Engagement Winner: District of Squamish Envisioning Tomorrow Today LEADERSHIP & INNOVATION Small Community Winner: District of Elkford Elkford Community Conference Centre Large Community Winner: City of Abbotsford Entertainment & Sports Centre Rainwater Harvesting System Honourable Mention: City of Richmond Alexandra District Energy Geothermal System Climate Action Winner: Columbia Shuswap Regional District Salmon Arm Landfill PARTNERSHIPS Winner: City of Surrey Kensington Prairie Community Centre Winner: City of Nelson, Central Kootenay RD & Kootenay Boundary RD Integration of West Kootenay Transit Services The plenary session reconvened at 8:30 a.m. SECOND REPORT OF THE NOMINATING COMMITTEE FOR EXECUTIVE POSITIONS Councillor Barbara Steele gave the second report of the Nominating Committee for the positions of Small Community Representative, Electoral Area Representative and Directors at Large. Those nominated were: Small Community Representative: Mayor Galina Durant, District of Stewart Electoral Area Representative: Director Wendy Booth, Regional District of East Kootenay Director Art Kaehn, Fraser Fort-George Regional District Vancouver Metro Area Representative: Mayor Peter Fassbender, City of Langley Councillor Michael Morden, District of Maple Ridge Director at Large: Mayor Sharon Gaetz, City of Chilliwack Councillor Wesly Graham, Town of Creston Councillor Murry Krause, City of Prince George Councillor Claire Moglove, City of Campbell River Mayor David Pernarowski, City of Terrace Director Jerrilyn Schembri, Peace River Regional District

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ADDRESS BY ADRIAN DIX, MLA LEADER OF THE OFFICIAL OPPOSITION

The President, Director Heath Slee, introduced Adrian Dix, Leader of the Official Opposition, who addressed the Convention. Mayor Mary Sjostrom thanked Mr. Dix for his address. POLICY SESSION – RESOLUTIONS The policy session resumed at 8:35 a.m. with Councillor Barbara Steele, Chair of the Community Safety Committee, in the Chair. Councillor Steele presented the policy paper “Modernizing Building Code Safety Regulations”. The policy paper is attached as Appendix D. On motion, duly moved and seconded, that the recommendations outlined in the policy paper “Modernizing Building Code Safety Regulations” be approved, was adopted. Mayor Greg Moore assumed the Chair and continued with consideration of Section A resolutions. Mayor Moore was joined by the other members of the Resolutions Committee: Mayor Sharon Gaetz, Councillor Sav Dhaliwal and Chair Joe Stanhope. They were assisted by Parliamentarian Ian Izard, UBCM Executive Director Gary MacIsaac and other UBCM staff. SECTION A RESOLUTIONS A6 MEDICAL EMERGENCY SERVICES ALARM CALLS COST RECOVERY Langley City WHEREAS the number of First Responder or Medical Emergency Service Alarm (MESA) calls that the City of Langley respond to represents 75 percent of all calls received by the Langley City Fire Rescue Service (LCFRS); AND WHEREAS the City of Langley and other local governments incur significant direct costs as a result of responding to MESA calls to compliment the services provided by BC Ambulance Service (BCAS); AND WHEREAS the intermediate patient care provided by first responders can greatly enhance patient outcomes and significantly reduce short term and long term costs to the overall health care system and the City of Langley acknowledges the community will benefit from the LCFRS supporting BCAS to provide first responder services to the patient while the ambulance is on route: THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED that the Province of BC work with UBCM to develop a fair and equitable cost recovery model to compensate local governments for responding to Medical Emergency Service Alarm calls.

ON MOTION, was ENDORSED A7 ELIMINATION OF EMERGENCY PREPAREDNESS FUNDING Cowichan Valley RD WHEREAS on Friday, April 13th, Public Safety Canada announced that at the end of 2012 they will eliminate the following federally funded emergency preparedness programs:

• Joint Emergency Preparedness Program (JEPP); • Funding for all 5 Heavy Urban Search and Rescue teams (HUSAR); • Critical Infrastructure initiatives; and • immediate closure of the Canadian Emergency Management College (CEMC);

AND WHEREAS over the past 10 years the Cowichan Valley Regional Emergency Program has made very good use of JEPP funds to assist in providing its citizens and municipalities with Emergency Management training programs, Emergency Planning exercises; Emergency Plan updates, telecommunication equipment, emergency generators; and office equipment, computers, display boards:

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THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED that UBCM lobby Public Safety Canada to maintain the current level of funding to the Joint Emergency Preparedness Program (JEPP), to the Heavy Urban Search and Rescue (HUSAR) team, and to the Canadian Emergency Management College (CEMC).

ON MOTION, was ENDORSED A8 OIL TANKER TRAFFIC Saanich WHEREAS a crude oil spill would have devastating and long lasting effects on British Columbia’s unique and diverse coast, which provides critical marine habitat and marine resources that sustain the social, cultural, environmental and economic health of coastal and First Nations communities; AND WHEREAS citizens of British Columbia, particularly those living in coastal communities, and First Nations communities and environmental groups have expressed well-founded concerns over the expansion of oil pipelines and oil tankers: THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED that UBCM oppose projects that would lead to the expansion of oil tanker traffic through BC’s coastal waters; AND BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that UBCM urge the Premier of British Columbia, the Leader of the Official Opposition and members of the Legislative Assembly to use whatever legislative and administrative means that are available to stop the expansion of oil tanker traffic through BC’s coastal waters.

ON MOTION, was ENDORSED SECTION B – PART 1 RESOLUTIONS Councillor Sav Dhaliwal assumed the Chair and commenced consideration of Section B – Part 1 resolutions. Councillor Dhaliwal reviewed the procedures for handling Section B resolutions. A motion, duly moved and seconded, that all Section B resolutions be admitted for debate was endorsed. A motion, duly moved and seconded, that resolution B51 be removed from the Section B – Part 1 block for individual consideration, was not endorsed. A motion, duly moved and seconded, that resolution B42 be removed from the Section B – Part 1 block for individual consideration, was not endorsed. A motion, duly moved and seconded, that resolution B15 be removed from the Section B – Part 1 block for individual consideration, was not endorsed. A motion, duly moved and seconded, that the recommendations of the Resolutions Committee for Section B – Part 1 resolutions be adopted, was endorsed. The resolutions were endorsed as follows: B1 RURAL POLICING POLICIES Columbia Shuswap RD WHEREAS it is generally recognized that police work in BC is heavily urban focused; however increasing the number of general duty municipal officers should not come at the expense of a reasonable level of police service in rural communities; AND WHEREAS there has been little or no increase in the number of provincially funded general duty officers over the past several years, compromising police service levels in many rural communities throughout BC:

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THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED that the Government of BC review its rural police resourcing models to ensure that adequate resources are available to properly police rural communities.

ON MOTION, was ENDORSED B2 PROVINCIAL JUDICIAL RESOURCES Central Okanagan RD WHEREAS Section 49(10) of the Community Charter provides the authority, if there is reasonable grounds to believe that a dog is a dangerous dog, for a local government to apply to the Provincial Court for an order for that dog be destroyed; AND WHEREAS prior to 2009 the Ministry of Attorney General Crown Counsel office prosecuted bylaw matters or dangerous dog offenses under the Community Charter; AND WHEREAS since that time future prosecutions of this nature are no longer handled by Crown Counsel resulting in increased costs to the local government, delay in court trials often over a year, and therefore longer confinement of dangerous dogs at local government expense; AND WHEREAS it is believed there is a shortage of Crown Counsel and provincial court judges which contribute to this delay: THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED that the provincial government provide more resources to expedite prosecution of local government bylaws, particularly those dealing with dangerous dogs, or consider a different judicial method to prosecute such cases.

ON MOTION, with amendment as recommended, was ENDORSED B3 FRASER GRAVEL MANAGEMENT Chilliwack WHEREAS gravel and sediment removal in the Fraser River has been the subject of UBCM resolutions in 2004 (B18), 2005 (B26) and 2006 (B19) and that gravel removal has occurred under the management of the provincial government from 2005 to 2010; AND WHEREAS there was no gravel removed in 2011 and there is not expected to be any gravel removed in 2012: THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED that UBCM request that the provincial government develop a long term funding mechanism to ensure that the gravel removal program is adequately funded including the studies required to ensure the integrity of the program.

ON MOTION, was ENDORSED B4 FLOOD MITIGATION FUNDING LMLGA Executive WHEREAS recent changes to flood protection design standards have been introduced by the Ministry of Forests, Lands and Natural Resource Operation regarding sea level rise and storm surge as well as seismic stability, which significantly increase the cost of flood mitigation works; AND WHEREAS the Provincial Flood Protection Program was already insufficient to fund the necessary flood mitigation works prior to the introduction of the new standards, as proven by the fact that approximately $390 million in senior government funding assistance had been applied for by communities since 2007, compared to total available funds of $150 million for the period 2007 through2016; AND WHEREAS flood mitigation works can have benefit cost ratios of over 20:1 and are urgently needed to protect public safety and reduce potential impacts to the economy and environment; THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED that UBCM lobby the Province of BC and the Government of Canada to extend the timeline beyond 2016 and increase the amount of Flood Protection Program funds available to allow completion of necessary flood mitigation works in a timely manner;

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AND BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that UBCM lobby the Province to allow phased flood mitigation upgrades with the first priority being the accomplishment of upgrades to address hydraulic performance, followed by upgrades to achieve seismic performance.

ON MOTION, was ENDORSED B5 AMBULANCE ASSISTS & ACCIDENT CALLOUTS Lake Cowichan WHEREAS the local fire departments of smaller municipalities, that depend wholly on volunteers for providing fire protection services, are being faced with escalating demands for their involvement with onerous and difficult ambulance assists and accident callouts; AND WHEREAS this is proving not only financially burdensome to small municipalities which negatively impacts the ability of volunteer fire departments to provide efficient and good fire protection services for their residents; THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED that the Province be petitioned to mandate that BC Ambulance Service and the Insurance Corporation of British Columbia reimburse municipalities for services rendered on their behalf by volunteer or paid fire departments on the same basis as recoveries being currently made from BC Forest Services.

ON MOTION, with amendment as recommended, was ENDORSED B6 COASTAL FERRY ACT REVIEW Prince Rupert Skeena-Queen Charlotte RD WHEREAS UBCM has resolved to lobby the provincial government to:

a. recognize our coastal ferry services as essential extensions of our provincial public highway system and provide the independent BC Ferry Commission with a mandate to provide comprehensive recommendations aimed at creating equity between our terrestrial and marine highways; and

b. ensure that BC Ferry fares are reduced and current service levels are maintained at current levels until such time as the provincial government implements legislation that recognizes our coastal ferry services as essential extensions of our provincial public highway system and creates equity between BC’s terrestrial and marine highway systems;

AND WHEREAS the BC Ferry Commissioner’s 2012 report on the Coastal Ferry Act contains recommendations that are inconsistent with UBCM policy, as described above, including:

a. The Commissioner’s 11th recommendation, which calls for a price cap at the rate of inflation. As ferry fares are already well past the tipping point of affordability, if implemented, this recommendation would not create equity between our terrestrial and marine highways and would instead ensure that fares remained unaffordable in perpetuity; and

b. The Commissioner’s 9th and 16th recommendations which, if implemented, would give the Commissioner the mandate to reduce core ferry service levels:

THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED that UCBM insist that the Government of BC rejects any recommendations, and abandons any plans, to increase ferry fares and/or reduce core ferry service levels, as such actions would have irreparable negative impacts on the economic wellbeing of Coastal British Columbia; AND BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that UBCM continue to lobby the Government of BC to implement legislation that recognizes our coastal ferry services as essential extensions of our provincial public highway system and creates equity between BC’s terrestrial and marine highway systems.

ON MOTION, was ENDORSED

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B7 DELIVERY OF PROPERTY TAX NOTICES BY EMAIL Saanich Victoria WHEREAS s. 237 of the Community Charter requires municipalities to mail the annual tax notice in a hardcopy format to each property owner at the address shown on the assessment roll; AND WHEREAS it is more efficient, economical and beneficial to the environment to deliver tax notices by email rather than regular mail: THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED that the provincial government be requested to amend the Community Charter to permit tax notices to be delivered by email where so requested by the property owner.

ON MOTION, was ENDORSED B8 EXPERT PANEL REVIEW OF BUSINESS TAXATION New Westminster WHEREAS municipalities currently have the autonomy and right to set business taxes; AND WHEREAS residential home owners are being subjected to increased tax burdens: THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED that UBCM oppose any recommendations that would take away the current taxing authorities from local government.

ON MOTION, was ENDORSED B9 CAPITAL COSTS OF FIRE SUPPRESSION Sunshine Coast RD WHEREAS development can result in capital funding burdens for local governments for purposes other than sewage, water, drainage, highway facilities and parkland; AND WHEREAS a number of resolutions have been previously endorsed by UBCM members requesting that the use of development cost charges be expanded to include costs related to increased demand on protective, cultural and recreation services: THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED that the Ministry of Community, Sport and Cultural Development be urged to reconsider their position and amend section 933 of the Local Government Act to allow development cost charges to be imposed to assist local governments in funding the capital costs of fire halls and fire suppression equipment and other purposes deemed appropriate by the local government that are required as a result of increased development.

ON MOTION, was ENDORSED B10 GENERATING SUSTAINABLE FUNDING FOR RURAL FIRE Cowichan Valley RD DEPARTMENTS WHEREAS regional district fire departments provide essential lifesaving and emergency response services to communities throughout British Columbia; AND WHEREAS the funding of essential capital infrastructure and equipment such as fire halls and emergency vehicles is very challenging for small fire departments and communities: THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED that the Province of British Columbia work with UBCM to identify mechanisms and strategies to assist in generating sustainable funding for rural fire departments.

ON MOTION, was ENDORSED B11 LOCAL GOVERNMENT GRANTS Merritt WHEREAS the Local Government Grants Act deals with matters including unconditional grants to local governments and defines how the Minister may in accordance with the act and the regulations make unconditional grants to local governments and related organizations;

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AND WHEREAS many communities do not have access to adequate funding for operations or to cope with infrastructure deficits, or the ability to compete successfully for many grants that come with conditions and Local Government Grant Regulations identify formulas for conditional and unconditional grants including Small Community Protection Grants; AND WHEREAS the Regulations identify a small portion of provincial revenues that are available to be distributed unconditionally but do not result in providing timely assurance annually to communities that rely on these grants: THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED that UBCM encourage the provincial government to review the Local Government Grants Act and the Local Government Grant Regulations with a view to establish a process to recognize new revenues including but not limited to a 1% point of the HST or PST whichever exists at the time, to be dedicated to be distributed to local governments on a per-capita basis and result in a more steady and predictable revenue stream for communities that need to budget and provide long-term solutions for their communities; AND BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that a process be adopted to simplify the procedure as is done in other provinces to reduce the excessive time lines for processing conditional and unconditional grant applications on behalf of local governments.


B12 SUPPORT FOR PROVINCIAL COMMUNITY RECREATION North Okanagan RD INFRASTRUCTURE FUNDING PROGRAMS WHEREAS the provincial government launched the Towns for Tomorrow funding program in December 2006 as part of the Province’s effort to address the unique challenges faced by smaller communities in BC, particularly with respect to sustainability and meeting infrastructure needs; AND WHEREAS the provincial government launched the Community Recreation Program in September 2011 to address the unique challenges faced by communities in the province with respect to meeting their recreational infrastructure needs; AND WHEREAS both the Towns for Tomorrow Program and the Community Recreation Program invest in local government capital projects that contribute to the overall health, sustainability and liveability of communities; AND WHEREAS both the Towns for Tomorrow Program and the Community Recreation Program give funding priority to smaller communities: THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED that support be expressed to the provincial government for the reactivation of the Towns for Tomorrow funding program and the Community Recreation Program.

ON MOTION, with amendment as recommended, was ENDORSED B13 INFRASTRUCTURE FUNDING CRITERIA Prince Rupert Williams Lake WHEREAS Canada and British Columbia have reduced the number of infrastructure funding programs available to local governments and those that are available are limited to specific types of infrastructure or specific government objectives; AND WHEREAS small rural and urban local governments are struggling to deal with huge infrastructure deficits, while revenues from business, the resource sector, industry and other avenues continue to decline; AND WHEREAS yearly property tax increases to cover operational costs are not sustainable, and hurt the ability of those local governments to attract and retain business and industry investment to their communities;

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AND WHEREAS small rural and urban local governments do not have the necessary funds to acquire federal/provincial grants which require them to produce matching funds, and are therefore unable to take advantage of these infrastructure grants: THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED that UBCM petition the provincial and federal governments to revise their grant formula so that they do not require matching funding, or come up with a new system that allows cash strapped local governments to address their critical infrastructure needs without having to borrow money to do so.

ON MOTION, was ENDORSED B14 FLOOD PROTECTION INFRASTRUCTURE Squamish WHEREAS the Province has transferred construction and maintenance of flood protection infrastructure to local governments; AND WHEREAS under the terms of the Local Government Act, local governments are not authorized to charge development costs for flood protection infrastructure: THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED that UBCM lobby the provincial government to amend the Local Government Act, Section 935 to include flood protection as a Development Cost Charge.

ON MOTION, was ENDORSED B15 COMMERCIAL VEHICLE LICENSING – HEAVY INDUSTRIAL Port Alberni TRAFFIC WHEREAS the Commercial Vehicle Licensing Program was established by provincial statute to provide a source of revenue to participating municipalities to offset expenses related to the use of local government roads and highways as a result of commercial vehicle traffic; AND WHEREAS the license fees established by Regulation 405/93 under the Local Government Act have not been increased since 1994 and do not address the impact of heavy industrial traffic use of local government roads and highways: THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED that the provincial government be requested to provide compensation to local governments to assist with the burden of infrastructure maintenance costs associated with ongoing use of local government roads and highways by heavy industrial vehicles.

ON MOTION, with amendment as recommended, was ENDORSED B16 FUNDING FOR WATER INFRASTRUCTURE PROJECTS Houston WHEREAS small communities struggle with funding costly water infrastructure projects such as, but not limited to, the development and construction of a water treatment plant to address complaints of dirty and unsafe drinking water; AND WHEREAS turbidity is not so much a health concern as an indicator of health risk particularly for at-risk populations such as newborns, the elderly, and people with compromised immune systems (e.g. those with HIV/Aids, undergoing chemotherapy, or taking anti-rejection drugs) and can interfere with chlorination: THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED that UBCM lobby the federal and provincial governments to enhance funding programs to assist local governments to address issues of providing clean and safe drinking water to their communities.


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B17 USE OF RESERVE FUNDS FOR PARK DEVELOPMENT Barriere WHEREAS proceeds from the disposition of park and that becomes vested in the municipality as a result of subdivision, and was disposed of by bylaw with the approval of the electors, are to be placed to the credit of a park land acquisition reserve fund; AND WHEREAS the municipality may have a surplus of lands designated as park land over time that it cannot afford to develop in the foreseeable future; AND WHEREAS it would be extremely helpful, particularly to municipalities with limited finances, if the use of these reserve funds were expanded to allow funds to be expended on the development of existing municipal park land: THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED that UBCM lobby the provincial government to amend the Community Charter and Local Government Act to enable local governments to expend park land acquisition funds to develop existing park land within their communities.

ON MOTION, was ENDORSED B18 PROPERTY TRANSFER TAX North Cowichan WHEREAS federal and provincial governments benefit from 92% of all tax revenue in Canada while increasingly relying on local government to deliver the vast majority of community-based services with only 8% of available tax revenue; AND WHEREAS the provincial government has commissioned an Expert Panel on Business Taxation to review tax policies in British Columbia, and among its many tax options the provincial government charges Property Transfer Tax on all transfers, including those made by local government agencies: THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED that UBCM petition the provincial government to grant an equitable share of BC Property Transfer Tax revenues to local governments, both to diversify their revenue sources and support the increasing levels of community-based services, aging infrastructure maintenance and replacement they are required to provide.

ON MOTION, was ENDORSED B19 ROAD REHABILITATION & ASSOCIATED FUNDING OPTIONS Prince George WHEREAS municipal roads are a key part of the provincial transportation infrastructure delivering goods and services that benefit the provincial economy, and local governments are limited in their ability to generate revenues to offset the increased costs of road rehabilitation, and the federal government has recognized the importance of sharing the federal gas tax with local governments; AND WHEREAS the purchasers of gasoline outside the South Coast British Columbia transportation service region must pay to the provincial government, at the time of purchase, tax on the gasoline at the rate of 7.75¢ per litre, in accordance with the provisions of the Motor Fuel Tax Act: THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED that UBCM lobby the Government of British Columbia to provide a portion of the provincial gas tax to local governments on the same basis as the federal gas tax, to fund road rehabilitation.

ON MOTION, was ENDORSED B20 REVENUE SHARING Terrace WHEREAS municipalities are the service centres for industries and their suppliers as well as their workers and families and municipalities in northwest British Columbia have entered into a welcome period of economic growth with an estimated $30 billion worth of investment in mining, natural gas pipelines, bio-energy, power production, modernized manufacturing facilities and ports either underway or on the horizon;

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AND WHEREAS with economic expansion local governments in northwest BC will not be able to adequately provide infrastructure and services to support those activities without a fair share of revenue derived from incremental taxes paid to the Province to support the impacts those industries have on local infrastructure and support services; AND WHEREAS the provincial government has, since 1998, recognized this principle in northeast BC where incremental sources of revenue derived from the oil and gas businesses are shared with local municipalities through the Memorandum of Understanding (the Fair Share Agreement) between British Columbia and the Peace River Regional District: THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED that UBCM continue to advocate for a share of resource revenues being returned to communities in recognition of the services and infrastructure that local governments provide to support economic development in their region.

ON MOTION, with amendment as recommended, was ENDORSED B21 BC CONSERVATION SERVICE CAPACITY New Denver WHEREAS the provincial government is responsible for managing bears through its Conservation Service, and the BC Conservation Service has not been able to adequately address bear-human conflict in municipalities due to lack of capacity; AND WHEREAS municipalities are unable to appropriately respond to bear-human conflict, as their role is to enact policies that deter wildlife and limit wildlife attractants: THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED that the provincial government be requested to provide adequate funding and staffing in order for the BC Conservation Service to be more active and proactive ineffectively managing bear-human conflict in communities across BC.

ON MOTION, was ENDORSED B22 FUNDING FOR BC CONSERVATION SERVICE Sunshine Coast RD WHEREAS underfunding is having a negative impact on the ability of the BC Conservation Officer Service to meet the needs of the communities served; AND WHEREAS the ability to respond to environmental concerns is hampered by the lack of human and financial resources: THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED that the Ministry of Environment be urged to provide appropriate budgets and staffing to fully support the continued and sustained operation of the conservation service.

ON MOTION, was ENDORSED B23 REMOVAL OF DERELICT & ABANDONED VESSELS FROM COASTAL Ladysmith WATERS WHEREAS derelict and abandoned vessels in the waters of coastal British Columbia can pose a threat to the aesthetics, environment, health and safety of coastal communities; AND WHEREAS the current regulatory regime for the removal of derelict and abandoned vessels from the waters of coastal British Columbia is not serving our communities with effective and timely removal of such vessels: THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED that UBCM call upon the federal and provincial governments to implement a Derelict Vessel Removal Program modelled after the Washington State program, and to designate the Canadian Coast Guard as the receiver of wreck in the case of every abandoned or derelict vessel in the waters of coastal British Columbia.


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B24 INCREASED FUNDING & RESOURCES FOR STREAM PROTECTION Kelowna WHEREAS the protection and restoration of watercourses are of benefit to local governments and the general public insofar as healthy watercourses and supporting ecosystems provide valuable ecosystem services, such as filtration, purification and delivery of water; mitigation of floods; renewal of soil and soil fertility; maintenance of biodiversity; and cultural and spiritual value; AND WHEREAS the protection of water resources is principally a responsibility of the Province under the Water Act and the Fish Protection Act; AND WHEREAS reduced provincial funding for critical water resource regulatory and enforcement services is placing increased pressure on local governments to take on additional responsibility for the regulation of development in and about watercourses: THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED that the Province provide increased human resources to the Ministry of Forests, Lands and Natural Resource Operations (MFLNRO) in order to uphold its mandate, and additional resources to support local government efforts in protecting and restoring watercourses.

ON MOTION, was ENDORSED B25 ENERGY EFFICIENCY IMPROVEMENTS FOR HOMEOWNERS Terrace WHEREAS the Province of British Columbia has provided funding and programs to homeowners for energy efficiency improvements; AND WHEREAS the Province of British Columbia has committed to reducing greenhouse gas emissions through the Climate Action Charter: THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED that UBCM request the Province of British Columbia to continue and to expand programs that will encourage the retrofitting of existing housing stock to improve energy efficiency.

ON MOTION, was ENDORSED B26 BROWNFIELDS Vanderhoof Mackenzie Burns Lake WHEREAS vacant sites or orphan properties known as “brownfields” are often on properties located along transportation corridors and in downtown core areas, are eyesores to the community and have caused real or suspected environmental contamination and negatively impact economic development of that specific site and in the general area of that specific site; AND WHEREAS the owners of these “brownfield” sites have already reaped the benefits and should have an obligation to clean-up their own mess; AND WHEREAS the UBCM membership endorsed resolution 2008-B33, which strongly urged the provincial government to take immediate steps to implement the previously adopted resolutions 2007-B29 and 2007-B70 that were passed at the 2007 Convention and no concrete action has taken place; AND WHEREAS there has been no real progress to support rural communities continuing to face the challenge of economic loss and unsightly premises in their downtown core due to real or suspected environmental contamination on vacant lots; AND WHEREAS provincial policies and regulations for remediation of brownfield sites are vague and not strictly enforced: THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED that UBCM request that the Ministry of Environment be authorized to legislate that owners of all contaminated brownfield sites, regardless of their hazard rating, be remediated upon request from the local government and provide timely communication with the local government regarding remediation progress.


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B27 MILK CONTAINERS Delta WHEREAS beverage containers for milk, milk substitutes, rice milk, soya milk, flavoured milk, infant formulas, meal replacements or dietary supplements are not included in the deposit-refund beverage container stewardship program, require extensive space in municipal blue boxes and collection vehicles, and contribute to garbage and litter throughout the province; AND WHEREAS the deposit-refund beverage container stewardship program is the most effective and environmentally responsible way to divert these containers from disposal: THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED that the provincial government remove the exemption for milk, milk substitutes, rice milk, soya milk, flavoured milk, infant formulas, meal replacements or dietary supplements beverage containers in the beverage container product category of the Recycling Regulation.

ON MOTION, was ENDORSED B28 EXTENDED PRODUCER RESPONSIBILITY Central Kootenay RD WHEREAS the Regional District of Central Kootenay adopted an interest statement on Extended Producer Responsibility Programs in November 2011, which stated in part that:

• All actors in the product stewardship system, including local governments, must be adequately compensated for their role;

• All stakeholders, including local governments, must have a genuine say in how product stewardship programs are planned and managed;

And further:

• The current owners of this infrastructure must be adequately compensated for historic investments;

AND WHEREAS remote and rural private sector depots are withdrawing from product stewardship programs due to their overly onerous rules and inadequate financial compensation: THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED that the provincial government review the EPR program performance data it has collected, and based on program performance issues indicated by the data, revamp the Extended Producer Responsibility Program before it collapses in remote and rural BC.

ON MOTION, with amendment as recommended, was ENDORSED B29 ILLEGAL DUMPING ENFORCEMENT Sunshine Coast RD WHEREAS illegal dumping is a growing problem for local governments and the environment; AND WHEREAS enforcement action for illegal waste disposal on Crown land is unsatisfactory: THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED that the Ministry of Environment be urged to invest more resources in prosecuting offenders who unlawfully deposit waste material on Crown land.

ON MOTION, was ENDORSED B30 AGRICULTURAL PLASTICS RECYCLING Thompson-Nicola RD WHEREAS agricultural plastics and twine are recyclable materials generated by the agriculture industry and often sent to municipal solid waste landfills for disposal; AND WHEREAS diverting agricultural plastics and twine to recycling facilities will reduce the volume of non-biodegradable materials at the landfill;

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AND WHEREAS the BC Agricultural Council has recently funded a research project to investigate environmentally sound and sustainable options for managing and recycling twine and agricultural plastic; AND WHEREAS the Ministry of Environment has added Schedule 5 – Packaging and Printed Paper to the Recycling Regulation; AND WHEREAS the Ministry of Environment has a mandate to add two new product categories to the Recycling Regulation every three years: THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED that UBCM request the Ministry of Environment work in conjunction with the agricultural industry to expedite the inclusion of agricultural plastics and twine to the Packaging and Printed Paper stewardship program or adding agricultural plastics and twine as a new product category under the Recycling Regulation.

ON MOTION, was ENDORSED B31 USE OF RECLAIMED WATER Vernon WHEREAS it is deemed in the public interest to provide effective regulations for the use of reclaimed or non-potable water: THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED that the provincial ministries and federal departments resolve inter-departmental and inter-agency conflicts and contradictions in the regulatory approach towards reclaimed local government water use through stakeholder meetings and if necessary a task force or committee be created or have this mandate included in their terms of reference to work with local governments to reach these goals; AND BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the provincial ministries and federal departments promote the use of reclaimed and non-potable water through the recommendations above and an effective program for the education of the public and stakeholders; AND BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the spill reporting requirements of treated effluent as a hazardous material be revised and made practical and manageable through the operational certificate which determines treatment level.

ON MOTION, was ENDORSED B32 STRATEGIC ENGAGEMENT AGREEMENTS Cariboo RD WHEREAS local governments are encouraged to consult with First Nations on land use decisions; AND WHEREAS the Province has initiated Strategic Engagement Agreements with First Nations groups regarding resource support for undertaking consultations between provincial ministries and First Nations: THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED that the provincial government be lobbied to include local government within the Strategic Engagement Agreements with First Nations groups and that capacity funding under the agreements include referrals from local governments.

ON MOTION, was ENDORSED B33 RAW LOG EXPORTS Creston WHEREAS the Province of British Columbia has allowed a sharp and sustained rise in the volume of exported timber, which has distorted the domestic price structure for logs, eliminated British Columbia manufacturing jobs, undermined the structural integrity of the forest industry and severely hampered the creation of jobs and economic opportunities in the province; AND WHEREAS these policies have had a devastating impact on many local communities across the province that rely on the forest industry:

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THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED that UBCM forward this resolution to the Province of British Columbia, indicating its objection to any measures that would increase the export of raw logs from British Columbia.

ON MOTION, was ENDORSED B34 FARM MENTORSHIP PROGRAMS AVICC Executive WHEREAS it is important to ensure that information about local farming practices is shared in the farming community; AND WHEREAS local expertise on soils, crops and land improvements is being lost as farmers and provincial government staff retire: THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED that UBCM request that the Ministry of Agriculture develop agricultural advisory services to promote mentorship programs and peer to peer networking programs that will encourage local farmers to share their expertise with new farmers coming into the industry.

ON MOTION, was ENDORSED B35 BUY BC Coldstream WHEREAS the former BUY BC program has been the most successful food and beverage advertising program every jointly undertaken by the provincial government and private industry; AND WHEREAS the current economic climate has created challenges for our agricultural sector: THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED that the provincial government of BC reinstate and fund the BUY BC program for agricultural products.

ON MOTION, was ENDORSED B36 POWERLINE IMPROVEMENTS NCLGA Executive WHEREAS many regions of British Columbia are in need of power line improvements, substation upgrades and distribution system expansions/enhancements that will provide adequate, stable, reliable power; AND WHEREAS all regions of BC are reliant on the power and distribution system for community stability, jobs and economic growth: THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED that UBCM lobby the provincial government and BC Hydro to make the power line and distribution system improvements a high priority for all regions of British Columbia.

ON MOTION, was ENDORSED B37 SCHOOL BASED YOUTH MENTAL HEALTH SERVICES Colwood WHEREAS youth mental health services need to be conveniently located for vulnerable youth and their families; AND WHEREAS the number of youth who are supported by youth agreements increased by more than152% between 2007 and 2010, demonstrating the increasing numbers of youth for whom school may be the most consistent point of accessible community contact: THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED that the Province support integrated services and work with school districts and local governments to provide and evaluate youth mental health services in a school setting.


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B38 MEDICAL TRANSPORTATION IN RURAL BC Stewart WHEREAS there is a current lack of adequate medical transportation for people who need access to regular specialized medical services located in hub communities throughout the NCLGA Region; AND WHEREAS accessible transportation is key to the effective treatment and recovery of British Columbians in small rural and remote communities: THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED that UBCM lobby the provincial government to provide additional medical transportation services that meet the needs of all rural British Columbians.

ON MOTION, with amendment as recommended, was ENDORSED B39 PALLIATIVE CARE IN BC Stewart WHEREAS the current model of palliative care services does not address the critical needs of small rural and remote communities in British Columbia; AND WHEREAS lack of palliative care does not allow for residents to end their life with dignity in their home community near family and friends: THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED that UBCM request that the provincial government provide additional palliative care services throughout British Columbia.

ON MOTION, with amendment as recommended, was ENDORSED B40 COMMUNITY-BASED CARE FOR SENIORS Vancouver WHEREAS access to community-based care for BC’s growing seniors’ population is vital to keeping seniors healthy in their own homes and communities, and controlling cost pressures in the broader health care system; AND WHEREAS BC’s Ombudsperson is nearing completion of an investigation into systematic issues in seniors’ care and a number of independent reports and studies (including from the BC Medical Association and the UBC Centre for Health Services and Policy Research) document problems in timely access to appropriate care, inadequate care and inadequate coordination of services: THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED that UBCM urge the provincial government to significantly enhance BC’s system of community-based seniors’ care, in order to ensure timely access to the full range of public services that support seniors to age and die with dignity.

ON MOTION, was ENDORSED B41 FUNDING FOR ENHANCED SENIORS’ OUTREACH & New Westminster PREVENTATIVE HEALTH PROGRAMS WHEREAS a significant capacity for maintaining the health and wellbeing of seniors exists at the municipal level through neighbourhood houses, seniors’ centres and community centres; AND WHEREAS limited funding for these services means they cannot meet the need for outreach programming to isolated seniors, information services on locally available social and health programs for seniors, social programming to keep seniors active and connected: THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED that the provincial government provide funding for enhanced seniors’ outreach and health prevention programs (including information services, social networking, and age-appropriate exercise programs) and to support better coordination among existing services.


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B42 MSP PREMIUMS FOR SENIORS Nanaimo City WHEREAS Medical Services Plan (MSP) premiums can be a hardship for seniors on a fixed income; AND WHEREAS raising health care monies through the provincial income tax system is a fairer process: THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED that UBCM urge the provincial government to end MSP premiums for seniors and to bear any associated costs.

ON MOTION, with amendment as recommended, was ENDORSED B43 HOUSING FOR ADULTS WITH DEVELOPMENTAL DISABILITIES Duncan Nanaimo City Gold River WHEREAS:

• the provincial government is cutting funding and supports for adults with developmental disabilities, resulting in the closure of group homes and mounting waiting lists for services;

• these group homes form a vital and necessary part of the housing continuum that has won broad support from members of the public at large, families of adults with developmental disabilities and the communities in which they are located;

• we support the creation of new supportive housing options to provide appropriate options for parents and their adult children with developmental disabilities; and

• the BC Community Living Action Group, which represents more than 65 affected agencies and organizations, thousands of families, and adults with developmental disabilities, has called for an end to service cuts and closure of group homes:

THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED that UBCM urge the provincial government to end funding cuts, implement a moratorium on the closure of group homes and provide sufficient financial resources both to maintain this vital housing resource and address growing waiting lists.

ON MOTION, was ENDORSED B44 TRANSITIONAL HOUSING IN RURAL & REMOTE COMMUNITIES Terrace WHEREAS ample and varied housing stock is an essential part of a healthy and prosperous community; AND WHEREAS housing for the hard-to-house and transitional housing is scarce in many rural and remote communities in British Columbia: THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED that UBCM urge the provincial government to provide ongoing operational funding for support services for the hard-to-house and transitional housing in British Columbia.

ON MOTION, was ENDORSED B45 CELLULAR SERVICE Stewart WHEREAS Highway 37 and 37A is the major corridor in Northwest British Columbia, and sees large volumes of commercial, general and tourist traffic travelling through remote areas that are without cellular coverage; AND WHEREAS many small rural and remote communities in British Columbia are still without cellular coverage, and the absence of these services poses a hazard to all who travel through remote areas and affects the economic development of such regions:

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THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED that UBCM lobby the provincial government to continue with its commitment and ensure that cell phone coverage is available to the travelling public and industrial traffic throughout the province by the end of 2012.

ON MOTION, with amendment as recommended, was ENDORSED B46 MECHANICAL INSULATION New Westminster WHEREAS the proper application of mechanical insulation including the material used, thickness, and installation techniques, has been shown to improve the energy efficiency, reduce the greenhouse gas emissions, and provide other benefits for both new and retrofitted building; AND WHEREAS given possible code changes in the near future, it is a timely opportunity to advocate to the provincial government to consider including additional information and requirements regarding mechanical insulation in any code updates: THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED that UBCM request that any future updates or amendments to the BC Building Code include specific, up-to-date requirements on mechanical insulation, including the reproduction of any specifications, such as thickness tables, that may be referenced from other sources, and also include reference to mechanical insulation best practice standards.

ON MOTION, was ENDORSED B47 RENEWAL OF PROVINCIAL HERITAGE PROGRAMS New Westminster WHEREAS all local governments in British Columbia benefit from the funding and expertise of Heritage BC, and other heritage focused organizations and initiatives, to protect unique heritage resources and support community projects; AND WHEREAS heritage conservation is vital to maintain a sense of place distinctive to each community that is a positive investment in the local economy and a stimulus to tourism: THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED that UBCM call on the provincial government to restore the Heritage Branch budget, and to implement Heritage BC’s call for renewal of provincial heritage programs.

ON MOTION, was ENDORSED B48 REGULATION OF PUBLIC WATER SERVICES Burnaby WHEREAS the successful delivery of a Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement (CETA) between Canada and the European Union (EU) requires the federal government to negotiate full access to procurement to sub-national governments including local governments, social boards, and other provincial agencies; AND WHEREAS the Government of Canada is fully committed to preserve the right of all Canadians to safe water services and believes that water in its natural state is not considered a good pr product and, therefore, remains outside the scope of Canada’s trade agreements: THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED that UBCM call upon the federal government, through the provincial government and the Federation of Canadian Municipalities, to enact strong domestic policy to preserve the right of provinces, territories and local governments to provide safe water services for the collection, purification and distribution of water, including the provision of drinking water, water management, and waste water management for Canadians as a public service; AND BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the federal government identify and invest needed funding to support sub-national governments in carrying out this mandate.


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B49 COMMUNITY ACCESS PROGRAM FUNDING Cariboo RD WHEREAS since 1995, the federal Community Access Program has brought computer and internet technologies to Canadians across the country, providing rural residents with much needed opportunities to access government online services and other programs available through the use of the internet; AND WHEREAS federal funding for the Community Access Program ended on March 31, 2012; THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED that the UBCM and FCM lobby the Government of Canada to reinstate funding for the Community Access Program to provide rural residents access to the internet.

ON MOTION, was ENDORSED B50 BC CHILDCARE PLAN North Cowichan WHEREAS the UBCM has consistently endorsed resolutions prioritizing affordable, accessible early learning and childcare; AND WHEREAS with only enough spaces for 20% of BC children and fees as high as $1,915 per month, access to high quality, affordable early childcare and learning is a crisis for many working families and a concern that thousands of British Columbians have expressed: THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED that UBCM request that the provincial government work to improve access to high quality, affordable early child care and learning and list it among their top priorities.

ON MOTION, was ENDORSED B51 PRIVATIZATION OF WATER SYSTEMS Sunshine Coast RD WHEREAS decisions on whether to privatize Canada’s public water systems are guided by federal policy directions; AND WHEREAS the government of Canada is currently negotiating the Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement (CETA) with the European Union: THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED that the Union of BC Municipalities re-affirm opposition to the privatization of water systems.

ON MOTION, was ENDORSED B52 BC BUILDING CODE Victoria WHEREAS entrances to common areas (hallways, common rooms, lobbies, etc.) of multi-unit residential buildings not equipped with automatic door openers present a barrier to access by residents with mobility issues; AND WHEREAS under the current BC Building Code, access to the main entrance and parking areas is currently considered for those using a wheelchair, but does not require electric door openers that are crucial to people using walkers, scooters, or with other health concerns that restrict accessibility: THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED that Division B-Part 3 of the BC Building Code be amended to include a minimum standard of accessibility in all entranceways and shared spaces for all new multi-unit development which includes electronic door openers that allow elevator access to all building levels, including parking areas.

ON MOTION, was ENDORSED Councillor Dhaliwal then announced the Gold Star and Honourable Mention resolutions, recognized for quality drafting.

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Gold Star Resolutions B61 Streamflow Data from Independent Power Projects Squamish-Lillooet RD B73 Qualified Environmental Professionals Cowichan Valley RD B97 Transient Worker Data Collection Tumbler Ridge B113 Full Funding for Fuel Abatement Central Kootenay RD Honourable Mention Resolutions B76 Blue Carbon Credits Comox Valley RD B82 Agricultural Land Commission Fill Application Maple Ridge B102 Community Water Servicing Spallumcheen B149 Wireless High Speed Internet Hudson's Hope SECTION B – PART 2-a RESOLUTIONS Chair Joe Stanhope assumed the Chair and commenced consideration of Section B – Part 2-a resolutions. A motion, duly moved and seconded, that resolution B93 be removed from the Section B – Part 2-a block for individual consideration, was endorsed. A motion, duly moved and seconded, that resolution B58 be removed from the Section B – Part 2-a block for individual consideration, was not endorsed. A motion, duly moved and seconded, that resolution B55 be removed from the Section B – Part 2-a block for individual consideration, was endorsed. A motion, duly moved and seconded, that resolution B53 be removed from the Section B – Part 2-a block for individual consideration, was not endorsed. A motion, duly moved and seconded, that the recommendations of the Resolutions Committee for Section B – Part 2-a resolutions be adopted, was endorsed as amended. The resolutions were endorsed as follows: B53 REQUIREMENTS TO EXEMPT NECESSARY WATER WORKS North Okanagan RD PROJECTS FROM ELECTOR APPROVAL Central Okanagan RD WHEREAS local government is mandated to provide safe, clean, reliable drinking water as an essential component of a healthy community; AND WHEREAS the financing of most major water works projects will realistically require borrowing liabilities of over five years; AND WHEREAS the Community Charter requires elector approval of any liability over five years in duration, thereby requiring a process of acquiring elector approval and creating unnecessary delays inessential projects, exposing the public to ongoing risk and cost without commensurate public benefit: THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED that UBCM lobby the Ministry of Community, Sport and Cultural Development to adopt legislation to amend the Community Charter to provide for the exemption of obtaining elector approval for necessary water works projects if the projects have been previously approved by the Inspector of Municipalities through a Master Water Management Plan.

ON MOTION, was ENDORSED B54 SERVICES OUTSIDE MUNICIPALITY Enderby WHEREAS Section 13(3) of the Community Charter provides that the municipal powers, duties and functions provided under this or any other Act in relation to the service may be exercised in an area outside the municipality when a municipality provides service to that area;

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AND WHEREAS the Community Charter and the Local Government Act do not provide clarity and expressly stated authority to levy taxes, impose Development Cost Charges or to control crown land parks dedicated by subdivision within the service area: THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED that UBCM request the provincial government to make the necessary legislative changes to provide certainty and expressly stated authority to levy taxes, impose Development Cost Charges and to control park land dedicated by subdivision in the service area when service is provided outside the municipality under Section 13 of the Community Charter.

ON MOTION, was ENDORSED B56 EQUITY IN FUNDING FOR MUNICIPAL POLICE SERVICES Victoria WHEREAS municipalities in British Columbia who choose to establish their own municipal forces pay 100% of the costs of policing; AND WHEREAS municipalities in British Columbia who obtain policing services from the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) through agreements between the federal and provincial governments pay either 70% (for municipalities with a population of between 5,000 and 15,000) or 90% (for municipalities with a population in excess of 15,000) of the total expenditures for policing, excluding overtime: THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED that UBCM work with the Province of British Columbia to change the process for funding municipal police services to increase provincial funding for municipal police services so that municipalities with their own police forces receive the same subsidies as those who contract with the RCMP.

ON MOTION, was ENDORSED B57 RESPONDING SAFELY TO HOARDING Ashcroft WHEREAS the condition commonly known as hoarding is becoming more prevalent within communities; AND WHEREAS first responders and other visitors to the residence of a hoarder are placed at risk due to the condition of the premises; AND WHEREAS local governments have little or no authority to enforce compliance with health and safety standards when a building is owner occupied: THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED that UBCM encourage the provincial government to establish legislation that will enable local governments to address safety concerns in situations where hoarding has created hazards for the residents, first responders and the neighbourhood.

ON MOTION, was ENDORSED B58 NATIONAL SEX OFFENDERS REGISTRY Port Edward WHEREAS in the wake of the disappearance of three-year-old Kienan Hebert, of Sparwood, BC and the horrific stories we read about of children nationwide who vanish, are sexually assaulted and murdered, Port Edward Council strongly supports the City of Greenwood, in the protection of innocent children; AND WHEREAS offenders have rights too, but once they repeat their offences, they should forfeit their right and their name be displayed in a public registry: THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED that UBCM lobby the federal government to make the necessary changes to the Criminal Code of Canada in order that the repeat sexual offenders’ registry be made public.


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B59 AUTHORITY TO REMOVE GANG MEMBERS FROM LICENSED Pitt Meadows ESTABLISHMENTS WHEREAS the Lower Mainland of British Columbia has witnessed unprecedented gang violence over the last several years, often taking place at licensed establishments which are plagued by problems related to the presence of patrons who are gang members; AND WHEREAS the Province of Alberta has successfully amended their Gaming and Liquor Act to include a definition of a person involved in gang activity and also provides authority for police to remove an individual based on the formulation of articulable cause including operational experience and a comprehensive overview of the situational factors presented: THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED that UBCM request that the Province of British Columbia enhance the present Liquor Control and Licensing Act legislation to provide police with explicit authority to determine risk to the public from known gang members based on operational experience and situational factors and facilitate the removal of those individuals from licensed establishments.

ON MOTION, was ENDORSED B60 911 POCKET CALLS Maple Ridge WHEREAS the significant rise in cell phone use has resulted in a rise in the number of misdialled or accidental calls to 911; AND WHEREAS these so-called “pocket dials” are a significant drain on resources, both from a 911 call centre standpoint, and also in terms of police operational resources, to determine if the caller is in danger: THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED that:

• the federal government require that the Canadian Wireless Telecommunications Association (CWTA) who represents cellular and satellite carriers and companies that produce cellular products/services impose better safeguards against inadvertent or unintended 911 calls;

• the federal government require that Telus, Rogers, Bell and any other cellular service providers take a more active role in public education around accidental 911 calls by messaging their clients with this information and the limitations mobile devices have in terms of location information provided to 911;

• the provincial government give consideration to establishing an awareness campaign providing the public information on how to prevent accidental calls to 911 as has been done in the Province of Ontario; and

• the Federation of Canadian Municipalities be requested to also lobby for these changes.

ON MOTION, was ENDORSED B61 STREAMFLOW DATA FROM INDEPENDENT POWER Squamish-Lillooet RD PROJECTS WHEREAS established run of the river independent power projects (IPPs) in British Columbia monitor and can share real-time streamflow data with the provincial government without detriment to the proprietary interests of the IPP; AND WHEREAS real-time streamflow data is vital to local authorities engaged in flood management and other public safety operations: THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED that the British Columbia Ministry of Forests, Lands, and Natural Resource Operations shall require each IPP in British Columbia, as a condition of licensing and once operations have been established, to share real-time streamflow data with the British Columbia River Forecast Centre for the public safety benefit of local authorities in the province.


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B62 FLOOD MITIGATION APPROVAL LMLGA Executive WHEREAS most flood mitigation construction projects (e.g. dykes, bank protection, sediment management) require environmental approvals such as the BC Water Act, Federal Fisheries Act, and Canadian Environmental Assessment Act; AND WHEREAS environmental approval requirements for flood mitigations works are unclear, may change over time, and are applied inconsistently by regulatory agencies throughout the Province, resulting in project delays and additional costs to local governments: THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED that the UBCM lobby the Province to coordinate a Joint Technical Working Group with representatives from senior governments, local government and First Nations to develop clear and consistent policies for the implementation of environmental legislation and associated approvals.

ON MOTION, was ENDORSED B63 PROVINCIAL FUNDING FOR CYCLING INFRASTRUCTURE North Okanagan RD WHEREAS the Union of BC Municipalities has consistently endorsed resolutions calling for development, improvement and augmentation of cycling infrastructure, including by not limited to:

• frequent sweeping of bike lanes (2011-B19); • increased width and refurbished road shoulder to accommodate cycling (2010-B16, 2007-B14,

2007-B99); • a BC Cycling Development Program (2010-B17); • revenue sharing for cycling infrastructure intersecting provincial highways (2009-B83); • bicycle lane funding (2007-B100, 2006-B140); and • infrastructure for non-greenhouse gas emitting transportation (2006-B110);

AND WHEREAS rural cycling infrastructure strengthens communities by:

• increasing the safety of cycling on rural roads; • supporting the growth of cycle tourism; • addressing local climate change challenges; • providing transportation and recreation alternatives; and • establishing links with existing urban and regional cycling networks:

THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED that the Province of BC invest in cycling infrastructure in order to accelerate the availability and broaden the range of cycling opportunities for commuter, recreational, and competitive cyclists living in and visiting rural and urban areas.

ON MOTION, with amendment as recommended, was ENDORSED B64 UPGRADES TO COMMUNITY AIRSTRIPS Alert Bay WHEREAS small communities with airstrips that are necessary for the use of private, emergency and small unscheduled commercial traffic have no means to access funding through the Air Transportation Assistance Program without being recognized as a commercial airport; AND WHEREAS it is necessary for those airports to be maintained and upgraded in order to keep their listing with Transport Canada and to attract commercial users: THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED that the provincial and federal governments provide funding sources to assist small communities in upgrades that will ensure long term emergency access and increased economic activity at isolated community airstrips in BC.


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B65 LONG TERM TRANSLINK FUNDING MODEL Maple Ridge WHEREAS TransLink is responsible for regional transit, cycling and commuting options, and the major road network for the Metro Vancouver area which is home to approximately 50% of British Columbia’s population; AND WHEREAS TransLink is unable to generate sufficient funding to meet the needs of this growing area through its current funding model: THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED that UBCM urge the provincial government to provide a permanent and appropriate long term funding model for TransLink.

ON MOTION, was ENDORSED B66 TAXABLE OCCUPIERS OF HOSPITALS View Royal WHEREAS for profit businesses located within hospital premises who enjoyed benefit from the hospital exempt status in 2010 continue to do so until 2015 as established by the transition provisions described in the Budget Measures Implementation Act, 2011; AND WHEREAS the for profit businesses at these locations consume the services provided by host municipalities without making a contribution to local government: THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED that the provincial government amend the transition provisions from the Budget Measures Implementation Act, 2011, to render taxable any for-profit business located on land or within properties held by a health authority, effective as of 2012.

ON MOTION, was ENDORSED B67 CELL SERVICE PAYMENT IN LIEU OF TAXES Clinton WHEREAS cell phone service providers do not pay a one percent payment in lieu of taxes to municipalities in accordance with section 353 of the Local Government Act; AND WHEREAS all companies that provide a service within local governments should be treated equally and requisitioned for payment in lieu of taxes: THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED that UBCM lobby the provincial government to implement a funding formula for cell phone providers to pay to local governments in lieu of taxes.

ON MOTION, was ENDORSED B68 BC HYDRO GRANT IN LIEU OF TAXES Hudson’s Hope WHEREAS BC Hydro pays a Grant in Lieu of property taxes; AND WHEREAS the Grant in Lieu of property taxes does not compensate municipalities fairly for BC Hydro facilities within their communities; AND WHEREAS the Supreme Court of Canada unanimous ruling on the Payment in Lieu of Taxes Act (15/06/2012) signals that the Government of Canada cannot arbitrarily set a value on its properties and must pay their taxes like any property owner: THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED that the Minister of Finance undertake a detailed review of the Supreme Court decision with a view towards its applicability with respect to the current BC Hydro Grant in Lieu policy.


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B69 LOCAL GOVERNMENT FUNDING Prince Rupert WHEREAS small rural and urban local governments are struggling to maintain basic operational services of water, sewer, and roads, while trying to deal with hundreds of millions of dollars in infrastructure deficit, as well as the various other services they provide; AND WHEREAS local governments are unable to fund operations, in any way other than yearly property tax increases, which is not sustainable, and hurts the ability of those local governments to attract and retain business and industry investment to their communities: THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED that UBCM and FCM petition the provincial and federal governments to establish a committee to discuss, establish, and implement a funding formula that ensures a percentage of taxes already collected from citizens, business and industry, at the provincial and federal level be given back to local governments to deal with the infrastructure deficit in their communities.

ON MOTION, was ENDORSED B70 FEDERAL INFRASTRUCTURE FUNDING Burnaby WHEREAS the Government of Canada has taken a leadership role in supporting Canadian local governments in the building of infrastructure projects in their communities through the provision of various infrastructure funding programs which are by necessity limited to available funds; AND WHEREAS local governments are an order of government with the responsibility and authority to manage and deliver effective and efficient infrastructure programs to their communities: THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED that the UBCM call upon the Government of Canada, through the Federation of Canadian Municipalities, to replace restrictive funding initiatives such as the Public-Private Partnership Funds with funding criteria that supports local government infrastructure project funding requests based on the merit of the proposal; empowering local governments to choose the most cost effective and efficient funding method (P3 and other) for the construction and delivery of an infrastructure program in their community.

ON MOTION, was ENDORSED B71 REINSTATEMENT OF DEDICATED LINE ITEM FOR LIBRARY Peace River RD FUNDING IN BC WHEREAS the libraries in British Columbia are important to the quality of life, lifelong learning and social fabric of the communities throughout the province of British Columbia; AND WHEREAS the Ministry of Education’s decision to subsume the provincial library budget line item into the overall education budget makes the assurance of future library funding more tenuous: THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED that UBCM strongly advocate that the provincial government specifically recognize the broader mandate of libraries in British Columbia and reinstate the line item for library funding in the provincial budget.

ON MOTION, was ENDORSED B72 WILDLIFE CONFLICT Grand Forks WHEREAS there is no BC Wildlife Management Plan to deal with increasing wildlife conflict: THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED that UBCM request that the provincial government establish a Provincial Wildlife Management Plan under the Ministry of Environment and address the shortage of Conservation Officers that currently exists.


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B73 QUALIFIED ENVIRONMENTAL PROFESSIONALS Cowichan Valley RD WHEREAS the provincial government implemented the Riparian Areas Regulation to protect fish habitat for future generations, and the implementation of this regulation requires a partnership between the provincial Ministry of Environment, Fisheries and Oceans Canada, and local governments to be successful; AND WHEREAS the provincial Ministry of Environment appears to be lacking the dedicated resources to review the reports forwarded by Qualified Environmental Professionals (QEPs), which is necessary in order to ensure that the standards set under these regulations are adhered to: THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED that the provincial Ministry of Environment take immediate steps to provide the necessary staff resources to review the reports forwarded by QEP’s so that the provincial Riparian Areas Regulation fully achieves its goal of protecting our fish habitat.

ON MOTION, was ENDORSED B74 EXTERIOR FULL CUT-OFF LIGHTING Sunshine Coast RD WHEREAS full cut-off lighting reduces light pollution and glare; AND WHEREAS light pollution may have a negative impact on quality of life, contribute to adverse health effects and pose potentially harmful consequences to the natural environment by disrupting ecosystems: THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED that the Building and Safety Standards Branch of the Ministry of Energy and Mines be requested to amend the BC Building Code to allow, facilitate and empower local governments to require exterior full cut-off light fixtures as part of their permitting and inspection process for all new construction and major renovations.

ON MOTION, was ENDORSED B75 TSUNAMI DEBRIS TO HIT WEST COAST IN 2014 Alberni-Clayoquot RD WHEREAS it is reported that a giant mass of floating debris the size of California has been swept out into the ocean by the Japanese tsunami, and this debris could reach the shores of the West Coast by 2014; AND WHEREAS coastal communities on the West Coast of Vancouver Island do not have the resources or capacity to deal with a clean-up of this magnitude: THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED that coastal communities that may be impacted by the tsunami debris from Japan be involved in any federal/provincial planning processes, including representation on the Provincial Tsunami Debris Working Group that has been developed by the Ministry of Public Safety and Solicitor General; AND BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the provincial and federal governments develop a funding strategy for removal of tsunami debris, to offset potential costs to local governments.

ON MOTION, with amendment as recommended, was ENDORSED B76 BLUE CARBON CREDITS Comox Valley RD WHEREAS local governments across British Columbia may prefer to have the opportunity to invest in local projects in order to reach their carbon neutral commitments under the BC Climate Action Charter; AND WHEREAS blue carbon offsets, which are estuary restoration projects that reduce greenhouse gas emissions and improve estuary environments, may offer an excellent opportunity for local carbon neutral investments throughout the province:

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THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED that UBCM urge the provincial climate action secretariat to enable local governments to invest in blue carbon projects in their communities in order to meet their carbon neutral commitments under the BC Climate Action Charter.

ON MOTION, was ENDORSED B77 PROTECTION OF POTABLE WATER Cariboo RD WHEREAS sources of potable water are increasingly being lost due to contamination and overuse; AND WHEREAS water is vital to human life and must be protected: THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED that UBCM lobby both the provincial and federal governments to protect water aquifers and all bodies of potable water through the enactment of a national strategy that will ensure that Canadian water sources are protected and conserved so that all Canadians have access to clean water sources now and in the future.

ON MOTION, was ENDORSED B78 REGULATION OF ABANDONED BOATS & DERELICT STRUCTURES Delta ALONG PUBLIC WATERWAYS WHEREAS abandoned boats, derelict structures and squatters in float homes and boats along public waterways can cause significant environmental damage, and pose a hazard to navigation and public health and safety; AND WHEREAS the current regulatory framework, with overlapping jurisdictions, makes it difficult and costly for municipalities to deal effectively with the problem: THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED that the provincial and federal governments be requested to implement regulatory changes that will provide municipal authority to enforce the removal of abandoned, derelict or hazardous structures along public waterways, and to enforce the eviction of illegal float home and house boat squatters.

ON MOTION, was ENDORSED B79 ENABLING FISH ACCESS TO HISTORICAL SPAWNING GROUNDS Maple Ridge AT BC HYDRO DAMS WHEREAS the normal movement of fish in rivers and streams may be blocked by the location of hydroelectric dams contrary to Section 20-1 and 35-2 of the federal Fisheries Act; AND WHEREAS this may restrict the rearing and spawning activity of certain species of fish: THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED that UBCM urge the provincial government to require that BC Hydro include some form of appropriate access of passage for fish to their historical spawning grounds including fish ladders or bypass canals, where possible, at existing dam sites.

ON MOTION, was ENDORSED B80 CHANGES TO FISHERIES ACT Nanaimo City WHEREAS the protection of environmentally sensitive areas (including watercourse riparian areas) is an important value for the people of our community and is recognized in our Official Community Plan; AND WHEREAS Nanaimo has made significant investments in the protection of fresh and marine habitat within our city; AND WHEREAS Bill C-38 has made significant changes to the Fisheries Act that will limit the Act’s application to some types and sizes of projects and increase discretionary powers of the Minister, all of which could reduce the Act’s ability to protect the environment:

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THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED that UBCM call upon the Government of Canada to develop revised Fisheries Act policies and regulations in collaboration with all stakeholders, specifically including local governments through UBCM and FCM, to ensure changes address municipal concerns while strengthening environmental protection for our watercourses.

ON MOTION, was ENDORSED B81 DISPOSAL OF GYPSUM CONTAINING ASBESTOS Sunshine Coast RD WHEREAS the presence of asbestos in gypsum products manufactured prior to 1984 poses a risk to health and safety; AND WHEREAS gypsum wallboard and related products are commonly handled at local government facilities where the implementation of Asbestos Exposure Control Programs is significantly increasing costs and impacting the ability of local governments to provide appropriate disposal options for gypsum: THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED that the Ministry of Environment be urged to establish options to assist local governments to dispose of asbestos contaminated gypsum and/or include this as a product category in the BC Recycling Regulation to require a stewardship plan for this material as soon as possible.

ON MOTION, was ENDORSED B82 AGRICULTURAL LAND COMMISSION FILL APPLICATION Maple Ridge WHEREAS the Agricultural Land Commission (“the Commission”) has jurisdiction on the placement of fill in lands in the Agricultural Land Reserve (“the Reserve”), including roads and berms; AND WHEREAS the placement of fill can have potentially adverse impact on surrounding properties and the environment: THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED that UBCM urge the provincial government to amend the legislation governing the Commission to require that, as part of the application process for placement of fill on lands, including access roads and berms, a full analysis of the impact of this fill on surrounding lands be provided and if any adverse impacts are identified require they be addressed to the satisfaction of the Commission in consultation with senior and local government prior to approval being authorized.

ON MOTION, was ENDORSED B83 AGRICULTURAL LAND COMMISSION POLICY NO. 11 Bulkley-Nechako RD WHEREAS Agricultural Land Commission Policy No. 11 deals with applications to subdivide land where the property under application has been the principal residence of the applicant as owner-occupant since December 21, 1972 and the applicant wishes to dispose of the parcel but retain a homesite on the land; AND WHEREAS each year a reduced number of farmers qualify for a homesite severance under Policy No. 11, yet there remains a notable economic and social need for long term farmers to have the ability to obtain a home site severance: THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED that the Agricultural Land Commission be requested to amend Policy No. 11 to apply where a farmer has continuously owned and occupied a property as his or her principal place of residence for a period of 20 years.

ON MOTION, was ENDORSED B84 FENCING ADJACENT TO HIGHWAYS Cariboo RD WHEREAS the Ministry of Transportation and Infrastructure has established the Highways Fencing Program for ranchers to apply for funding to erect fencing along primary highways to reduce the risk

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of their livestock being on the highway; however, funding is not available for fencing of secondary highways or for maintenance of existing fencing; AND WHEREAS many ranchers suffer economically and motorists are injured or killed when livestock enter onto highways, including secondary highways: THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED that UBCM lobby the Ministry of Transportation and Infrastructure to broaden the criteria for the Highways Fencing Program eligibility to include secondary highways and to provide funding for maintenance of existing fencing, which will increase the safety of the motoring public and will address the economic hardship that ranchers face when their cattle are killed on highways including secondary highways.

ON MOTION, was ENDORSED B85 FIVE YEAR STRATEGY FOR BC NATURAL GAS USE Peace River RD WHEREAS natural resources have the potential to be the foundation of British Columbia’s economic health and long-term revenue predictability; AND WHEREAS meaningful jobs for present and future BC citizens are multiplied by secondary and tertiary employment: THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED that UBCM strongly encourage the Province to develop strategies that will address the long term domestic supply, satisfy existing commitments, and provide incentives to build an infrastructure for ancillary enterprises that will support the natural gas sector in BC.

ON MOTION, with amendment as recommended, was ENDORSED B86 THREE PHASE POWER Vanderhoof WHEREAS according to BC Hydro’s Transmission Interconnection Process Guidelines, connection times for a business to connect to an adequate power supply can vary from 17 months to 4.5 years; AND WHEREAS an inadequate power supply prohibits industrial growth; AND WHEREAS the cost of the transmission connection can vary greatly from community to community thereby creating an unfair competitive advantage: THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED that UBCM request that the provincial government encourage BC Hydro and the BC Utilities Commission to institute policy changes designed to reduce connection times and to establish fair and equitable connection costs for all transmission customers.

ON MOTION, was ENDORSED B87 CANADA EUROPEAN UNION TRADE AGREEMENT Prince Rupert Port Edward WHEREAS the Canadian government is close to concluding negotiations with the European Union (EU) on a Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement (CETA), with participation from the provinces and territories; AND WHEREAS the EU is insisting on full access to procurement by local governments which could significantly reduce the ability of local governments to hire or source locally or use public spending as a tool for economic development, environmental protection and support for local farmers and small businesses; AND WHEREAS government procurement rules combined with investment protections related to transit, water, electricity and other public services delivered locally may lock in privatization and make it prohibitively expensive to apply new regulations, to re-municipalize services, or create new municipal programs;

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AND WHEREAS local governments in British Columbia already have open and fair procurement policies: THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED that UBCM request that the BC government:

• issue a clear, permanent exemption for BC local governments from the Canada-EU CETA, and that it otherwise protect the powers of local governments; and

• disclose what it is putting on the table regarding procurement, services and investment as part of CETA discussions, explain the impacts CETA would have on municipal governance, and give local governments the freedom to decide whether or not they will be bound by the agreement.


B88 PUBLIC PROCUREMENT UNDER THE COMPREHENSIVE ECONOMIC Burnaby & TRADE AGREEMENT WHEREAS the Canadian government is conducting negotiations with the European Union (EU) on a Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement (CETA) that includes full access to local government procurement, which could significantly reduce the freedom of local governments to hire or source locally, or to use procurement policies as a tool for social and economic development, environmental protection and support for local farmers and small businesses; AND WHEREAS the provincial and territorial governments are responsible for the provision of procurement legislation for local governments, school boards, universities, hospitals and other provincial agencies: THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED that UBCM call upon the federal government, through the Federation of Canadian Municipalities, the provinces and territories and other avenues, to enact strong domestic policy to preserve the right of local governments, school boards, universities, hospitals and other provincial agencies to use public procurement and investment as social tools to create jobs, protect the environment, stimulate local development, and support the social, economic, and environmental goals of their local communities.

ON MOTION, was ENDORSED B89 DECLARED NUISANCES Cowichan Valley RD WHEREAS there is no legislation in place that allows regional districts to take measures to address ‘declared nuisances’; AND WHEREAS many residents have expressed grave concerns regarding impacts from odours that are produced from composting facilities in the Cowichan Valley Regional District: THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED that the Province of British Columbia be requested to introduce legislation that would allow a regional district to take measures to address ‘declared nuisances’.

ON MOTION, was ENDORSED B90 STORMWATER MANAGEMENT IN ELECTORAL AREAS Comox Valley RD WHEREAS there are numerous and significant problems with drainage and stormwater management throughout the electoral areas; AND WHEREAS the authority for managing stormwater and drainage in electoral areas is the primary responsibility of the Ministry of Transportation and Infrastructure as well as the development of legislation, policies and programs, and for providing resources to plan, construct and maintain drainage systems and enforce drainage standards:

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THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED that UBCM urge the Province of BC, through the Ministry of Transportation and Infrastructure to improve their approach for the effective management of stormwater and drainage in electoral areas within the province of BC.

ON MOTION, was ENDORSED B91 DOCTOR SHORTAGE IN BC Bulkley-Nechako RD WHEREAS there is a severe shortage of general practitioners and family physicians, particularly in small rural communities in British Columbia; AND WHEREAS the shortage of general practitioners and family physicians in small rural communities eliminates the basic health care needs that every British Columbian has a right to; AND WHEREAS there are Canadians studying abroad, well qualified doctors who would like to immigrate to Canada, and Canadians living in Canada who trained internationally before immigrating to Canada who would like to return to British Columbia to provide health care services but are facing obstacles in accessing and competing for postgraduate training positions in Canada: THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED that:

• the Government of British Columbia develop and implement a program similar to those programs in Alberta, Saskatchewan, Manitoba and Ontario that allow for International Medical Graduate (IMG) physicians wishing to immigrate to Canada to be assessed in a clinical environment by qualified professionals to determine their level of competency in order to qualify to apply to the College of Physicians and Surgeons of BC for licensure;

• the Faculty of Medicine and UBC increase the number of IMG assessment and training positions available from 18 to 30 within the St. Paul’s program (or similar) for those Canadian IMGs that require further training to qualify for licensure with the College of Physicians and Surgeons of BC;

• the Faculty of Medicine and UBC develop residency training positions for Canadians studying abroad who wish to return to Canada for postgraduate training;

• IMGs that are qualified to apply to the College of Physicians and Surgeons through any of these programs be accepted and placed in small rural BC communities most in need of physicians; and

• the provincial government develop an incentive program to pay the student loans of qualifying medical graduates including Imp’s in exchange for time served in rural areas in need.


B92 SMOKE FREE OUTDOOR PUBLIC PLACES Kamloops WHEREAS the US Surgeon General, in a definitive report issued June 2006, concluded that there is no safe level of exposure to second-hand tobacco smoke, even in outdoor settings, and scientific evidence shows that, although varying from situation to situation, the fine particulate matter in second-hand tobacco smoke generally does not dissipate until 7.5 m from its source; AND WHEREAS thirty (30) municipalities across British Columbia have taken a leadership role in implementing smoke-free outdoor public places by-laws, unfortunately these by-laws contain a variety of different requirements and conditions which can cause confusion for the public: THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED that UBCM ask the provincial government to consult with industry and implement legislation banning tobacco smoking in customer service patios of restaurants, in bars and pubs; in parks; on playgrounds, on beaches; at public events; and at least 7.5 m from each of these locations; and at least 7.5 m from doors, windows and air intakes of public buildings.


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B94 COLD WEATHER FUNDING Merritt WHEREAS the Province has eliminated adequate funding for local cold weather shelters in many communities in the year 2011; AND WHEREAS communities are experiencing difficult economic times while this type of protection is a provincial responsibility, we feel it is imperative that the less fortunate have a safe and warm area to retreat from the elements during extended cold periods: THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED that the provincial government work with local groups who coordinate cold weather shelters and that the provincial government supply adequate funding for cold weather shelter funding in these communities from November to March each year; AND BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that funding also be supplied for emergencies if temperatures drop below -10 degrees Celsius at any time during the year.

ON MOTION, was ENDORSED B95 ON-SITE PROVINCIAL SERVICE DELIVERY RURAL Princeton COMMUNITIES Okanagan-Similkameen RD WHEREAS many of the perceived benefits of centralization have caused essential service providers such as the RCMP, health care and social services to locate specialized facilities and resources in medium to large centres as part of their strategic planning which has created an unacceptable travel overhead for rural communities and the delivery agencies; AND WHEREAS these small rural communities are frequently the source of major provincial revenues from natural resource processing in mills and mines whose personnel and families require access to the government mandated services in proximity to their rural work locations, especially in the event of accidental calamities: THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED that UBCM lobby the Province of BC to direct their agencies in their strategic planning to recognize the local needs of small rural communities by making qualified, live-in delivery personnel permanently funded and resident in our towns while also taking integrated cognizance of BC Transit needs, the lack of both of which are draining our communities of their lifeblood as evidenced by the results of the 2011 Census.

ON MOTION, was ENDORSED B96 FUNDING FOR NORTHERN COLLEGES Houston WHEREAS colleges in northern and rural British Columbia provide “closer to home education” for those who otherwise cannot access training or education to provide necessary skills for employability; AND WHEREAS colleges in northern and rural British Columbia are challenged by distance and numbers when trying to meet the same requirements as colleges in more heavily populated areas; AND WHEREAS a large percentage of students looking to these northern and rural colleges have not completed high school: THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED that the UBCM lobby the Government of British Columbia to develop a standard of college funding more closely reflecting the real costs of providing required training and education to the scattered population of rural and northern British Columbia.

ON MOTION, was ENDORSED B97 TRANSIENT WORKER DATA COLLECTION Tumbler Ridge WHEREAS transient workers utilize health and recreation services in our communities which has a substantial impact on our resources;

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AND WHEREAS transient worker data collection is not captured in Statistics Canada Census as part of population growth: THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED that UBCM lobby the federal government and recommend data collection that will accurately capture the number of transient workers and seasonal residents that work in one community but reside in another to accurately determine funding levels by provincial and federal governments.

ON MOTION, was ENDORSED B98 AMENDMENTS TO THE RESIDENTIAL TENANCY ACT DISPUTE Surrey RESOLUTION PROCESS WHEREAS the Province of British Columbia has enacted legislation through the Residential Tenancy Act (RTA) to protect tenants from unacceptable living conditions; AND WHEREAS Part 5 of the RTA outlines a process for resolving disputes that provides the Residential Tenancy Branch (RTB) with authority to make any order necessary to give effect to the rights, obligations, and prohibitions under the RTA, but in order to enforce an RTB order, it must be filed in the Court and enforced as a judgment or an order of the Court; AND WHEREAS tenants who wish to enforce their rights under the RTA must navigate a complex bureaucratic and legal process and be prepared to spend significant amounts of time and money to engage with the process, creating barriers for tenants to access the RTA, especially tenants with low incomes or other vulnerabilities: THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED that UBCM urge the Province of British Columbia to increase the effectiveness and accessibility of the residential tenancy dispute resolutions process by amending the Residential Tenancy Act such that the Residential Tenancy Branch enforces their dispute resolution decisions or orders, and does so within a reasonable timeframe.

ON MOTION, was ENDORSED B99 PUBLIC LAKESHORE ACCESS Central Kootenay RD WHEREAS the Ministry of Transportation and Infrastructure provides for lake access points within subdivision plans; AND WHEREAS these access points allow for emergency aquatic egress for communities identified in emergency plans as well as recreation and enjoyment of the Province’s lakeshores and fisheries in an increasingly developed shoreline environment: THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED that the Ministry of Transportation and Infrastructure survey and provide signs identifying public access points to the Province’s lakes and rivers to confirm the public’s right to access the foreshore for recreation and emergency egress via boat.

ON MOTION, was ENDORSED B100 ACCESSIBLE BALLOT PROGRAM Kamloops WHEREAS all Canadians have the right to vote and to do so independently and consistently at all levels of government elections; AND WHEREAS the accessible ballot (tactile template and Braille ballot) provides the means for voters who are blind or visually impaired to independently participate in the election while retaining their democratic right to confidentiality within the election process: THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED that the Union of British Columbia Municipalities lobby the provincial government to introduce legislation ensuring that accessible ballots for voters who are blind or visually impaired are available at polling places in every election.


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B101 CLOSURE OF CITIZENSHIP & IMMIGRATION CANADA OFFICES Nanaimo City WHEREAS Citizenship and Immigration Canada offices in Nanaimo, Victoria, Kelowna and other regional communities have been closed, and the Vancouver office will not be available to immigrants and the community for in person service; AND WHEREAS BC is the third largest receiving province of immigrants yet will not be represented with a head office in this province: THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED that UBCM urge the federal government to reconsider changes which will see the closure of 19 small Citizenship and Immigration Offices (four in BC and a relocation of the Vancouver regional office to Calgary) as it will have a negative effect on communities around the country and on Canada’s place in the competitive market of attracting immigrants.

ON MOTION, with amendment as recommended, was ENDORSED Resolutions B93 and B55, which had been removed from the Section B – Part 2-a block, were then considered individually. B93 DECLINING HEALTH SERVICES Stewart WHEREAS the medical services in small communities have been gradually eroding to a level that is dangerous to the public health and safety of our residents; AND WHEREAS local governments have a legitimate concern about the public health and safety of their citizens; AND WHEREAS local governments in small communities have neither the mandate nor the tools to rectify the situation: THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED that the Ministry of Health take steps to ensure that the quality of medical services in small communities is returned to, and maintained, at a level that will ensure the public health and safety of our citizens is not at risk. A motion, duly moved and seconded, to amend the resolution by adding the two enactment clauses from late resolution LR14, was endorsed. The resolution, as amended, then read: THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED that the Ministry of Health take steps to ensure that the quality of medical services in small communities is returned to, and maintained, at a level that will ensure the public health and safety of our citizens is not at risk; AND BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that UBCM support a moratorium on unilateral changes being made by a regional health authority to any health centre or hospital, so that negotiations can find a way to preserve these communities’ access to 24/7 emergency services; AND BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the provincial Minister of Health initiate an audit of all health authorities to ensure delivery of medical services to remote and rural British Columbians complies with requirements of the Canada Health Act, all appropriate BC legislation and all contractual agreements between the BC government and the health authorities.

ON MOTION, as amended, was ENDORSED B55 RESORT MUNICIPALITIES Central Kootenay RD WHEREAS regional districts are a legal and accepted form of local government in BC elected by rural communities to represent an manage the land-use and development interests of local taxpayers;

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AND WHEREAS the creation of a resort municipality within an electoral area and appointment of a council directed by a resort developer is contrary to the principles of democratic government and sets an undesirable precedent: THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED that UBCM ask the Ministry of Community, Sport and Cultural Development to consider a governance structure that includes elected representatives responsible for land-use decisions. A motion was duly moved and seconded, that the resolution be amended by:

• inserting the phrase “for mountain resort municipalities” after the phrase “governance structure” in the original enactment clause;

• adding the phrase “for a permanent population of at least 200 people” the end of the original enactment clause; and

• adding a second enactment clause to emphasize that “UBCM does not support the concept of an unelected body making land use decisions for an area with no population”.

The motion to amend was endorsed. The resolution, as amended, then read: THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED that UBCM ask the Ministry of Community, Sport & Cultural Development to consider a governance structure for mountain resort municipalities that includes elected representatives responsible for land-use decisions for a permanent population of at least 200 people; AND BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that UBCM does not support the concept of an unelected body making land use decisions for an area with no population.

ON MOTION, as amended, was ENDORSED SECTION B – PART 2-b RESOLUTIONS Mayor Sharon Gaetz assumed the Chair and commenced consideration of Section B – Part 2-b resolutions. B102 COMMUNITY WATER SERVICES Spallumcheen WHEREAS the Corporation of the Township of Spallumcheen is a community located largely in the Agricultural Land Reserve, where many properties benefit from having secondary dwellings and where it is unreasonable to require property owners to provide for a community water system to accommodate a second residence; AND WHEREAS the provision for requiring a community water system will have a direct negative impact on the Township’s rural community and other rural communities deeming the legislation unreasonable in these cases: THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED that the provincial government, under the Ministry of Health, reconsider the Drinking Water Protection Act and Drinking Water Protection Regulation to allow the legislation to change to permit one (1) well to service two (2) residences on one (1) parcel of land without establishing a community water system in areas where there is no existing community water system to ensure that rural communities are not negatively impacted by requiring a community water system to provide a water source for a secondary residence provided that the well meets water quantity and quality requirements.


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B103 ASSESSING COMMUNITIES FOR PHYSICIAN RECRUITMENT Enderby WHEREAS the Joint Standing Committee on Rural Issues, through the Rural Practice Subsidiary Agreement, classifies each rural BC Community on an isolation-based point system to determine inventive levels for physicians; AND WHEREAS the classification system for the Rural Practice Subsidiary Agreement does not value demographic and subpopulation factors when ranking rural communities, particularly those with a significant proportion of at-risk subpopulations or a demographic indicative of a heightened need for physicians to support aging in place: THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED that UBCM urges the Government of British Columbia, through its involvement with the Joint Standing Committee on Rural Issues, to revise the Rural Practice Subsidiary Agreement’s point system for classifying rural BC communities so as to value demographic and subpopulation factors.

ON MOTION, was ENDORSED B104 OFFICE OF THE SENIORS ADVOCATE Richmond WHEREAS the BC Ombudsperson released “The Best of Care: Getting it Right for Seniors (Part 2)” with 176 recommendations to improve home and community care, home support, assisted living and residential care services for seniors; AND WHEREAS the Province released “Improving Care for BC Seniors: An Action Plan” in response, including the commitment to establish an Office of the Seniors Advocate; AND WHEREAS the Province conducted public consultations in June and July 2012 to help shape the role and functions of this office: THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED that the UBCM request that the provincial government ensure that the Office of the Seniors Advocate will, to sufficiently address the BC Ombudsperson’s recommendations:

• be an independent officer of the legislature and fully resourced; • focus on home and community care, as well as health promotion services; • provide proactive, systemic advocacy; • ensure that effective procedures are in place regarding seniors’ care facility complaints,

inspections and reporting; • be accessible and responsive to BC’s diverse and growing seniors’ population; and • support local and provincial seniors’ organizations.


B105 REINSTATEMENT OF FARM FUNDING FOR DEER FENCING Central Saanich WHEREAS the excessive deer population has a detrimental impact on an already economically challenged farming industry and poses a serious deer management problem; AND WHEREAS the Province previously allocated funding for farmers through the Environmental Farm Plan for perimeter fencing, but has since withdrawn this avenue of funding: THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED that the provincial government be urged to reinstate funding to farms for perimeter deer fencing as part of the Environmental Farm Plan.

ON MOTION, was ENDORSED B106 FENCING OF AGRICULTURAL INTERFACE Cariboo RD WHEREAS in British Columbia, there are residential developments that are currently in existence that abut livestock range areas, resulting in livestock entering onto residential properties;

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AND WHEREAS the Crown collects fees for grazing leases, but does not provide fenced, defined range boundaries to contain the livestock: THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED that UBCM lobby the provincial government to assume the responsibility of fencing the existing agricultural/residential interface to protect ranchers from economic hardship through loss of livestock, and residents from damage caused by livestock entering onto their property.

ON MOTION, was ENDORSED B107 EXPORT OF LANDFILLABLE SOLID WASTE Thompson-Nicola RD WHEREAS managers or collectors of local government solid waste in BC are permitted to export landfillable solid waste to the United States, resulting in the export of jobs in the solid waste management industry; AND WHEREAS the export of local government solid waste from the province detrimentally affects the economy of communities and the province as a whole due to the loss of jobs: THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED that UBCM lobby the provincial government to take appropriate action to prohibit the wholesale international export of British Columbia’s local government solid waste.

ON MOTION, was NOT ENDORSED B108 INNOVATE BC’S NATURAL GAS TRANSPORTATION NETWORK Peace River RD WHEREAS the Government of British Columbia has expressed an interest in a “Made in BC Approach” to utilizing the natural gas reserves in British Columbia; AND WHEREAS the Government of British Columbia has expressed a desire to create a diversified natural gas industry with its attendant jobs: THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED that UBCM request the Government of British Columbia to effect a plan within one year to create a comprehensive infrastructure to supply natural gas to commercial transport for British Columbia, with a target date for implementation within five years.

ON MOTION, was ENDORSED B109 INTEGRATED LANDSCAPE PLANNING GUIDELINES Bulkley-Nechako RD WHEREAS the forest industry in British Columbia does not consider landscape level planning for the removal of timber nor do they consult with each other during the planning for removal; AND WHEREAS lack of consolidated landscape planning by the forest industry results in fires moving across the landscape unheeded and is impacting the future of forest based communities and the mid-term timber supply opportunities: THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED that the Ministry of Forests, Lands and Natural Resource Operations (MFLNRO) create Integrated Landscape Planning Guidelines and that all companies harvesting timber in BC consider future wildfire impacts while planning for harvesting; AND BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the MFLNRO make changes to the Forest and Range Practices Act to require landscape planning.

ON MOTION, was ENDORSED B110 FAMILY VIOLENCE PREVENTION LEGISLATION Terrace WHEREAS family violence is recognized as a serious problem in Canada, where:

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• 6% of Canadians with a current or former spouse report being physically or sexually victimized by their spouse in the previous 5 years;

• Nearly 55,000 children and youth were the victims of a sexual offence or physical assault in 2009, about 3 in 10 of which were perpetrated by a family member;

• In 2009, police reported over 2,400 senior victims (65 years and older) of violent crime by a family member, representing about one-third of all violent incidents committed against older adults; and

• Between 2000 and 2009, there were 738 spousal homicides, representing 16% of all solved homicides and nearly half (47%) of all family-related homicides;

AND WHEREAS British Columbia has no specific legislation designed to complement and enhance the protections in the Criminal Code which prevent and protect victims of family and relationship violence, while six other provinces (Alberta, Manitoba, Nova Scotia, Prince Edward Island, Newfoundland and Labrador and Saskatchewan) and three territories (Northwest Territories, Yukon and Nunavut) have enhanced protection to victims of family and relationship violence by proclaiming specific family and relationship violence prevention legislation as a tool to reduce the cycle of family and relationship violence and ensuring all justice system workers (e.g. police, crown prosecutors, judges and workers within the social services) are trained adequately and appropriately in its administration: THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED that UBCM urge the provincial government to enact specific legislation that would offer extended protection to victims of family and relationship violence beyond that which is provided for in the Criminal Code and to ensure that all justice system workers receive adequate and appropriate training in its administration.

ON MOTION, was ENDORSED B111 LICENSES ISSUED UNDER MARIJUANA MEDICAL ACCESS REGULATIONS Surrey WHEREAS Health Canada is issuing an increasing number of licenses under the Marijuana Medical Access Regulations to allow the cultivation and processing of marijuana for medical purposes; AND WHEREAS due to federal privacy legislation Health Canada does not have a process in place to notify a municipality when a license is issued for a site within the municipality’s jurisdiction; AND WHEREAS, based on the experience of local governments, these Health Canada licensed medical marijuana grow operations are not generally compliant with municipal bylaws and/or provincial electrical, fire, health, safety and/or building regulations; AND WHEREAS Health Canada licensed medical grow operations are often creating health and public safety concerns and are also causing odour and other nuisance concerns in the communities within which they are located: THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED that Health Canada be requested to take immediate action to amend its legislation and regulations to require that any applicant for a license under the Marijuana Medical Access Regulations for the purpose of cultivation and/or processing of marijuana for medical purposes be required to obtain a municipal license or permit that demonstrates that the proposed location for the growing operation is in compliance with all local bylaws and all electrical, fire, health, building and safety regulations prior to issuance of a license by Health Canada for such a growing operation.

ON MOTION, was ENDORSED B112 STRATEGIC WILDFIRE PREVENTION INITIATIVE FUNDING Kimberley WHEREAS the Provincial Fuel Management Working Group has changed the funding formula for fuel management programs to disallow the leveraging of UBCM Strategic Wildfire Prevention Program Initiative dollars by using accrued grant totals (spent money) from the federal and provincial governments or accrued in-kind contributions from local government; AND WHEREAS local governments are very hard pressed to find new local tax money to fund their share of operation fuel management projects:

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THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED that UBCM work to change the funding formula and restore the ability of local governments to use recently expended funds and in-kind contributions to leverage new Strategic Wildfire Prevention Program Initiative dollars.

ON MOTION, was ENDORSED B113 FULL FUNDING FOR FUEL ABATEMENT Central Kootenay RD WHEREAS certain Crown forest lands located in regional district electoral areas and adjacent to municipal boundaries present a significant risk to communities from catastrophic wildfire events which may inundate communities with volatile ember showers; AND WHEREAS management of these forest lands, including forest fuel loading, is ultimately the responsibility of the Province of British Columbia through the Ministry of Forests, Lands and Natural Resource Operations and that said Ministry has fully funded fuel abatement measures in the past but no longer does so: THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED that the Ministry of Forests, Lands and Natural Resource Operations be called upon to reinstate its former policy of providing full funding for fuel abatement on Crown forestlands located in regional district electoral areas and adjacent to municipal boundaries.

ON MOTION, was ENDORSED B114 FUNDING FOREST FUEL MITIGATION West Kelowna WHEREAS the Province of British Columbia continues to experience wildfires due to ineffective fire suppression activities, drying weather trends and mountain pine beetle infestations on Crown, public and private lands; AND WHEREAS the Province of British Columbia government:

• commissioned the “Firestorm 2003 Report” (Filmon Report) to provide recommendations to prevent future wildfire events; and

• provides limited funding for local governments to implement Community Wildfire Protection Plans on Crown and public lands;

however, does not provide funding for or require fuel mitigation works to be conducted on private lands leaving such regulation to individual local governments to establish, enforce and assume the liability associated with those programs: THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED that UBCM lobby the Ministry of Forest, Lands and Natural Resource Operations to enact provincial standards to ensure a province-wide comprehensive wildfire protection and works program is established, funded, executed and enforced for both private and public lands beginning with those lands at highest risk and immediately adjacent to residential areas.

ON MOTION, was ENDORSED Mayor Greg Moore assumed the Chair and continued consideration of Section B – Part 2-b resolutions. B115 PROVINCIAL DEVELOPMENT OF RURAL TRANSPORTATION STRATEGY Trail WHEREAS public transportation and commercial passenger vehicles are critical components of a network for the efficient movement of people, but commercial operators of passenger directed vehicles in rural communities face unique challenges in terms of developing and sustaining economically viable operations due to inconsistent ridership demand, which can result in reduced levels of service available to the public; AND WHEREAS the integration of a service to incorporate passenger directed vehicles with traditional public transportation may create synergies and increase the viability for these operations, improving the access to and availability of passenger directed vehicles in rural communities:

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THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED that UBCM request that the Province of BC develop a transportation strategy to critically assess and determine solutions towards the sustainability of passenger directed vehicle operations including both public transit and taxis in rural communities.

ON MOTION, was ENDORSED B116 UBCM RAILWAY COMMITTEE New Westminster Fernie WHEREAS local governments share common railway concerns such as crossings, idling, use of herbicides, and whistle cessation: THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED that UBCM establish a Railway Committee to deal with railway companies to mitigate these concerns.

ON MOTION, was ENDORSED B117 LEVY FOR “ONE TIME USE” PLASTIC BAGS Quesnel WHEREAS it is estimated 55 million “one time use” plastic bags are used weekly by Canadians, with all but a small percentage being sent to landfills using valuable space; AND WHEREAS it takes up to 1000 years to biodegrade, as well as taking taxpayer’s resources to attend to the issues that arise from plastic bag litter like clean up and blockages in gutters or drains: THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED that UBCM lobby the Province to institute a per-bag levy to consumers who choose to use “one time use” bags, with the funds generated devoted to recycling programs that help keep plastic bags out of our landfills.

ON MOTION, was NOT ENDORSED B118 WATER STEWARDSHIP Fort St. John WHEREAS water is our most important resource and should be managed prudently; AND WHEREAS there is increased activity in the oil and gas activity in northeastern BC that is utilizing this vital resource for its hydraulic fracturing operations where alternative solutions need to be explored and implemented such as the use of effluent water: THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED that UBCM petition the Province of BC to encourage oil and gas industries to enter into partnership agreements with either local or regional governments to construct effluent water facilities rather than utilizing aquifers for hydraulic fracturing purposes.

ON MOTION, was ENDORSED B119 COMMERCIALIZATION OF WATER Sunshine Coast RD WHEREAS the extraction of water for commercial bottling purposes is objectionable; AND WHEREAS commercial water extraction applications have been approved by the Province despite the opposition of surrounding local governments and First Nations: THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED that the Ministry of Environment be requested to respect and defer to local government and First Nations recommendations on commercial water license application referrals.

ON MOTION, was ENDORSED B120 CONTAMINATED SOIL RELOCATION Cowichan Valley RD WHEREAS the deposition of relocated contaminated soils poses a risk to drinking water and habitat when deposited above aquifers or adjacent water courses;

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AND WHEREAS local governments do not have the legislative authority to regulate where contaminated soils may be deposited: THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED that the Province of British Columbia enact legislation and develop appropriate enforcement tools to ensure that relocated contaminated soils pose no risk to aquifers or water courses and that local governments be provided a formal opportunity to comment on applications to relocate contaminated soils to and within their jurisdiction.

ON MOTION, was ENDORSED B121 2012 CARBON NEUTRAL GOALS Burns Lake WHEREAS numerous BC local governments have committed to be Carbon Neutral by 2012 by signing the Climate Action Charter; AND WHEREAS there are limited provincial financial assistance programs and loan arrangements to help local governments, especially small BC communities, to reach their carbon neutrality goals: THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED that UBCM lobby the Province of BC to develop more financial assistance programs and loan arrangements to assist local governments, especially small BC communities, in achieving 2012 Climate Action Charter commitments.

ON MOTION, was ENDORSED B122 SHIPPING OF DANGEROUS GOODS LIABILITIES Prince Rupert WHEREAS the amount of ocean traffic is increasing along the West Coast of British Columbia due to increased economic activity, which increases the risk of accidents and spills, particularly from ships carrying dangerous and/or toxic products; AND WHEREAS current environmental measures are not able to adequately clean up damages caused by these types of large scale spills or disasters, and continual cuts are being made that undermine the ability of our Coast Guard to address such disasters in a timely and adequate manner: THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED that UBCM petition the provincial and federal governments to create legislation that requires that liability for cargo on a ship be the responsibility of both the carrier and the one who sold the cargo until such time as the cargo reaches its final destination, and/or is outside of Canadian waters; AND BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that UBCM petition the provincial and federal governments to create legislation that requires shippers of dangerous goods and cargo, as well as the manufacturers, be required to pay into an emergency fund designed for two purposes:

• to clean up, and compensate for any and all damages, including capital devaluation, social, cultural, and ecological damage, caused by an accident involving said goods and cargo; and

• to fund research into improving clean-up methods to deal with the eventuality of such spills; AND BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that UBCM petition the federal government to restore the Coast Guard complement and safety measures along our coast to a standard that protects our coastline from the dangers of such accidents, and mitigates the amount of damage that would occur from the result of any such incidents. A motion was duly moved and seconded, to amend the resolution by adding a bullet point describing a third purpose for the emergency fund discussed in the second enactment clause. The motion to amend the resolution was endorsed. The resolution, as amended, then read:

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THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED that UBCM petition the provincial and federal governments to create legislation that requires that liability for cargo on a ship be the responsibility of both the carrier and the one who sold the cargo until such time as the cargo reaches its final destination, and/or is outside of Canadian waters; AND BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that UBCM petition the provincial and federal governments to create legislation that requires shippers of dangerous goods and cargo, as well as the manufacturers, be required to pay into an emergency fund designed for three purposes:

• To clean up, and compensate for any and all damages, including capital devaluation, social, cultural, and ecological damage, caused by an accident involving said goods and cargo;

• To fund research into improving clean-up methods to deal with the eventuality of such spills; and

• To fund a sustained increase in provincial spill prevention, preparedness, mitigation and response resources;

AND BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that UBCM petition the federal government to restore the Coast Guard complement and safety measures along our coast to a standard that protects our coastline from the dangers of such accidents, and mitigates the amount of damage that would occur from the result of any such incidents.

ON MOTION, as amended, was ENDORSED B123 REGULATING THE SALE OF UNSTERILIZED RABBITS Delta WHEREAS many municipalities are facing the problem of rabbit abandonment and proliferation in city parks and public areas; AND WHEREAS feral rabbits can cause significant property damage, and pose a hazard to public health and safety: THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED that the provincial government be requested to implement legislation to regulate the sale of unsterilized rabbits.


B124 WILDLIFE TRAPPING Vernon WHEREAS local governments do not have the authority to regulate trapping; AND WHEREAS the use of body and leg hold traps within urban areas pose an unacceptable risk for injuries to humans and pets; AND WHEREAS the sale of traps to individuals not licensed as trappers is not restricted: THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED that the Ministry of Forests, Lands & Natural Resource Operations be encouraged to prohibit the sale of wildlife traps to individuals without a trapping permit or license; AND BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Ministry of Forests, Lands & Natural Resource Operations be encouraged to develop and promote educational programs on alternatives to trapping wildlife and the importance of signage, particularly within urban areas in order to protect humans and pets from unnecessary injury.

ON MOTION, was ENDORSED B125 BC STEWARDSHIP REGULATIONS RELATING TO PACKAGING Richmond & PRINTED PAPER WHEREAS recycling rates for residential homes in Metro Vancouver is approximately 45%;

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AND WHEREAS in Metro Vancouver, the local government blue box curbside service is the most established and successful aspect of the waste stream in terms of diversion; AND WHEREAS recyclable materials represent a potential revenue stream for municipalities; AND WHEREAS public priorities to drive zero waste should focus on diverting more waste from multi-family dwellings, and the commercial and industrial sectors; AND WHEREAS the Province has amended the Recycling Regulation to include extended producer responsibility for paper and packaging by 2014; AND WHEREAS local governments have the most knowledge about the recycling system in their communities; AND WHEREAS the new stewardship program does not require local government blue box curbside service and could impact publicly controlled residential collection of paper and packaging: THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED that the Province amend the Recycling Regulation so that the stewardship organization fully fund residential recycling programs through local governments.

ON MOTION, was ENDORSED B126 GENETICALLY ENGINEERED FREE ZONES Okanagan-Similkameen RD WHEREAS the BC Fruit Growers Association has asked the Okanagan Valley Regional Districts to investigate the establishment of a Genetically Engineered (GE) Free Zone for tree fruit products, fruit and plant material in our respective regional districts; AND WHEREAS orchard after neighbouring orchard of tree fruits can potentially be contaminated with GE DNA constructs by the activities of pollinating insects like honeybees and the transport of honeybees from one orchard to another by the beekeepers; AND WHEREAS the Okanagan Tree Fruit Cooperative, where over 80% of the commercial tree fruit crop in British Columbia is received, packed, stored, graded and shipped, will deny any GE fruit or fruit containing GE DNA constructs; AND WHEREAS 100% of the organic tree fruit orchards in BC that are found to contain GE fruit or fruit containing GE DNA constructs would lose their organic certification: THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED that UBCM ask the British Columbia government to legislate the prohibition of importing, exporting, and the domestic production of fruit and plant material containing GE DNA constructs and to declare through legislation that BC is a GE Free province in respect to all tree fruit products; AND BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that UBCM forward this motion to the Federation of Canadian Municipalities for similar consideration for legislation by the federal government to establish the country of Canada to be GE Free in respect to all tree fruit products.

ON MOTION, was ENDORSED B127 NOXIOUS WEEDS & RANGE LANDS Cariboo RD WHEREAS noxious weeds pose a grave threat to the health of the range lands in BC and consequently to their capacity to maintain the native flora and wildlife as well as their capacity to offer grazing to domestic animals; AND WHEREAS neither the Ministry of Forests, Lands and Natural Resources, nor regional districts have the funding or the personnel necessary to adequately control these weeds; however, ranchers are familiar with their ranges and monitor them continuously: THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED that UBCM lobby the Government of BC to do everything possible to enlist the aid of the ranching community to control noxious weeds, including but not limited to

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supplying necessary herbicide and offering a restricted and abbreviated pesticide applicator’s license which would allow ranchers to control weeds on their own range.

ON MOTION, was NOT ENDORSED Chair Joe Stanhope assumed the Chair and continued consideration of Section B – Part 2-b resolutions. B128 TAX COLLECTION LEGISLATION Clinton WHEREAS the Community Charter and Local Government Act are restrictive in allowing methods for municipalities to collect property taxes; AND WHEREAS small communities that depend on tax collection for budgeting needs are often forced into a borrowing position when residents fail to pay property taxes by the due date; AND WHEREAS local government legislation allows for taxes to lapse for two years before enacting any authority to collect on taxes; AND WHEREAS collecting on taxes through a tax sale does not allow municipalities to work with a balanced budget, nor redeem the amount of taxes owed: THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED that UBCM lobby the provincial government to revise its legislation to allow for collection of property taxes in a timely manner to satisfy budgetary requirements and circumvent a municipality’s need to borrow money to cover delinquent and arrears taxes.

ON MOTION, was ENDORSED B129 SCHOOL PROPERTY TAX REBATE FOR CLASS 6 BUSINESSES Vernon WHEREAS the Province announced that 50% of all school property taxes will be rebated to light and heavy industry (Class 4 and 5) annually, to lower their costs and help them grow: THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED that businesses in Class 6 should also benefit from this program designed to assist businesses in paying their bills, reinvest and maintain jobs, especially in rural communities, without downloading any costs to local governments.

ON MOTION, was NOT ENDORSED B130 VACANT & DERELICT BUILDING TAX RATE Clinton WHEREAS run-down and poorly maintained buildings, vacant or occupied, have a negative impact on area residents and businesses, which results in decreased property values and discourages investment in the municipality, and affects local government property tax revenues; AND WHEREAS the municipal authority under the Community Charter is limited as follows:

• section 8(3)(1) applies to building only for the purposes of health, safety and protection of persons and property; and

• section 64(k) is limited to graffiti and unsightly conditions: THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED that UBCM lobby the provincial government to amend the Community Charter to grant local government authority to set higher property tax rates for derelict and vacant buildings as a deterrent for property owners to allow their premises to become unsightly.

ON MOTION, was ENDORSED B131 TAX ON BIOFUEL Highlands WHEREAS the Province of BC has mandated the reduction of fossil carbon emissions and the use of renewable fuels through the Greenhouse Gas Reduction (Renewable and Low Carbon Fuel Requirements) Act;

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AND WHEREAS the removal of Motor Fuel Tax exemptions and the additional application of the Carbon Tax to the production and sale of pure (100%) biofuels in 2010 has had a negative impact on biofuel producers and suppliers within BC, and has resulted in a decrease in the availability of pure renewable fuels that have the greatest potential to reduce fossil carbon emissions: THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED that the Province of BC immediately remove the Carbon Tax from the entire biofuel portion of all fuel production and sales an restore the Motor Fuel Tax exemptions to the biofuel producers and suppliers of British Columbia, and provide further incentives to ensure that the renewable fuel sector continues as a viable industry for BC consumers and provincial greenhouse gas reduction objectives.

ON MOTION, was NOT ENDORSED B132 SMALL COMMUNITY GRANT Clinton WHEREAS the provincial government supplies a small community grant that is not equitably allocated to small communities, nor has a guaranteed amount to be distributed annually; AND WHEREAS local governments depend on this funding, and the provincial government should recognize that a “one size fits all” approach will not work in addressing allocation amounts: THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED that UBCM lobby the provincial government to make changes to its formula for small community grant allocation to take into consideration industrial tax base, tax rate, First Nations population, existing funding, revenue sources available to the community, taxation limitations imposed through supplementary letters patent and municipal annual operating budgets.

ON MOTION, was ENDORSED B133 MUNICIPAL PRICE INDEX Maple Ridge WHEREAS municipal spending is often compared to or linked to the Consumer Price Index which measures changes in the price level of consumer goods and services purchased by households; AND WHEREAS municipalities experience with inflation can differ greatly from the Consumer Price Index as the largest municipal expenditures are typically labour, materials and contractual services which are different factors than those found in the Consumer Price Index: THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED that UBCM request that the provincial government include in the Terms of Reference of the Municipal Auditor General the creation of a Municipal Price Index that will improve the accuracy by which municipal costs can be projected.

ON MOTION, was NOT ENDORSED B134 REMUNERATION OF MUNICIPAL COUNCILS Maple Ridge WHEREAS there are a variety of methodologies used throughout the Province to set remuneration levels for elected officials at the municipal level; THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED that UBCM urge the provincial government to include in the Terms of Reference of the Municipal Auditor General responsibility for determining the most appropriate methodology for establishing remuneration levels for municipal councils.

ON MOTION, was NOT ENDORSED B135 RE-DISTRIBUTION OF GAMING REVENUE Port Coquitlam WHEREAS municipalities without hosting ability due to saturation of the market or limited or no available market for gaming have no direct distribution of gaming proceeds from the Province; AND WHEREAS residents from non-host municipalities frequent gaming facilities in other jurisdictions and the municipality with the residents bears social and resourcing costs of gaming addictions in their communities;

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AND WHEREAS due to information gathered on player cards the gaming facility compiles information on their patrons including residency and amount played each day per patron; AND WHEREAS municipalities that host gaming facilities have relied on the revenues received to offset the social and resourcing costs directly related to gaming in their communities and have applied residual funds to support operations and capital projects into the future; AND WHEREAS loss of revenues due to redistribution will adversely affect host municipalities; AND WHEREAS fairness and equitable distribution is a mandate of the provincial government; AND WHEREAS the British Columbia Lottery Corporation (BCLC) distributes net gaming revenues of approximately $365 million (35%) to host municipalities, community organizations and the healthcare sector each year and retains approximately $690 million (65%) in general provincial revenue: THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED that the Province of BC redistribute gaming revenues based on the residence of the patron at the gaming facility and the amount played; AND BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that BCLC distribute a percentage of the provincial revenue to all local governments on a per capita basis, based on a formula that will keep the host local governments of gaming facilities whole.

ON MOTION, was NOT ENDORSED B136 LIABILITY FOR CONTAMINATED SITES Penticton WHEREAS PS 3260 Liability for Contaminated Sites was adopted by the Public Sector Accounting Board in 2010 and applies to all levels of governments and government organizations who apply the Canadian Institute of Chartered Accountants Public Sector Accounting Handbook; AND WHEREAS application of PS 3260 for contaminated sites will create onerous and costly reporting requirements for all levels of governments, universities, school boards, and hospitals reporting under the Public Sector Accounting Standards: THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED that UBCM lobby the federal government to postpone implementation of PS 3260 until further consultation is held with all levels of the public sector as it relates to the costs associated with implementing the PS 3260 initiative.

ON MOTION, was ENDORSED B137 FEDERAL GAS TAX FUNDING ELIGIBILITY Prince George WHEREAS the deteriorating condition of road infrastructure is a national crisis which has eroded public safety for first responders and the travelling public; AND WHEREAS the financial burden imposed by the requirement to replace and repair deteriorating road infrastructure is not sustainable for local governments; AND WHEREAS the Federal Gas Tax Program provides funding for sustainable infrastructure: THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED that UBCM work with its federal and provincial partners to amend the Federal Gas Tax Program agreement, specifically to expand the eligibility criteria to include maintenance and replacement of roadways at a sustainable level and to a standard that restores public safety for first responders and the travelling public.

ON MOTION, was NOT ENDORSED Councillor Sav Dhaliwal assumed the Chair and continued consideration of Section B – Part 2-b resolutions.

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B138 BUSINESS CLASS EXEMPTION Vernon WHEREAS the statutory property exemption for business Class 6 assessments is $10,000, regardless of the property value; AND WHEREAS the business Class 6 exemption has remained unchanged since implementation in 1984 despite increasing assessments: THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED that the provincial government review the business class exemption for Class 6 assessments and consider an increase to $50,000 for the statutory property exemption, in order to provide small businesses, in the province of British Columbia, a fair exemption for their increased assessed property value.

ON MOTION, was NOT ENDORSED B139 RURAL TOURISM ASSESSMENTS Cariboo RD WHEREAS the extraordinarily high property assessments for rural tourism resorts have made these businesses economically unfeasible, and numerous rural resorts have been forced to close their tourism operations as a result; AND WHEREAS in 1996, the Province of British Columbia recognized this problem and introduced the Tourist Accommodation (Assessment Relief) Act to provide an exemption of up to $150,000 of assessed value in order to provide some relief for owners of tourism accommodation; however, that exemption limit has remained unchanged over the fifteen years since the introduction of the Act despite increasing assessments: THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED that the UBCM lobby the Province of British Columbia to implement the following legislative changes for rural British Columbia tourism operators:

• increase the maximum eligible reduction in assessed property values under the Tourist Accommodation (Assessment Relief) Act from $150,000 to $500,000 for rural operators;

• raise the threshold for the reducing formula from $2,000,000 to $4,000,000; and • introduce formulae to increase the maximum eligible reduction in assessed property values

and raise the threshold for applying the reducing formula in proportion to average assessment valuation increases for accommodations.


NOMINATIONS FROM THE FLOOR At 11:25 a.m. Councillor Barbara Steele, Chair of the Nominating Committee, called for nominations from the floor for the positions of Small Community Representative, Electoral Area Representative, Vancouver Metro Area Representative and Director at Large. Those nominated at the close of nominations were: Small Community Representative: Mayor Galina Durant, District of Stewart Electoral Area Representative: Director Wendy Booth, Regional District of East Kootenay Director Art Kaehn, Fraser-Fort George Regional District Vancouver Metro Area Representative: Mayor Peter Fassbender, City of Langley Councillor Michael Morden, District of Maple Ridge Director at Large: Mayor Sharon Gaetz, City of Chilliwack Councillor Wesly Graham, Town of Creston Councillor Murry Krause, City of Prince George Councillor Claire Moglove, City of Campbell River Mayor David Pernarowski, City of Terrace Director Jerrilyn Schembri, Peace River Regional District

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Councillor Steele declared the position of Small Community Representative elected by acclamation and the Vancouver Metro Area Representatives elected by acclamation and declared there would be elections for the positions of Electoral Area Representative and Director at Large. CANDIDATES’ SPEECHES The delegates heard brief two-minute presentations from each of the candidates for the positions of Electoral Area Representative and Director at Large.

ADDRESS BY JANE STERK LEADER OF THE GREEN PARTY OF BC

Director Heath Slee, introduced Ms. Sterk, who then addressed the delegates. Ms. Sterk outlined the key policies of the Green Party of BC, and was thanked by President Slee. At 12:00 p.m., the Plenary adjourned.

DELEGATES LUNCH

The Annual Delegates’ Lunch was held in the Crystal Garden of the Victoria Conference Centre. The lunch was sponsored by Central 1 Credit Union.

INTRODUCTION OF LIFE MEMBERS The President, Director Heath Slee introduced the head table and the following Life Members who were in attendance: Past Presidents: Ms. Gillian Trumper Port Alberni 1996-1997 Mr. Steve Wallace Quesnel 1997-1998 Mayor John Ranta Cache Creek 1998-1999 Director Jim Abram Strathcona RD 2000-2001 Director Hans Cunningham Central Kootenay RD 2001-2002 Mayor Frank Leonard Saanich 2003-2004 Councillor Marvin Hunt Surrey 2005-2006 Ms. Brenda Binnie Castlegar 2006-2007 Chair Susan Gimse Squamish-Lillooet RD 2007-2008 Chair Robert Hobson Central Okanagan RD 2008-2009 Councillor Barbara Steele Surrey 2010-2011 Local Government Ministers, Deputies, and UBCM Staff: Ms. Darlene Marzari Vancouver Minister of Municipal Affairs, 1993-96 Murray Coell, MLA Saanich North & the Islands Minister of Community, Aboriginal &

Women’s Services, 2004-2005 Hon. Ida Chong, MLA Oak Bay-Gordon Head Minister of Community, Aboriginal &

Women’s Services, 2005-2008 Minister of Community, Sport & Cultural Development, 2011-2012

Blair Lekstrom, MLA Peace River South Minister of Community Development, 2008-2009

Kevin Krueger, MLA Kamloops-South Thompson Minister of Community Development, 2009 Hon. Bill Bennett, MLA Kootenay East Minister of Community Development, 2009-

2010 Hon. Ben Stewart, MLA Westside-Kelowna Minister of Community & Rural

Development, 2010 Mr. Richard Taylor Victoria UBCM Executive Director, 1982-2007

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SPECIAL GUESTS Corien Speaker, First Vice-President, Local Government Management Association Honourable Bill Bennett, Minister of Community, Sport and Cultural Development Mrs. Beth Bennett Michael McEvoy, President, BC School Trustees Association Richard Thomas, Central 1 Credit Union

UBCM/BCSTA PROTOCOL ON CONSULTATION AND COOPERATION

UBCM and the BC School Trustees Association renewed their Protocol on Consultation and Cooperation. Originally signed in 2001, last signed in 2009, the three-year term had expired. The Protocol represents the two organizations’ continued commitment to work together to achieve the province-wide benefits of collaboration on issues of mutual interest. A renewed Protocol was signed by President Heath Slee on behalf of UBCM and Michael McEvoy, President of the BC School Trustees Association. At 1:30 p.m. delegates were invited to attend the BC Public Libraries reception – In Conversation with the Minister of Education in the Palm Court of the Fairmont Empress Hotel.

CONCURRENT WORKSHOPS At 2:30 p.m. the following concurrent workshops were held:

• Voting Over the Internet in 2014? • Wireless Antenna Siting Forum • Packaging and Printed Paper in BC: Changes to the Blue Box • RCMP Contract Update • Focus on Seniors – A Collaborative Approach

The sessions adjourned at 4:30 p.m.

ANNUAL UBCM BANQUET

In the evening, the Annual Banquet was held for delegates and guests at the Victoria Conference Centre with the Reception and entertainment sponsored by Fortis BC. President Slee presented Long-Service Awards in recognition of 25 years of service in local government to:

• Mayor Dieter Albert Bogs, City of Trail • Councillor Wyatt McMurray, Village of Cache Creek • Director Ralph Roy, Regional District of Bulkley-Nechako • Councillor Patricia Wallace, City of Kamloops

Mayor Mary Sjostrom, President-Elect, presented a Life Membership to Director Heath Slee, UBCM President. Mr. Gord Schoberg from Fortis BC introduced Steve Patterson of CBC’s The Debaters, who provided the entertainment for the evening. On Friday September 28, 2012, the Plenary reconvened at 8:00 a.m.

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ADDRESS BY THE HONOURABLE JAMES MOORE MINISTER OF CANADIAN HERITAGE AND

OFFICIAL LANGUAGES President Heath Slee introduced the Honourable James Moore, Minister of Canadian Heritage and Official Languages. Minister Moore’s address is annexed to these minutes as Appendix E. Mayor Mary Sjostrom thanked Minister Moore. POLICY SESSION – RESOLUTIONS The policy session resumed at 8:35 a.m. on Friday morning. REPORT ON RESOLUTIONS RECEIVED AFTER THE DEADLINE Councillor Sav Dhaliwal assumed the Chair and presented the Report on Resolutions Received After the Deadline. Councillor Dhaliwal was joined by the other members of the Resolutions Committee: Mayor Sharon Gaetz, Mayor Greg Moore and Chair Joe Stanhope. They were assisted by Parliamentarian Ian Izard, UBCM Executive Director Gary MacIsaac and other UBCM staff. A. EMERGENCY RESOLUTIONS: ADMIT FOR PLENARY DEBATE FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 28

AS ISSUES EMERGING SINCE THE DEADLINE LR1 Call Answer Levy for Wireless Service Providers Nanaimo City LR2 Invasive Species – Quagga & Zebra Mussels Columbia Shuswap RD LR3 Small Water Systems Treatment Central Kootenay RD LR4 Discontinuation of Live Television Coverage of Council Meetings North Vancouver City B. REFER TO UBCM EXECUTIVE N/A C. LATE RESOLUTIONS: NOT APPROPRIATE FOR DEBATE (Issues known before the June 30 deadline for resolutions) LR5 Personal Information of Elected Officials New Westminster LR6 Requirement for By-elections Lake Cowichan LR7 Regulations for Motorized Scooters Sidney LR8 Standards & Regulations for Small Fire Departments Canal Flats LR9 Use of Parkland Reserve Funds Canal Flats LR10 Financial Assistance for MESA Calls Canal Flats LR11 Fish Habitat Protection Strathcona RD LR12 Scotch Broom Parksville LR13 Smoking Laws New Westminster LR14 Access to Medical Services Kaslo LR15 Use of Electronic Mail Surrey LR16 Tethering of Dogs Surrey A motion, duly moved and seconded, to withdraw resolution LR4 from consideration, was endorsed. A motion, duly moved and seconded, that the Report on Resolutions Received After the Deadline be amended to admit resolution LR6 for debate, was endorsed. A motion, duly moved and seconded, that the Report on Resolutions Received After the Deadline be adopted as amended, was endorsed. Resolutions LR1, LR2, LR3 and LR6 were then considered.

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LR1 CALL ANSWER LEVY FOR WIRELESS SERVICE PROVIDERS Nanaimo City WHEREAS almost one half of all emergency calls to 9-1-1 are now made from cellular telephones; AND WHEREAS wireless service providers are not required to collect a call answer levy that would contribute to the cost of providing the 9-1-1 service: THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED that UBCM urge the provincial government to enact legislation similar to that enacted in Nova Scotia and Saskatchewan that would require all telephone service providers, including wireless service providers, to collect a call answer levy as a means to contribute to the costs associated with the delivery of 9-1-1 emergency service.

ON MOTION, was ENDORSED LR2 INVASIVE SPECIES – QUAGGA & ZEBRA MUSSELS Columbia Shuswap RD WHEREAS an aquatic vessel originating from Arizona and identified as carrying Quagga mussels was launched in Shuswap Lake in July 2012 resulting in an emergency response by the Ministry of Environment to determine if live mussels had been introduced into Shuswap Lake and to implement quarantine and decontamination measures; AND WHEREAS Quagga and Zebra mussels are a non-native invasive species that pose a serious threat to British Columbia’s natural aquatic ecosystems and can produce significant negative impacts to the economy; AND WHEREAS Quagga and Zebra mussel populations have invaded regions in Ontario and fourteen US states and are threatening neighbouring jurisdictions with new introductions with the primary vector for new colonies of Quagga and Zebra mussels being their transport on or within boats crossing from infested to non-infested waters; AND WHEREAS Quagga and Zebra mussels act as prodigious water filterers, removing substantial amounts of phytoplankton and suspended particulate from the water ultimately resulting in a proliferation of aquatic plants that can change species dominance, alter the entire lake ecosystem and adversely affect infrastructure such as water intakes: THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED that UBCM request that the Province of BC take immediate measures to protect the lakes of British Columbia from introduction of Quagga and Zebra mussels through mandatory inspections of vessels being transported from Quagga or Zebra mussel infested waters.

ON MOTION, was ENDORSED LR3 SMALL WATER SYSTEMS TREATMENT Central Kootenay RD WHEREAS the provincial government released in April 2012 the Guidance Document for Determining Ground Water at Risk of Containing Pathogens (GARP) including Ground Water Under Direct Influence of Surface Water (GWUDI); AND WHEREAS local governments did not review these documents prior to their release, and have not provided input into or feedback on these documents: THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED that UBCM oppose the Guidance Document for Determining Ground Water at Risk of Containing Pathogens including Ground Water Under Direct Influence of Surface Water.

ON MOTION, was ENDORSED LR6 REQUIREMENT FOR BY-ELECTIONS Lake Cowichan WHEREAS from time to time wholesale vacancies are caused at the local government level, be it at the municipal, regional district or school district levels, through ministerial intervention as has occurred at the Cowichan Valley School District #79;

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AND WHEREAS s. 37 of the Local Government Act and s. 36 of the School Act make provision for by-elections to be conducted as soon as reasonably possible after the vacancies occur and in accordance with the statutory requirements: THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED that UBCM petition the Province to issue a ministerial order for elections to be conducted in a local government where vacancies are caused by ministerial intervention so that the democratic rights of the citizens of the affected political jurisdiction are properly protected and served and the business of the local government may be appropriately exercised through its duly elected representatives.


PACKAGING AND PRINTED PAPER PRODUCT STEWARDSHIP POLICY PAPER Director Rhona Martin, Chair of the Environment Committee presented the policy paper “Packaging and Printed Paper Product Stewardship”. The policy paper is attached as Appendix F. On motion, duly moved and seconded, that the recommendations outlined in the policy paper “Packaging and Printed Paper Product Stewardship” be approved, was adopted.

COLLABORATIVE WATERSHED GOVERNANCE ACCORD POLICY PAPER Director Rhona Martin, Chair of the Environment Committee, then presented the policy paper “Collaborative Watershed Governance Accord”. The policy paper is attached as Appendix G. On motion, duly moved and seconded, that the recommendations outlined in the policy paper “Collaborative Watershed Governance Accord” be approved, was adopted. SECTION B – PART 2-b RESOLUTIONS Councillor Sav Dhaliwal resumed the Chair and continued consideration of Section B – Part 2-b resolutions. B140 MAKING BOARDS OF VARIANCE OPTIONAL Bulkley-Nechako RD WHEREAS local governments in British Columbia are capable of dealing with all applications that are within the jurisdiction of the Board of Variance; AND WHEREAS the establishment and maintenance of a Board of Variance is an unnecessary administrative burden for many local governments: THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED that the Province be requested to amend the Local Government Act provisions regarding the Board of Variance as necessary to allow local governments to opt out of the requirement to establish a Board of Variance.

ON MOTION, was NOT ENDORSED B141 SITING OF TELECOMMUNICATIONS TOWERS & ANTENNAE Esquimalt WHEREAS telecommunications towers and antennae are governed and regulated by the federal government through Industry Canada and there is currently limited opportunity for input by the local government and its residents into their location and installation, and local government requirements, including those for building, development, land use and other permits, do not apply to telecommunications towers and antennae; AND WHEREAS the local government and its residents have legitimate concerns regarding the aesthetics of and impacts on the community as well as the potential health and safety impacts arising from the increasing proliferation of telecommunications towers and antennae throughout our communities: THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED that UBCM call on the federal government to amend the applicable federal legislation and regulations to stipulate that local government permits, including building,

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development, land use and other permits, be required prior to the approval by the federal government of any telecommunications towers or antennae within the boundaries of that local government. A motion, duly moved and seconded, to amend the resolution by replacing the original enactment clause with three new enactment clauses, was endorsed. The resolution, as amended, then read: THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED that UBCM work with FCM and the federal government to require Industry Canada to conduct meaningful consultations with local governments prior to approval and installation of telecommunication towers or antennae, including input on siting, aesthetics, safety, intensity and impact on property values; AND BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that UBCM work with FCM and the federal government to develop and adopt best practices for minimizing the impacts of towers in communities; AND BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that where there are issues with towers following installation, that the federal government be required to work cooperatively with the local government to ensure issues are resolved in a timely manner.

ON MOTION, as amended, was ENDORSED B142 TIME ALLOTTED FOR RESOLUTION DEBATE AT UBCM Cariboo RD WHEREAS the debate of resolutions at the UBCM Convention is the most critical aspect of the convention to the delegates; AND WHEREAS ample time should be given on the convention agenda for discussion, debate and decision on each and every resolution submitted: THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED that the UBCM Executive and staff undertake policy amendments to ensure that sufficient time is provided to hear and decide upon all resolutions submitted for consideration at the annual UBCM Convention.

ON MOTION, was ENDORSED B143 MARKET RENTAL HOUSING STOCK New Westminster WHEREAS market rental housing provides an important housing supply for low to moderate income earners; AND WHEREAS on average, only 675 purpose-built rental units are built in Metro Vancouver each year; AND WHEREAS the region’s existing rental stock is aging and at risk for redevelopment; AND WHEREAS there is a significant economic impairment to developing market rental housing compared to strata condo development: THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED that the provincial government provide incentives for the retention of existing and development of new market rental housing, including but not limited to:

• elimination of provincial sales tax on the construction and operation of purpose built rental buildings;

• amendments to the Strata Property Act to limit opportunities for strata organizations to implement rental restriction bylaws; and

• allowing municipalities to apply separate property tax rates to rental properties. A motion, duly moved and seconded, to amend the resolution by shortening the enactment clause to end after the phrase “new market rental housing”, was endorsed.

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The resolution, as amended, then read: THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED that the provincial government provide incentives for the retention of existing and development of new market rental housing.

ON MOTION, as amended, was ENDORSED B144 MOTOR VEHICLE INSURANCE FOR ELECTED OFFICIALS Logan Lake WHEREAS council members are required to attend council and committee meetings as part of their statutory duties; AND WHEREAS some council members have to obtain commuting or business motor vehicle insurance coverage for their work outside of local government functions and the remaining council members have only pleasure insurance coverage; AND WHEREAS the pleasure rate class only allows council members to attend six council meetings or functions per month without requiring a more expensive rate class: THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED that the provincial government work with ICBC to amend the pleasure rate classification to allow all elected council members to attend up to twelve meetings or functions per month without requiring the council members to have the commuting rate classification.

ON MOTION, was NOT ENDORSED B145 BUILDING REGULATIONS – NON-POTABLE WATER Vernon WHEREAS it is deemed in the public interest to provide effective regulations for the use of reclaimed or non-potable water sources in plumbing systems; AND WHEREAS the Building and Safety Standards Branch of the Office of Housing and Construction Standards of the Ministry of Energy and Mines is currently considering the inclusion of regulations for non-potable sources of water to be included in the 2012 BC Building Regulations: THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED that BC Building Code amendments be provided that will limit the liability to local governments associated with ensuring the minimum water quality standards are met for non-potable water and provide consistent guidance to achieving that goal; AND BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the regulations ensure processes are created that are not unduly onerous on the local government and homeowner and that the procedural application of permitting and approval is no more difficult than that for the potable water system.

ON MOTION, was ENDORSED SECTION B – PART 3-a RESOLUTIONS Mayor Greg Moore assumed the Chair and commenced consideration of Section B – Part 3-a resolutions. A motion, duly moved and seconded, that the recommendations of the Resolutions Committee for Section B – Part 3-a resolutions be adopted, was endorsed. The resolutions were endorsed as follows: B146 RELEASE OF DANGEROUS OFFENDERS Cariboo RD WHEREAS the criminal justice system in Canada does not prohibit dangerous offenders from being released into small rural communities, although there may be other conditions enforced upon them; AND WHEREAS most small rural communities across Canada have neither the resources to rehabilitate the offender, nor an RCMP detachment to protect their citizens from these criminals who may be at risk to reoffend:

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THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED that UBCM lobby the federal government to enact laws that would prohibit the conditional release of dangerous offenders into small communities that do not have an RCMP detachment to protect their citizens nor other resources to rehabilitate the dangerous offender.

ON MOTION, was ENDORSED B147 PROVINCIAL REMEDIATION PROCESS FOR INAPPROPRIATELY Langley City USED BUILDINGS WHEREAS it is not possible for any prospective property purchaser or tenant to be certain if a building they are considering for purchase or lease has been remediated through a process that would ensure health and safety risks have been eradicated; AND WHEREAS the inappropriate use of buildings for agriculture activity (e.g. grow-ops) and the production of synthetic drugs can result in the significant damage to the properties and if inadequately remediated, this type of damage can have serious health and safety implications for occupants: THEREFORE IT BE RESOLVED that the remediation processes for inappropriately used buildings shall be a centralized, consistent process for remediation and the Government of British Columbia shall play the controlling role, using existing BC provincial legislation as the foundation for this approach.

ON MOTION, was ENDORSED B148 WORKPLACE SAFETY AWARENESS Cariboo RD WHEREAS workplace fatalities continue to occur in British Columbia, but are often not brought to the attention of the public; AND WHEREAS each death that occurs in the workplace is tragic and deserves to be properly acknowledged and mourned: THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED that the provincial government be encouraged to implement measures designed to increase awareness of workplace safety (for example, such measures could include the requirement for a province-wide news release whenever a worker is killed on the job, or the installation of a permanent plaque to honour the victim(s) at the site of workplace fatalities).

ON MOTION, was ENDORSED B149 WIRELESS HIGH SPEED INTERNET Hudson’s Hope WHEREAS the lack of access to high-speed internet adversely affects the economic well being of communities; AND WHEREAS the unused spectrum formerly needed by stations transmitting analogue television signals could be used to transmit internet service: THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED that UBCM petition the federal government (Industry Canada) to approve a portion of the unlicensed spectrum for use as wireless regional area networks at the earliest possible date.

ON MOTION, was ENDORSED SECTION B – PART 3-b RESOLUTIONS Mayor Greg Moore, still in the Chair, commenced consideration of Section B – Part 3-b resolutions. B150 TAX BENEFITS FOR VOLUNTEERS North Okanagan RD WHEREAS volunteerism is valued by society as a fundamental good; AND WHEREAS volunteers deserve recognition for the time and expertise given for the benefit of society;

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AND WHEREAS it is becoming increasingly difficult to find willing individuals to volunteer their time: THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED that UBCM, in consultation with the Federation of Canadian Municipalities lobby the federal government to pass legislation to amend the Income Tax Act to provide volunteers with a tax benefit.

ON MOTION, was NOT ENDORSED B151 SKILLED PROFESSIONALS Vanderhoof WHEREAS there is a growing need to attract and retain qualified, skilled professionals to meet the increased demands of the resource industry in northern British Columbia: THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED that UBCM lobby the federal government to provide a tax credit of $3,000.00 for a period of five years for graduating skilled professionals who choose to be educated in and live in rural British Columbia.

ON MOTION, was ENDORSED B152 MOVE UP THE HST TO GST/PST TRANSITION DEADLINE Burnaby WHEREAS the implementation of the HST has negatively affected many businesses, notably small businesses and the hospitality industry; AND WHEREAS in August 2011 the people of British Columbia voted to eliminate the HST: THEREFORE IT BE RESOLVED that UBCM urge the provincial government to move up the HST to GST/PST transition date from March 31, 2013 to an earlier date.

ON MOTION, was NOT ENDORSED B153 WORKSAFE BC – HAZARDOUS MATERIALS REGULATIONS Powell River City WHEREAS recent changes affecting WorkSafe BC regulations have resulted in the obligation to perform a hazardous risk assessment on any building constructed prior to 1990 that is planned for renovation or demolition; AND WHEREAS compliance with the regulations requires that the hazardous risk assessment is undertaken by a qualified person; AND WHEREAS compliance with the regulations is onerous and costly to owners and employers; AND WHEREAS failure to comply with the WorkSafe BC regulations may create potential public health problems due to exposure to undetected hazardous materials: THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED that UBCM request the provincial government to provide financial assistance to owners and employers to undertake the required hazardous risk assessment to ensure public safety from harmful exposure to hazardous materials.

ON MOTION, was NOT ENDORSED B154 SHARK FIN HARVESTING North Vancouver City WHEREAS shark fin harvesting is an inhumane and wasteful practice serving a very narrow and sometimes criminal marketplace; AND WHEREAS shark fin harvesting, by taking large and increasing numbers of an “apex” species whose reduction in the ocean eco-system has significant impacts upon other species: THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED that UBCM call on the provincial government to implement a province-wide ban on the possession, sale, and distribution of shark fin;

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AND BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the federal government ban the import of shark fin into Canada.

ON MOTION, was ENDORSED B155 DUTY-FREE & TAX-FREE LIMITS Castlegar WHEREAS duty and tax-free goods purchased in the United States negatively impact the economic sustainability of British Columbia communities located near the Canada/United States border; AND WHEREAS, effective June 1, 2012, the federal government’s Economic Action Plan 2012 increased the value of goods that may be imported duty and tax-free by Canadian residents returning from abroad after a 24-hour period from $50 to $200; AND WHEREAS, effective June 1, 2012 the federal government’s Economic Action Plan 2012 increased the value of goods that may be imported duty and tax-free by Canadian residents returning from abroad after a 48-hour period from $400 to $800: THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED that the UBCM petition the federal government to reinstate the former duty and tax-free limits; AND BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the UBCM lobby the provincial government to oppose the increase in duty and tax-free limits.

ON MOTION, was NOT ENDORSED B156 SIGNAGE & SAFE PULL-OUTS FOR HIGHWAY AREAS WITH CELL Greenwood PHONE COVERAGE WHEREAS much of today’s travelling public is dependent on the technology of cell phone service to not only stay in touch with family members but for added safety features for emergency reasons; AND WHEREAS many areas within cell phone coverage in rural BC are not identified: THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED that proper signage and safe pull-outs be installed in areas throughout BC where coverage is available identifying it as a “hotspot” with cell phone connectivity. A motion, duly moved and seconded, to amend the resolution by removing the term “hotspot” from the enactment clause, was endorsed. The resolution, as amended, then read: THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED that proper signage and safe pull-outs be installed in areas throughout BC where coverage is available, identifying these areas as having cell phone connectivity.

ON MOTION, as amended, was ENDORSED B157 LIQUOR SERVICES FOR EVENTS IN UNLICENSED VENUES Whistler Pemberton Squamish Squamish-Lillooet RD WHEREAS festivals and special events are of vital important to tourism in British Columbia, and liquor service using a Special Occasion License may be a component of events held in unlicensed venues; AND WHEREAS provincial Liquor Control and Licensing Branch (LCLB) policies can result in inconveniences, uncertainties and delays in obtaining a Special Occasion License for an event: THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED that UBCM support changes to LCLB licensing provisions for the service of liquor in venues without a permanent liquor license, including:

• allow qualified commercial caterers to be eligible for a liquor license;

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• allow qualified licensed establishments to be eligible for a catering endorsement to their liquor license;

• allow caterers, event planners and businesses involved with the planning and management of events to be eligible for a Special Occasion License; and

• allow, for certain Special Occasion Licensed events with local government council/board and police support, for people to walk around freely with an alcoholic beverage in areas where minors are present;

AND BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the issuing of liquor licenses to caterers not have negative impacts on existing licensed establishments and local communities. A motion, duly moved and seconded, to amend the resolution by striking the fourth bullet point from the first enactment clause, was not endorsed.

ON MOTION, was ENDORSED B158 RESTORE FUNDING TO KATIMAVIK Quesnel WHEREAS the Katimavik curriculum serves to foster the lives of young Canadians and promotes civic engagement through long and short term service for community partners across Canada; AND WHEREAS the Katimavik program is an important resource to the City of Quesnel community and region: THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED that the Federation of Canadian Municipalities and the Union of British Columbia Municipalities lobby the federal government to find funding alternatives to reinstate Katimavik programs.

ON MOTION, was ENDORSED A motion, duly moved and seconded, that resolution C37 be admitted for debate, was endorsed. C37 HIGHWAY OF TEARS SAFETY Smithers WHEREAS a number of young women, mostly aboriginal, have been murdered or have gone missing along a stretch of Highway 16 in northern British Columbia now referred to as the “Highway of Tears”; AND WHEREAS many of these missing women are believed to have been hitch hiking between communities where there is a lack of public transit: THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED that UBCM petition the British Columbia government to implement the recommendation of the Highway of Tears Symposium by establishing and funding a shuttle bus service between northern communities.

ON MOTION, was ENDORSED RESULTS OF ELECTION FOR ELECTORAL AREA REPRESENTATIVE AND DIRECTOR AT LARGE Councillor Barbara Steele, Chair of the Nominating Committee, assumed the Chair and presented the election results for: Electoral Area Representative: Director Art Kaehn, Fraser-Fort George Regional District Director At Large: Mayor Sharon Gaetz, City of Chilliwack Councillor Murry Krause, City of Prince George Councillor Claire Moglove, City of Campbell River Mayor David Pernarowski, City of Terrace Director Jerrilyn Schembri, Peace River Regional District A motion, duly moved and seconded, to destroy the ballots, was endorsed. Convention recessed and reconvened at 10:15 a.m.

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INSTALLATION OF PRESIDENT-ELECT At 10:15 a.m., Director Heath Slee, UBCM Past President introduced the new President-Elect, Mayor Mary Sjostrom from the City of Quesnel. Mayor Sjostrom provided a number of acknowledgements and outlined some of the priorities for the coming year.

ADDRESS BY THE HONOURABLE CHRISTY CLARK PREMIER OF BRITISH COLUMBIA

Director Heath Slee introduced Premier Clark, who then addressed the delegates. Premier Clark’s address is annexed to these minutes as Appendix H. Mayor Mary Sjostrom thanked the Premier. PORT METRO VANCOUVER CRUISE PRIZE Ms. Carmen Ortega, Manager, Business Development for Port Metro Vancouver presented the cruise prize to Director Debbie Demare of Squamish-Lillooet Regional District, with Premier Clark drawing the name.

CONVENTION CLOSING Mayor Mary Sjostrom closed the Convention. The Convention adjourned at 11:30 a.m. Certified Correct Gary MacIsaac Executive Director

APPENDIX A

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ADDRESS BY COUNCILLOR KAREN LEIBOVICI FCM PRESIDENT

Thank you so much for that kind introduction. It is a pleasure to be here today in “Beautiful British Columbia” proudly representing the Federation of Canadian Municipalities. FCM is your voice in Ottawa and has been the national voice of Canadian municipalities since 1901. We represent about 90 per cent of Canada’s population – almost 2,000 municipalities across the country. Merci beaucoup pour cette aimable présentation. C’est un plaisir et une fierté pour moi de représenter la Fédération canadienne des municipalités aujourd’hui. We promote and safeguard the interests of all Canadian communities – big or small, rural or urban – on policy and program matters that fall within federal jurisdiction – matters such as infrastructure, rights of ways and telecommunications, policing, housing, the environment, rural and northern concerns, and many other issues. I am joined here today by FCM Board and Committee members. I would like to ask them to stand, and stay standing, when I call their names. They are:

• Sav Dhaliwal, Councillor – City of Burnaby • Chris Coleman, Councillor – City of Victoria • Susie Gimse, Chair – Squamish Lillooet Regional District • Marvin Hunt, Councillor – City of Surrey • Bob Long, Councillor – Township of Langley • John Dooley, Mayor – City of Nelson and BC Caucus Chair

To all of you standing, I would like to express my deepest thanks for giving your time, your expertise and your energy to support FCM’s work for our members here in British Columbia and across the country. Thank you all! As municipal leaders, we hear from people in our communities every day – and we have a pretty good idea what they want. They want their water to flow, their roads and bridges to be safe, their drainage systems to work and they also know when there are problems on whose door to knock – yours and mine, the door of local government across the country. In my remarks today, I am going to focus mainly on infrastructure and the need for long-term, sustainable sources of funding. This is a very important time for Canada’s local governments because, as you are aware, about $2 billion in annual infrastructure funding that municipalities receive from the federal government is set to expire in 2014 – that’s about one-third of the total funding we get from Ottawa. If a satisfactory agreement cannot be reached to replace these expiring programs, the potential loss of funding will deliver a body blow to local governments across Canada that are already struggling to keep up with a crippling infrastructure deficit. Across our country, there is momentum building and with the leadership shown by local governments, I believe we are at the cusp of a key breakthrough in our relationship with both federal and provincial/territorial governments. Infrastructure is the backbone of the Canadian economy, yet for many years its importance has been neglected by other orders of government. We know from past research that the infrastructure deficit was $123 billion five years ago and we also know it has increased since then. We are all aware of the importance of federal infrastructure funding programs to our communities. Here in BC, the Gas Tax Fund alone will provide almost $1.5 billion to municipalities from 2007 to 2014, $250 million of which flowed into the province over the past year. Then there’s the Building Canada Fund, which has provided about $920 million in financial support for 175 projects across the province.

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Both UBCM and FCM have been working diligently with other provincial and territorial associations to ensure that the current level of federal funding is not only maintained but enhanced. We have been consistent in our messages – that there is a need for long-term, sustainable, predictable, flexible funding that meets the needs of local governments. We have also stated that any new funding plan must be timely to ensure we do not miss a construction season. In Budget 2011, the Government of Canada committed to developing a new long-term infrastructure plan with the help of municipalities, provinces, territories and other stakeholders. The federal government is delivering on that commitment through a three-phase process. For those of you who attended our Annual Conference in June, you would have heard Minister of Infrastructure, Transport and Communities, Denis Lebel, tell delegates that the new long-term infrastructure plan will be in place in time to ensure municipalities do not miss a construction season – and that promise has now been repeated many times. Then in July, Minister Lebel and other officials hosted regional roundtables across the country – including one in Vancouver – to gather municipal input into the plan. FCM led the effort to ensure municipal representatives at the roundtables were briefed and prepared. The result is that they spoke compellingly, with a consistent, united message around the need for the plan, repeating the urgency of having it in place before the 2014 construction season, and outlining what its objectives should be from a local point of view. These roundtables represent an historic breakthrough in federal-provincial-municipal cooperation. For the first time, all three orders of government met at the same table, discussing and planning future policy and funding decisions. In the past, FCM has actively pursued the recognition that within the Constitution local government must be an equal partner and have a seat at the table with respect to issues concerning local governments. We continue to do this one step at a time, as we build a partnership with both the federal government and provincial/territorial governments. We are developing new models of federal-municipal cooperation that will provide a basis for future discussions on key municipal issues ranging from policing and housing to the environment and rural needs. At the roundtables, our submissions were based on three basic principles, which reflect the fact that we believe that funding of this country’s infrastructure is not an expenditure but a vital investment by all three orders of government. For every dollar municipalities invest in local infrastructure, federal, provincial and territorial governments receive a combined 35 cents, mainly through new income and sales taxes – 18 cents going to Ottawa and 17 cents to provincial or territorial governments. The first principle we call “Securing Our Economic Foundations”. The new plan must ensure our cities and communities can repair crumbling roads, bridges, water systems and public transit while building and maintaining the new infrastructure Canada needs to grow and compete in a tough global economy. The fact is … municipalities collect only 8 cents of every tax dollar paid in Canada yet we maintain, operate and own more than 50 per cent of the country’s infrastructure. Under the new plan, the federal government must put a fair share of the taxes that Canadians pay back into the communities where they live. In addition, the plan must have flexible funding programs to accommodate the distinct needs of different communities. As well, and it bears repeating, the plan must be sustainable, long term (maybe even permanent like the Gas Tax Fund) and predictable. The second principle, we call “Protecting Recent Gains”. Any new infrastructure plan must build on these gains by replacing the $2 billion per year that had been available through the Building Canada Fund; indexing federal investments like the Gas Tax Fund to protect their long-term value; and designing longer-lasting funding programs to ensure infrastructure is built, financed and maintained over decades, not years.

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The third and final principle is “Meeting New and Growing Challenges”. The long-term infrastructure plan must confront new challenges that threaten Canada’s economy and quality of life. These include the more than $20-billion cost of meeting new federal wastewater standards; traffic gridlock and inadequate public transit; and adapting roads and water systems for extreme weather caused by a changing climate. How badly do our municipalities need this new long-term infrastructure plan? Well, I’ve already mentioned the massive infrastructure deficit, but there’s more … on September 11, FCM released Canada’s first infrastructure report card, which reviews roads, water, wastewater treatment and storm water systems. It shows our municipal infrastructure is at risk, with more than half of municipal roads requiring significant repairs and one in four wastewater plants needing major upgrades. The report card, which reports on more than 120 municipalities representing 60 per cent of the Canadian population, states that that one in four roads is over capacity, transporting far more people and goods than they were designed to handle. We know that, without immediate improvement and ongoing maintenance, the cost of fixing or replacing these aging assets will dramatically increase. Over the last 10 years, FCM and Canada’s municipal leaders have fought hard for a fairer deal for our communities, for a fair share of revenues and for a new partnership with the federal government that will strengthen our economy, strengthen our communities and give us a say at the national table. We have been successful but now, in conjunction with associations like UBCM, we need to make sure that provincial and territorial governments understand and support the new long-term infrastructure plan and are ready to invest in what we, local governments, need. There needs to be a recognition, an understanding that this is a three-way partnership and that local governments don’t come to the table empty-handed – we bring one-half to one-third of the funding for many capital projects! In the past, however, local governments were taken for granted all too often. This is our time to say that local governments are the drivers of the economy; the builders of communities; the places where people live, work and play. Canada’s future is local. So this brings me to what you can do to help. In June, FCM launched Target 2014, a nationwide campaign to rally our members around our call for a long-term infrastructure plan that answers the needs of municipalities and adheres to the principles I mentioned a moment ago. Since its launch, community after community has passed resolutions endorsing Target 2014 and calling on the government to ensure that the new long-term plan is fully in place by 2014. In all, more than 160 municipalities across the country have passed these resolutions. With every resolution passed, it helps us tell the story to our constituents, our MPs and our local papers that what is at stake is the ability of Canada to be competitive internationally. Here in BC, more than 30 municipalities – ranging from the villages of Montrose and Gold River to the Regional District of Cariboo and cities such as Langley and Vancouver – have passed council resolutions supporting Target 2014. I am asking you to join with these other municipalities across BC and across Canada who’ve already lent their support to Target 2014 by passing a resolution and spreading the word in your community. The strength of FCM, as your voice in Ottawa, is based on your participation and support. Much like UBCM is your voice in British Columbia, we are your voice to the federal government and so we need your resolutions to demonstrate to Ottawa the importance of maintaining and obtaining sustainable funding. Funding that enables us to build and operate existing and new infrastructure to support increasing demand from our citizens and the growth of our cities and communities. To galvanize our local economies, and make Canada more competitive and help create jobs.

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We know you are all busy, so we’re making it easy to join Target 2014. In the member area of our website, fcm.ca, we have sample resolutions, key messages that you can use when speaking with the media, and other resources. So here’s what you can do: Visit our website, get those free resources and pass your resolution. Spread the word through your local media, social media and across local community groups – and be sure to take this message to your MLA. Like us (we like to be liked) on Facebook and tweet “I support #Target2014.” Also, email [email protected], so we can add you to our email list and keep you informed about the latest developments. You can also work with UBCM to make sure your provincial government supports the long-term infrastructure plan and is ready to invest in municipal priorities. Tomorrow afternoon at 4:30, FCM will be hosting a session where we’ll get into more detail about Target 2014 and our ask. I hope you’ll be there! So now is the time to get on board with Target 2014. There is no choice. Action is needed now. For if we are not able to act, the delay will mean projects not done today will cost many times more in the future. Let’s make a statement together. Let’s secure a long-term infrastructure plan that works for all cities and communities across Canada. Thank you! Now, as FCM President, I have the honor of announcing a special award. This year, FCM is celebrating 25 years of working with municipalities overseas to build strong local government around the world. I would now like to recognize the significant contribution our friends at UBCM, and your member municipalities, have made to FCM’s international programs. Since 1987, with support from the Canadian International Development Agency, FCM and our member municipalities have built a shining example of effective municipal-federal partnership that delivers results, one that should be a model for our domestic work as well. Vous avez été nombreux à partager votre savoir-faire avec d’autres municipalités à l’étranger, et nous vous en remercions sincèrement. UBCM and its members have been key players in FCM International’s local government development cooperation efforts since 1988. Over 30 communities have been involved, from large ones like Vancouver to smaller ones like Port Alberni and Rossland. You have lent valued municipal expertise to our initiatives on waste management, strategic planning, reconstruction, training of elected officials and municipal staff, migrant workers’ rights and local economic development in regions such as Asia, Africa, Latin America and the Middle East. Your contribution to reconstruction efforts in post-tsunami Sri Lanka and to association capacity-building in the Philippines, China and Vietnam has improved the daily lives of thousands of citizens in our partner communities – and continues to do so! None of FCM International’s work would be possible without your continued help and support, so on behalf of the Federation of Canadian Municipalities, and our international partners, I extend my most heartfelt thanks. I would now ask your President, Director Heath Slee of East Kootenay Regional District, to come up and accept this plaque on behalf of UBCM and its members. Thank you.

APPENDIX B

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PRESIDENT’S ADDRESS TO THE 2012 UBCM CONVENTION Good morning delegates and welcome to UBCM’s 2012 Annual Convention. This is my thirteenth convention, and I have to say that each one has amazed me with the sheer range of issues that are covered. This year is no exception, and I trust that each of you will take away knowledge, contacts and information that will benefit your community. I want to begin by introducing UBCM’s newest local government and newest First Nation member, the Ho-chuk-ul-sat Tribe. Chief Charlie Coates is with us today on behalf of their Council - welcome Chief Coates. UBCM is fortunate in many ways. For one thing, our past presidents provide us with great bench strength. Between them, they share over a century of elected experience and represent every area association in the province. Joining us at Convention this year are John Ranta, Frank Leonard, Jim Abram, Harry Nyce, Susie Gimse, Marvin Hunt, Robert Hobson, and Hans Cunningham – let’s show them our appreciation [applause]. The UBCM Approach It is a great privilege to speak to you this morning about the work of UBCM. My goal for this year’s address is to take you behind the scenes and tell the story of how we do our work. It’s a story worth telling because the vast majority of what we do is not something you are going to hear about in the news. And there’s a reason for that. Long ago UBCM recognized that the best way to achieve gains for local government is to get in the room as policy and programs are being developed. It’s a proactive rather than reactive approach. It also means we need to do our homework and have our facts straight. In order to take a policy-based approach, we need to hear from you. And that’s why convention matters. Convention is where you, the membership, set the broad direction for our advocacy. The resolutions endorsed here, along with those from earlier conventions, provide the basis for our interaction with the provincial and federal governments. And where there are gaps in our resolutions policy base, we use tools like surveys and working groups to make sure that our policies reflect the broad interests of the membership. Expert Panel Let me give you an example of what I am talking about. Back in January the Province launched the Expert Panel on Business Taxation. This one came out of the blue. The first we heard of it was an hour or so before the news conference took place. The focus of the Panel’s work was to streamline the return of the PST. The Terms of Reference though also directed a study of the impact of property taxes on business competitiveness. I think most of us would agree that the objectives of the Expert Panel were worthwhile. Local governments want to know the impacts of tax policy on all sectors of our communities, including business. Unfortunately though, the process was launched without local government consultation or representation, so we wondered where this was headed. So what did UBCM do? We secured an opportunity to present to the Expert Panel. We also brought in Dale Wall, an adjunct member of the Panel to meet with our Executive. And in the meantime we dug in and did some solid policy work, starting with the resolutions on revenue and tax policy that have been adopted over the years. The final result of this research was our submission and presentation to the Expert Panel, which I delivered along with Mayor Greg Moore. Afterward, we shared the submission with you in a Member Release. The submission talked about local government autonomy and accountability. We also set business property taxation within the broader context of taxation and shared some research on trends in local government finance. The case that we made demonstrated that property taxation is not a primary

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influence on BC’s competitive position for business. We also said that if the Expert Panel had recommendations regarding property taxation, they should build upon the existing tools available to local government. And we took the opportunity to say that more intergovernmental discussion is needed to ensure that local governments have tax and revenue tools appropriate to the services that we deliver. Last week the Province released the Expert Panel’s report. I was very pleased to see that the property tax recommendations reflect our submission. If you ever wonder why your local government is a member of UBCM, I would point to our behind the scenes efforts on this file and say ‘here’s why’. We know how to work within processes and influence outcomes. And we do it through research and well thought out policy positions. Nothing about it is flashy, and nothing about it is easy. But it works, and it is what we do best. Internal Revenue Sources Review One of UBCM’s other jobs is to keep watch. When we see processes moving ahead that have the potential to impact local governments broadly, our job is to put ourselves forward so that you have a voice in the process. In many cases, working with the Province is a straightforward affair. The BC Government recognizes the value of local government buy in, and they also recognize that there is a level of expertise that is unique to local government leadership. Sometimes though, it is not possible to get into a process, and so our work shifts to pressuring the government for clarity so we can keep you informed. Earlier in the year we learned that the Ministry of Community, Sport and Cultural Development was moving forward with an internal revenue sources review. Since this was happening at the same time as the Expert Panel, our Executive had lots of questions: - What was the objective? - Are transfers in question? and - Was there a formal link with the Expert Panel?

From our point of view, the answers to these questions were unclear. We kept our eye on the ball as this work moved forward. Last week I sat down with Minister Bennett to discuss a number of issues, including this one. Bill is a big supporter of transparency, so he gave direction for the study to be shared with UBCM. He also directed that provincial staff come to Convention to share findings from the review at our Finance session. You will be glad to know that this project is now complete and will not result in recommendations for further action by the Ministry. Salmon Arm Appeal Another function of UBCM is to stand with a member when they are engaged with an issue with the potential to impact local governments broadly. An example of this from the past year was an appeal between the City of Salmon Arm and the Nes-kon-lith Indian Band. At question was whether or not local governments have a duty to consult with First Nations prior to making decisions that may affect aboriginal right and title. In my view, this is an issue where everyone – First Nations and Local Governments alike – benefit from clarification. UBCM’s opinion was that the duty to consult rests with the Province and is not extended to local governments. Salmon Arm received a grant from our modest legal assistance fund. They also asked UBCM to intervene, and we applied to the Court do so. The Court agreed that UBCM had a role in clarifying the implications of the claim. UBCM prepared a factum, and on Monday this week just yesterday the Supreme Court ruled that the actions of Salmon Arm be upheld and the appeal dismissed. Again, UBCM intervened not to take a side in the dispute. We were there because the decision clarifies a point in law that impacts all local governments.

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RCMP Contract Management Committee Another function of UBCM is to create new structures when there are gaps. Over the years, organizations like the Municipal Finance Authority, Municipal Insurance Association, and Local Government Leadership Academy were created because we recognized a gap, and were able to work with the Province or other partners to bring them about. One of the gaps identified during the protracted RCMP contract negotiations was the need for a committee that would allow local governments to develop a working partnership with the Province and the RCMP in the delivery of police services. Earlier this year an RCMP Contract Management Committee was established. The committee brings the Province to the table with local government representatives from around BC. We are very pleased that Deputy Commissioner Craig Callens, Commanding Officer of the RCMP’s “E” Division, has participated in committee meetings and will be joining us for our workshop tomorrow afternoon. This kind of open discussion is new, and gives us a foundation for better accountability, transparency and cost containment going forward. Packaging and Printed Paper I want to shift now and talk about another area of UBCM’s activity, namely the use of working groups to address issues. In May 2011, the Recycling Regulation was amended to include packaging and printed paper. The amendment shifted financial and administrative responsibility for managing these materials from local governments to the producers. The purpose of the change was to incent producers to incorporate environmental considerations in the design of their products. This shift is something that local governments have been asking for, but the amendment left a number of unanswered questions. Things like: - what service levels and targets will be included? - how will the shift interface with collection systems under union contract? and - will local governments be compensated for the capital investments in the existing collection

infrastructure. UBCM’s response to the uncertainty was to develop a terms of reference for a local government working group, and then issue a call for nominations. The group met throughout the spring and developed the Policy Paper that was distributed to you prior to Convention. The focus of the exercise has been to: - propose recommendations for resolving potential implementation issues; - build local government knowledge in preparation for negotiations with producers; - and support a smooth transition as the responsibility for recycling shifts to producers.

If you want to hear more on this issue, there is a clinic Thursday and the Policy Paper will be debated in the resolution session on Friday. Long Term Infrastructure Plan UBCM represents local governments not only in matters of provincial legislation and programming, but federal issues as well. One of the high priority items for UBCM this year has been engaging the federal government as it develops the Long-term Plan for Infrastructure and sets up the design for the permanent Gas Tax Fund. FCM has provided good leadership on this file. UBCM began working with FCM early, and have done our part by surveying the membership, reviewing our resolutions and gathering feedback from program evaluations of the Gas Tax Fund. Through that process, four key themes were identified: • Infrastructure funding needs to be stable, long-term and predictable • The programs should be flexible enough to meet the priorities of all local governments • Programs should recognize the limited capacity of small communities, and

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• Programs should be streamlined as much as possible Over the past months we have held senior staff level meetings with the province on both the Long-term Plan and Gas Tax permanency. In July, I presented to a federal round table on the Long-term Plan, and UBCM also provided a submission to FCM in advance of its most recent meeting In Laval, Quebec. We anticipate that a report will be delivered to the federal Finance Minister later this fall that will set out the principles for a Long-term Plan. We will continue to update you on the process as it advances, and any further opportunities for local governments to provide input. Local Government Leadership Academy The final initiative I want to highlight from the past year is the work of the Local Government Leadership Academy. The LGLA is a joint venture between UBCM, the Province, the Local Government Management Association, the Municipal Finance Authority, and the Municipal Insurance Association. With every local government election, there is a 40% turnover among elected officials. That means a lot of folks who are new to local government, and a need for orientation. And with the rapidly evolving environment for local government leadership, Councils and Boards need a place where they can take advantage of ongoing training and education. In the spring of this year, the LGLA rolled out eight events in various regions of the province. I made it a priority to attend each one. They provided a great opportunity to meet and connect with leaders beyond my own region. The reviews for this year’s events were excellent all around, and the high turnout tells me we are on the right track. UBCM Status Now I could say a lot more this morning. In fact, I have only touched on a small part of our work from the past year. But I chose these stories because they demonstrate the scope and capacity of the organization you have built. I want you to know how much the Executive and I appreciate your support. For the 33rd year in a row, we attained 100% voluntary local government membership. There isn’t a local government organization in Canada that can say that. Not only that, this year we have 100% of local governments represented at the Convention. And on top of that, five out of six of our First Nations members are here. That level of support is invaluable. It means when we meet with the Province or the federal government, they know we have credibility and support. I am also glad to see new dynamics within UBCM’s membership. It is good to see gatherings of groups, whether it is Directors or Mayors, to look at issues through the lens of their office. I think that’s healthy. It’s a sign that we continue to look for ways to ensure that the interests of local government are advanced. Development is also happening in other ways. Shortly after Convention, we will be launching a new communication tool to provide weekly update on local government news. If you want UBCM news and information direct to your inbox, simply go to the home page of our website, and type your email address into the portal – the first edition is October 10. I also want to acknowledge one other change – that is the fairly recent appointment of our Minister, Bill Bennett. We know from the last time that Bill worked with us that he gets local government. The other thing about Bill is he will always tell you what he thinks – we may not always agree, but you can always have a real discussion of the issues. My final message to you is this: there is no replacement for sound policy work. Not public relations. Not charismatic leadership. In the end, those things are only as effective as the ideas that back them up. When UBCM passed the 100 year mark a few years back, we published a book called “The First Century” – you can get a pdf for free on our website. It shows that the gains for local government over the years that have lasted have been achieved through slow, deliberate policy engagement. That

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doesn’t mean we don’t do public relations, or that at some moments the best way to tackle an issue is through media engagement. But in the end, being effective comes down to credible, rigorous policy, and that’s what we do. And the resolutions you will endorse over these coming days will build upon the policy foundation that has been developed for over more than a century. Thank you for your attention, and I wish you a very good Convention.

APPENDIX C

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ADDRESS BY THE HONOURABLE BILL BENNETT MINISTER OF COMMUNITY, SPORT AND CULTURAL DEVELOPMENT

Thank you very much, Heath. Heath and I actually come from the same place. We live in the same region in the East Kootenay, so we’ve worked together. Heath, as an electoral area director, and myself, as a local MLA, which has always been the favourite part of the job for me. Now, there are a number of MLAs in the front row, so I’m going to ask them especially our whip to put away his Blackberry. Oh, he’s going to take pictures, it’s okay. Anyways, thanks for inviting me to speak here today. I have one thing I really would like to do first. I notice that my colleague, your former minister, Ida Chong, is here today, sitting in the front row, and I really would like Ida to stand. So many of you have told me over the past three days, you’re so grateful for the things that Ida has done over the last year and a half, how she’s helped your communities, and I really would appreciate it if Ida would stand and if we would recognize her. Unfortunately, Ida, you can’t have your job back. It’s a great job. We both really like it. I’m intending to keep it, at least for eight months, and I’m going to work on keeping it for even longer than that actually. This is not my first UBCM, some of you will know that. I had this role in 2009 in Vancouver. I was shifted over to the Ministry of Energy portfolio after only one very enjoyable year in this portfolio, and of course, I think most of us probably know what happened after that. In the Fall of 2010, I was shifted, in a manner of speaking, into purgatory where I had the time to meditate on my sins for about eight or nine months before I was able to return to the BC Liberal Government Caucus, and I want to ask you because, I’m pretty sure that I’m not the only person who’s ever been down and out politically. A couple of years ago, I thought I was probably finished as a BC politician or at least I didn’t know if I was or not, but it didn’t look very bright. A lot of the experts wrote me off, and I wasn’t even a member of the BC Liberal Caucus. I didn’t have an office at the Legislature, I didn’t have staff at the Legislature. I remember talking to my wife, Beth, about what I should do. So, we needed to figure out, the two of us, what I should do, and I obviously wanted to know what my constituents wanted me to do. I took a couple of months and travelled around the constituency and asked people, and I was prepared to step aside if that’s what people wanted me to do, if they felt it was time for a change. The people made it pretty clear in Kootenay East that they didn’t want me to leave. I have always figured that I’m hired by them, as an MLA. I’m their employee, and when they’re not satisfied any longer with my job performance, I’m pretty sure they’re going to let me know. And, I think that’s the right attitude for any politician to have. So, anyways, they wanted me to stay, so there I was, at least an MLA; still an Independent. I had to figure out how I was going to serve the Province most effectively. I got some calls. Some folks thought that I should go join the BC Conservatives. Apparently someone leaked it out that I’m a Conservative. My close friends are laughing at that. Not much of a surprise there. I did have people whispering in my ear, offering all manner of seductive opportunities to move this or that political party forward, and I knew at that time that the BC Liberal Party was going to be in really tough in 2013, but I knew something else. I knew that the BC Liberal Caucus is filled with people who I admire, good people who deeply care about British Columbia, lots of talent, and high, high levels of personal commitment, so on that basis, I decided that I was going to earn my way back into the BC Liberal Government Caucus, and I did that, and my intention in doing that was to work to strengthen the coalition here in British Columbia to get ready for next spring, and I will tell you honestly that the name of the party is not my first choice for a political party, but the people who make up the party, who make up our caucus, are people that I share a common belief with. We believe that if we keep taxes low for individuals and for business, if we invest in infrastructure, healthcare, education, trades training, and look after the most vulnerable of our citizens, we will out-compete the rest of the world for investment and job creation, and we will maintain one of the highest standards of living on earth, and that’s what we have. It’s that vision for BC, that commitment to free enterprise to the power of the individual and to the immense power of the freed up individual enterprise especially small business that brought me back to the BC Liberal government, and I want you to know that since returning to government, we announced our BC Jobs Plan, and in the year following the announcement of our BC Jobs Plan, under the leadership of Premier Christy Clark, BC

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has led Canada in job creation during the year following implementation of that plan…that’s not bad. Lest anyone think that I’m going to suggest to you today that we’re perfect…I know you’re way smarter than that, and I wouldn’t do that anyways…we’re not. Like any other political party, we have flaws, and any political party, that’s been in government for 12 years will make some mistakes, and in fact, they might even make one real doozy of a mistake, but what I would ask you to do is to look past the party, look past the politicians, and look past even those mistakes. What you’re going to see is you’re going to see a province that’s the envy of the world. You’re going to see a spectacularly beautiful place that is perking along, creating jobs, attracting investment, doing better economically than most places on earth. We have opportunities with liquefying our huge reserves of natural gas in the Northeast to generate about 1 trillion…that’s trillion with a “t…trillion dollars of job creation and investment. Now, I just want to take a second. This is where the reporters pick up their pencils because this is not in my speech. You’re not sleeping, are you? Liquefied natural gas, I wonder sometimes if folks really know what the heck we’re talking about. This is the deal…we can sell our natural gas to the States for…I’m just going to make up a number…but let’s say 2 bucks a unit, right? Price is way down, there’s lots of natural gas in North America, and they’re finding it in the South. Our gas is in the Northeast, but not that far from the coast. If we can take that natural gas, and liquefy it and ship it to Asia, and instead of getting 2 bucks, get 6 bucks, imagine the royalties to government, imagine the activity that there will be to develop that gas. That’s the idea. That’s why we’re talking about four plants in the Northwest to liquefy that natural gas, and I’ll tell you why it’s important to you. It’s important to you because, of the 39 meetings I’ve had so far in the last 3 days, and I’ve got another 25, I think everybody would like to have some more dough, some more money. You need it. I know you need it. Big cities need it, medium size communities need it, regional districts need it, small communities need it. If the province is generating more revenue, we’re in a lot better position to talk to you about sharing for infrastructure and all the other needs you have, so this is a big deal, not just for the Northeast or for the Northwest, it’s a big deal for all of us. We have other amazing opportunities in BC. Mining, again, something that benefits the whole province, not just the places where the mines exist, but down in the Lower Mainland where the trucks are manufactured, you know, where so much of the technology is developed for mining. All of this helps all of us, and there’s a bunch of new mines coming. I hope that Mt. Melligan will be operating next year. We also have tremendous opportunities in the Lower Mainland, in our cities, for economic growth, and we know that, and we want to support you in the things that you want to see done as well as our towns and our cities in the North and in the Interior. What we shouldn’t forget, what we can’t forget, in good conscience, is that, for the most part, the last 11 years have been very good for BC. And we must not forget that in an increasingly competitive world, the world that we live in, where nations like the US that normally lead the world in economic growth, are struggling to keep their heads above water, we here in BC have tremendous opportunities that we can take advantage of. We are very, very fortunate. We’ve kept our taxes at reasonable levels…that’s part of the reason why we have these opportunities…we’ve invested billions in our roads, our bridges, our transit, our airports, our ports, our railways, our hospitals, and our schools, and we have a AAA credit rating. We’re considered to be a good, safe place to invest in, that’s a good thing, and I would suggest to you that this is not the time to succumb to that siren call that you hear “it’s time for a change”. My dad used to say to me, “be careful what you wish for”. So, anyways, I stuck it out. I came back because I believe in the benefits of free enterprise and because I want a free enterprise government for my two sons and my wife, Beth, and for my constituents next May. I don’t apologize for that, that’s what I believe in. I believe in the vision that we have for British Columbia. I now sit on two Cabinet committees and I co-chair the party’s campaign platform, and two years ago I was apparently done, finished, toast as a politician in BC. Today I’m back in the thick of things, and I have the honour of speaking to you today. So, why did I tell you that story? Well, I want to make a point. I want to make a point today that in life, and especially in politics, most of us are politicians, and we know this…to quote Yogi Beara, it ain’t over till it’s over, and I tell you here today, it ain’t anywhere near over for the BC Liberals. There’s going to be a hotly contested election next spring, we all know that. One of the two parties, is going to win. The NDP or a re-invigorated BC Liberal party with many talented new candidates and a young, intelligent, and energetic leader who is blessed with unbridled enthusiasm and a vision for the future. I’m very proud to serve with Christy Clark. So, to UBCM. Enough of my politics. Let’s deal with your politics. It’s always really interesting for me to be here and just listen like a sponge to all of you who have come in to talk to me and to go to the

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events and listen, and you begin to pick up what the themes are, and I’ve picked up three themes, and I hope I’ve got it right, at least at the high level. Number one is funding for infrastructure. Major concern for local government and absolutely should be. We support your concern for that and we have to find ways to help you get the things done in your communities that you need. Number two…new or expanded sources of revenue. Get that too. That’s something that we’re going to work on together. And, number three, local government spending, and I haven’t heard that, but I took the liberty of adding it. You may have heard, the Province is not flush with money these days. I want you to know that we are doing every single thing we can do to make sure that we meet our commitment to balance the provincial budget. We take pride in that. You know, I just read in the media today that Alberta, Alberta for pete’s sake, is going to have a deficit of, I think it’s 2.3 to 3 billion dollars, and they’ve got all that oil, and they’re still going to have a deficit. We have promised that we’re going to balance the budget at the end of this year, and we’re going to do that. We’ve done it in every year that we’ve been in government except twice where some pretty significant international events intervened, and frankly, that’s the reason why we have had, here in BC, seven consecutive credit upgrades. We’ve done our best to cope with the most turbulent economic downturn since the Great Depression. It has had an effect, and of course the drop in natural gas revenues that we recently discovered would leave a hole of about a billion dollars in our financial plan, certainly has us concerned and has us thinking about ways that we can work harder to make sure that we balance the budget. We certainly have had to tighten our belts, and we’ve had to ask our provincial public service employees to do the same thing. And, let me tell you…well you know, those of you who have gone through this…that’s no fun to do that. You don’t take any great joy in saying no to people that want a raise or want better benefits. I want to say to you, these things don’t happen in isolation. I know that you’re feeling the pinch in local government as well, but we do need your help. I suggest to you, respectfully, that the fiscal climate should be considered when you’re negotiating wages with local government employees. We’re all going to have to work hard to keep our costs down at every level of government, and I know I’ll probably upset somebody, but I just wanted to mention a couple of communities that are working really hard through a core review type of exercise to examine what their costs are and determine whether they can either reduce or at least stop the growth in spending. Both Penticton and Prince George have, I think, have been really good role models, and I know there are other communities in BC that are trying to do the same thing, and I just want to say, good on ya, because it’s absolutely no fun, but you know what, it’s what the taxpayers want us to do. And, frankly, my little bit of experience in politics indicates that, whether you’re in local government or whether you’re a provincial politician, or whether you’re a federal politician, voters are going to reward elected leaders who are attempting to hold the line on costs. So, that’s the expense side. I thought I’d get that out of the way first. Revenue side. My deputy minister, Don Fast, participated in a forum on Monday. There was some question as to whether the Ministry was going to participate. I’m a big believer in communications, and I’m a big believer in just throwing all the information out there and letting people sort through it and figure out how we can move things forward together. So, Don agreed to go and participate in the forum on Monday. When you talked about revenue sources, I think what a lot of people didn’t realize is the Ministry has done eight papers on revenue sources…they’re on the Ministry website…and what I would suggest to you is that you go have a look, if you have time yourselves, at those eight papers on different ways that revenue is being generated for local government or have your CAOs have a look at it. There are some interesting ideas, some interesting information there that may cause you to want to borrow an approach that’s taken in a different province or you may just come up with your own made-in-BC ideas. Infrastructure funding. Basically there are three types of infrastructure programs. There’s the Gas Tax Program that’s currently administered by you, by UBCM. My ministry does the technical analysis of the project application and then a panel of three non-politicians, one from the Ministry, one from UBCM, and one from the federal government, make the final decisions. There’s about 50 million dollars in the Gas Tax Fund for this year. We have many, many multiples of many times that amount in applications, so it’s not unusual to be over-subscribed, and that’s fine; they’ll work through that. I

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know that it’s been suggested, I’ve certainly read it in the newspaper and I’ve talked to folks here so far this week, about using that Gas Tax Program as a model, and perhaps trying to find a way to use Carbon Tax for infrastructure, and not that there’s anything wrong with the idea, but you know, it all comes out of the same pot, so if we take the Carbon Tax out of the pot, we still have to pay for healthcare and education and social services and highways and everything else that the Province does, so if we take the Carbon Tax out of that pot, we’re going to have to replace it with something, and of course, that’s the challenge we have. The second kind of infrastructure funding program, after Gas Tax is, what I call, the made-in-BC type. It’s paid, generally, by local government and the Province. Examples would be the Spirit Square Program, the Locomotion Program, and the Towns for Tomorrow Program, and the 30 million dollar Community Recreation Grant Program announced last year at UBCM by Premier Christy Clark. And I know that those programs have been embraced by a lot of people, a lot of local governments. I know where I come from, we’ve got a beautiful Spirit Square, and I admire, you know, past Premier Campbell for having that idea. But, I think the issue, from what I can tell, from listening to you, is that you want to have an opportunity to tell us what you think should be in a provincial infrastructure program before we announce it, and…(clapping)…you agree with that. So, you have my commitment, and I happen to know that you’re going to get the Premier’s commitment on Friday, that when we are in a position, when we start making all that money from that liquefied natural gas, when we’re in a position to bring back a provincial infrastructure program, we’re going to work closely with UBCM. We’re going to give you that opportunity, so that we understand, what your priorities are. Money’s going to be tight, forever. We’re never going to be in a position where we can throw money around, so we have to spend it in ways that serve your taxpayers, our taxpayers, in the most beneficial way possible, and we can’t know that unless we talk to you, so we will be talking to you. We’ll set something up with UBCM formally on that. The third type of infrastructure funding is, of course, the big provincial/federal program that comes around every few years. Right now we don’t really have any new money to offer, but BC has been working with Canada on the terms of reference for the new program, which, we are told, will arrive in 2014. I actually met with the FCM President yesterday. It’s the first time that I’ve met with an FCM president, and we had a really nice exchange, and I was pleased to hear that the federal government is now listening to FCM on your behalf, on behalf of all local government in the country. I think that’s the first time that FCM has had an opportunity to work with the federal government as the infrastructure program is being created. My commitment to you is that, in addition to having your federal organization involved, I want to make sure that UBCM has the same opportunity. I want to make sure that UBCM gets the chance to inform us, on the provincial side, on your behalf, what’s most important to you, so that when we’re sitting down talking to the federal government about their new Canada/BC infrastructure program, it’s something that respects the priorities of local government. We’re going to do that. I’m going to ask Mary Sjostrom, your new UBCM President, to help me set up a small working group to provide us at the BC Provincial Government with the perspective that will inform our negotiating position with the feds. I haven’t talked to Mary about this yet, but I’m thinking it’s probably going to involve large communities, medium size communities, small communities, and regional districts, so that we have that full spectrum of perspectives. So, as I mentioned earlier, Premier Christy Clark asked me to co-chair our party’s election platform committee, and it’s been a fascinating job. Twelve years of listening as an MLA, and I think MLA’s on both sides of the House do a lot of listening. You work really closely with British Columbia, so it’s a great opportunity to help craft an election platform for a very important election, not just for the BC Liberals, but for the province; it’s coming in May. And, I suppose if you follow the polls, you might say to me, Bill, you know, give your head a shake. Why are you even bothering? You know, why tie yourself to a task like that? And I just want to tell you why. I look around this room today, and I can see lots and lots of people who I know out there, and President Heath Slee to my right. Heath has given a good share of his adult life to public service, and Heath, you did a great job this morning with your speech, and I know he’s looking forward to getting back to the hay field in Grasmere, but you did a great job this past year. I see mayors…I know three of my mayors, pardon me for being a bit parochial for just a moment, but I see three of my mayors, four of my mayors actually out there. There’s Wayne Stetsky from Cranbrook, there’s also Mary Giuliani from Fernie, Lois Halko from Sparwood, and Dean McKerracher from the highest town in Canada, Elkford,

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and this has nothing to do with your debate on marijuana; I’m talking about elevation. All these folks care deeply about their communities. They’re definitely not doing it for the money. And, I see mayors and councillors from bigger places like Dianne in Surrey and Gregor in Vancouver, Walter in Kelowna, Peter in Kamloops, Shari in Prince George. These are people who are giving everything they have to make their communities work better, to make their communities better places to live and work and raise a family. And, I also see people like… Luke Strembold. Are you here, Luke? Don’t be shy. There he is! Just stand up, just for another 30 seconds…thank you, Luke. This man is 22 years old, and he’s the mayor of Burns Lake. I don’t know what you all were doing when you were 22 years old. Probably weren’t running a town. Luke’s an amazing young guy, and he was elected as Councillor at Burns Lake when he was 20 years old. That’s good stuff. We really need people like Luke. Young people involved in the political process. Last November, at the ripe old age of 21, he became the mayor. Most 21 year olds would be, I think, challenged to be a mayor of a community, but Luke ended up having to take on a much larger challenge than that just 2 months later when a massive explosion destroyed the village sawmill, killing two workers and injuring many others, and since then, I know that Luke has been a rock for his community. He’s been a true leader at an age when, frankly, a lot of us really don’t even know the meaning of the word. We’ve been there too for Burns Lake, the Province has been there as well. My MLA colleague, John Rustad, drove the creation of an all-party committee that looked at ways for forest company employers to access wood in challenging situations like the Burns Lake scenario. For those of you who aren’t from areas that have a forest industry, if there aren’t enough trees to cut legally, you can’t have a mill. It’s about that simple. And, there are ways to find those trees, but you have to be creative, and that’s what my friend and colleague, John Rustad, did with his all-party committee. All-party committee, by the way, just members of the NDP, members of the BC Liberals, they went out, they spent their whole summer travelling around trying to figure out how they could provide fibre to situations like the Burns Lake mill that had burnt down, so that the mill could be re-opened, and they worked together in a non-partisan sort of way. Basically, they gave up their summer to do this, and they came up with, I think, great recommendations in record time, and it looks like it’s going to have a happy ending. Thank you very much, John. I have to mention another aspect of what I do as Minister here…local government elections, legislation. If I don’t mention it, some members of the media will say that we’re not going to do anything about it, so if there’s any media here, we are going to do something about it. I still believe in those 31 recommendations. I was a co-chair of the local government elections task force. We spent a lot of time on it. I think we did pretty good work on it. Your incoming president, Mary Sjostrom, was there with me on that committee. We did make 31 recommendations, and I want to turn those 31 recommendations into legislation, and that’s my commitment. I do want you to know there has been a ton of work done on these recommendations. It’s a very complicated process. My predecessor, Ida Chong, did a lot of work on it, and right now, we’re up to about 140 pages of draft legislation for this act. This is going to be the largest change to local government elections legislation in about 20 years. One of the things that we’re going to have to come to grips with, that we actually didn’t in the committee process, we didn’t figure out what we were going to do about expense limits. So again, I’m going to ask Mary Sjostrom to help us set up a group to work with me and the Ministry to establish what those expense limits for legislation should be. It will be a complicated thing to do, but we need to do it. We need to get on with it. I know there are issues out there that need to be resolved, and we need new legislation. There is too much work, I think, to get this done in the next 8 months, but we can get a lot of it done. I’m going to do, and we will do, corporately, our government will do, as much as we possibly can to get this legislation passed in the spring, so that we’re ready for the 2014 municipal elections. So, folks, I just want to close by talking a little bit about you and us, you and local government, us and the provincial government. Apparently, about not quite half, but almost half of local government people in BC today were newly elected in the fall of 2011. I don’t know if you’re aware of that, whether anyone has said that in your speeches, but it raises an interesting scenario. That means that for nearly half of you in this room, this could be your first UBCM. I also expect, going back a little bit further, that many of you were not in local government when our provincial government was first elected in 2001, and, if you wanted to get the blood flowing, if I could just ask those who were elected to local government in 2001 to stand up, just for a second. If you were around in 2001, let’s have a look at you. There you go. So, I hope that if you didn’t stand up, that you noted who did stand up, and then you can go after them, and talk to them a little bit about what I’m going to tell you now.

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The majority of you may not know that the relationship between the BC Liberal government and local governments in BC was not always this good as it is today. Here it is, Wednesday afternoon, and I’m betting that many of you have had meetings with ministers, often your local MLA has gone along with you. I know I’ve had several MLAs in to see me, and I know they’ve been going along and meeting with you with other ministers. They go and they support you and they advocate for you, and they advocate for you when you’re not around as well. This routine has become ordinary and it’s become expected. Before you come to UBCM, you book meetings with the ministers you need to talk to. You even meet with the Premier. I know several of you who have gotten in to see the Premier about things that are important to your community. The week here at UBCM has become so effective for us…for you and for us…that perhaps we don’t even realize that this approach to this relationship is unique in Canada. When I met with the president of FCM yesterday, I asked her. It was the very first thing I asked her because I was curious, and she told me that nobody else does this in the country the way we do it here. They have, some provinces, ministers go out and they sit on panels, and you know, maybe three or four people get a chance to ask a question after they’ve done their presentation, and then they go back to the legislature. We don’t do it that way here, so I wanted to say that to you just because lots of you will not know that what we have today is something that we haven’t always had, but we’ve had it for 11 years. And, I do think it’s important that we all recognize that former Premier Campbell, who of course was Mayor of Vancouver for three terms, established this routine. He established this relationship. He taught us all, as MLAs, how we should approach UBCM and how we should approach being good advocates for our local government partners, so let’s not take it for granted. Let’s not take for granted that the collegial and the constructive approach that we have today to this relationship is always going to be that way. Let’s keep working at it. I’m going to close by just reminding you of a couple of things. I told my staff that I was going to be a little bit more political here today, and I hope that you’ll forgive me for that, but we have an election coming up in 8 months, and I think it’s important that we remind people of who we are as a group of people and what we have done over the past 11 years and what we want to do over the next 11 years. Back in 2001, when those folks all stood up, you were receiving, from the Province, 10 million dollars in traffic fine revenues. That’s what you were receiving. This year, local governments will receive 61 million dollars. How did that happen? We promised that eventually, when we could afford it, after we were first elected, that we would see that you got 75% of traffic fine revenues. Did we do that? No, we actually gave you 100% of traffic fine revenues, and we did it, actually, before we said we would. In 2001, when the folks who just stood up a second ago were in local government, they received about 50 million dollars in unconditional grants from the Province. We’re now delivering 150 million dollars in unconditional grants, and I want to tell you folks, that I meet with a lot of different-sized communities. I meet with the big ones, the medium size ones, and the small ones, and I had a small community in to see me yesterday who told me that that unconditional grant is about one third of their annual operating budget. That’s pretty darn important. We’re not doing anything with unconditional grants, but the point is that there’s a lot more dollars coming through to them today than there was 11 years ago. The reality is, and this, I think, is the most important thing that I want to leave you with today, and you might say, oh well, that has nothing to do with local government. I actually think it does. The reality is that if we lose our reputation in British Columbia as a good place to invest, to create jobs, if we go back to being a have-not province, back to being the economic basket case in Canada that we were, if we lose our top credit rating, if the BC government starts to experiment with social engineering schemes, the province will lose the wherewithal to pay for infrastructure programs, we’ll lose the capacity to contribute to those grants and traffic fine revenues. I’m just saying, keep that in mind. We’ve come a long, long way together over the past decade. Billions have been invested all over the province in infrastructure. Much more needs to be done. We know that. We want to do it, and we want to do it with you in partnership. The only way that we’ll have the resources to do this work together in BC is if we have a healthy economy. We need the rest of the world to see us as a safe haven for investment where BC continues to lead Canada in job creation, and our children can find work in communities they want to live in. So, as I leave you to do the rest of your business here today, I ask you to remember clearly, this past decade, the investments in your communities, the respectful, constructive working relationship we have with each other, and the opportunity that we have together to keep BC strong, growing, and prosperous. I want to thank you all for all that you do to help make BC the exceptional place it is for all of us. Thank you very much.

APPENDIX D

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TO: UBCM Members FROM: UBCM Executive DATE: September 26, 2012 RE: Modernizing Building Code Safety Regulations

POLICY PAPER

# 1

2012 CONVENTION

1. DECISION REQUEST That the UBCM membership approve the recommendations outlined in response to the provincial government’s proposal to modernize the building regulatory system. 2. BACKGROUND Over the last 25 years, the Province of British Columbia has undertaken a number of different reviews on the building regulatory system, with incremental changes pursued through each. In 2004, a modernization strategy was established but was not implemented, as government priorities shifted to focus on ‘greening’ the Building Code and mid-rise (6 storey) wood-frame construction provisions. The Province is responsible for developing and maintaining the BC Building Code, which sets the standards for the province’s building regulatory system. Local governments are able to adopt the Building Code through their bylaws and are responsible to administer, interpret and enforce the Code. Local governments must decide if they want to enforce the Code and how to enforce the Code. In 2007 the Building and Safety Policy Branch, which is part of the Office of Housing and Construction Standards, consulted with over 300 people – owners, developers, designers, builders and trades, local governments, the insurance sector and consumers – about the enforcement of the BC Building Code as part of its modernization strategy. The Building and Safety Policy Branch, during discussions with stakeholders, heard about the following problems: • existing defects in buildings – some buildings with significant defects; • shortage of skilled labour; • lack of, or limited, code enforcement – some jurisdictions have cut back or discontinued plan

review and building inspection and some rural areas have no regime for regulating construction; • lack of consistency and predictability – plan review and inspection can be very different from one

jurisdiction to another; and • lack of coordination – building officials, fire officials, safety officers and warranty company

inspectors may be poorly coordinated. Some of the key concerns raised by local governments at these consultation sessions were: • liability – need to address joint and several, need to narrow the ‘duty of care’ local government has

when currently inspecting buildings, some local governments indicated that they may withdraw from code enforcement to reduce their chances of being sued if claims are made for building defects;

• need to ensure competency of builders; • lack of capacity – technical expertise; some local governments just do not have the staff and/or

resources to enforce the code effectively, especially with the increasing complexity of design and technology of large buildings;

• lack of resources – staff, cost to expand building inspection role; • shortage of qualified building inspectors.

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3. CURRENT STATUS – Modernizing the Building Regulatory System The Building and Safety Standards Branch has released two white papers: • ‘A Modern Building Regulatory System’; and • ‘Certification of Local Government Building Officials’. The provincial government is proposing that it be given sole authority to adopt building standards and ensure that the standards are the same throughout the province. To implement this measure the Province is requesting that local governments review their bylaws and remove any ‘technical building standards’ that do not conform to the provincial standards. The white paper proposes to give the Minister the authority to override any local government bylaw that the Province determines goes beyond the established ‘technical building standards’. The Province is also proposing to: • implement random third-party audits of local government approvals and administrative practices

related to building decisions; • expand its capacity to provide Code interpretations, provide evaluations of alternative solutions,

and establish a registry of acceptable building products and assemblies; • establish mandatory training requirements for building inspectors; • introduce a new levy on the value of construction as part of the local government permit process,

the levy would be collected by local government and remitted to the Province to pay for the new changes.

In 2011 the Office of Housing and Construction Standards undertook an online survey focused on code compliance and code administration. It is an anecdotal survey of potential problems and/or issues identified by those involved in the process. A total of 300 people responded. The majority of the respondents were architects, engineers and technicians that work for, or are employed by, the building industry. A total of 40 or more building inspectors also responded to the survey. The industry stakeholders indicated that the major building regulatory concerns were the following: • inconsistent Code interpretation by local government – complicates development and construction

and is a major cause of increased costs to business; • local government building standards that go beyond the Code – complicates development and

construction and can create delays and increase costs; • lack of centralized decision making on Code matters – results in wide variation in decisions and

can result in local government decisions not to approve new technologies and products (due to risk aversion);

• poor compliance with code provisions – such as fire protection in some high-rise residential, commercial and other large complex buildings;

• lack of skills or Code knowledge – contributes to poor quality construction and poor compliance with Code provisions.

In 2012 the Office of Housing and Construction Standards undertook a second survey that focused on the issues outlined in the two white papers. A total of 500 people responded. The survey was directed at architects, engineers, technicians, and local government. A total of 220 local government representatives responded to the survey which included 140 building inspectors, 18 administrators, 8 elected officials and a number of others. The provincial government is proposing the following measures: • Uniform Building Code – provide the Province with sole authority to adopt building standards

and ensure that the standards are the same throughout the province. The Province is requesting that local government review its bylaws and remove any ‘technical building standards’ that go beyond what is required in the provincial Building Code. The Province has suggested it would have a transition period to achieve uniformity with the provincial standards and that the Minister

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would then have the power to declare any local government bylaw or measure that was viewed to go beyond the Building Code as null and void.

• Code Interpretations – Province will expand its capacity to provide credible, non-binding interpretations at Code users requests and will issue binding interpretations (directives) on topics of concern to Code users.

• Alternative Solutions – Province will establish an Alternative Solution and Product Evaluation Body to assist local governments in evaluation of alternative solutions, develop a guide to alternative solutions and local governments uncertain about the acceptability of alternative solutions could refer submissions to this body of expertise.

• Products and Assemblies – Province would establish a registry of acceptable products and assemblies throughout the province.

• Third-Party Random Audits – provide information on the level of Code compliance and the effectiveness of the Code administration. The Province has suggested that: “Initially, audits would focus on high-risk aspects of complex (Part 3) building design and construction, establishing a baseline for Code compliance. Audits would pinpoint areas of non-compliance and ineffective administrative processes and help develop targeted measures to address them. Subsequently, audits would be used to selectively monitor the system and measure its performance.”

• Online Portal – one window online permit application to begin a development project – including all Provincial permits required and ultimately extending to permits of participating local governments.

• Stakeholder Advisory Body – creation of a provincially appointed advisory body to advise on matters related to the building regulatory system.

• Qualification Requirements – Province is proposing to introduce minimum qualification requirements for residential builders of four units or less.

• Financial Costs – Province has suggested that the proposal could be funded by a levy on construction. The levy could either be a percentage of cost of construction or a flat rate and would be collected when the building permit is issued. User fees would also be considered to cover part of the costs of alternative solutions and product evaluations.

The Province is proposing a system of mandatory certification of building officials, including continuing professional development. The Province is partnering with the Building Officials’ Association of BC (BOABC) to deliver the program. This proposal would: • require all building officials employed by local governments to meet qualifications and obtain

certification from the BOABC; • limit local governments to employing only certified individuals as building officials; and • limit the functions that building officials could perform to their level of certification.

Three levels of certification are proposed: • Level 1 – one and two family dwellings; • Level 2 – small buildings regulated under Part 9 of the Code with a footprint of not more than 600

m and not more than 3 storeys high; and • Level 3 – larger and more complex buildings regulated under Part 3 of the Code.

The time frame for implementing the new measures is not clear at this point and the process for further input is not known. It would appear that it could be the fall of 2012 or the spring of 2013. 4. DISCUSSION The Province is proposing to change how the building approval process will work in the future. Under the provincial proposal any discussions related to ‘technical building standards’ will be shifted from the community level to the provincial level. The current proposal raises some issues, in the following areas: • local autonomy ‘one size fits all approach’: concern that the proposed changes might undermine

local government efforts to respond to community needs.

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• third party audits: concern as to the intent of the audit process and the impact it might have on local government, such as a requirement in the future to implement mandatory building inspections.

• liability: need to address local government concerns regarding ‘joint and several liability’. • building inspection standards: need to understand the training costs to local government of

meeting mandatory standards and how this could impact the availability of building inspectors. • financial costs: concern about the impact of the new ‘provincial building tax’ levy on development

and the cost of reviewing local government bylaws to ensure that they do not contain ‘technical building standards’ which would be in contravention of the new provincial mandate.

Outlined below is a discussion of each of the issues identified and local government concerns related to each them. A) Local Autonomy – ‘One Size Fits All Solution’ The Province is proposing that it have sole authority to adopt building standards. Under this proposal the Minister would have the authority to determine whether or not a local government bylaw dealt with ‘technical building standards’ that fall under the Building Code. Local government bylaws that dealt with ‘technical building standards’ would need to be changed or would be declared invalid. Under the Community Charter, the Concurrent Authority provision requires that local governments consult with the Province before establishing bylaws that regulate building construction. It has also meant that the Province needs to consult with local government before taking action in this area. This is different when compared to some other provinces where the provincial government has the sole authority to adopt building standards without having to work with their local governments. The Community Charter has created the framework for partnership between local government and the Province and this would be eliminated under the new initiative. Local government would be concerned about the elimination of all local government building regulatory bylaws, as outlined in the provincial proposal. This change would limit local governments’ flexibility in responding to specific community needs. As one local government pointed out:

Many local government jurisdictions have pursued local bylaws to address specific community needs, as well as to respond to important issues where the Provincial government was unable to find a solution that could be applied uniformly across the Province. For example, the establishment of supplementary fire sprinkler system requirements was developed locally to address needs, without the necessity of having requirements forced on all other areas that do not have those same needs or objectives. This local approach, also allows for a response to an issue that may not be a current or future provincial priority.

A local government looks at a broad range of community amenities in its Official Community Plan or Zoning Bylaw to address neighbourhood issues. To meet community objectives local governments have requested that local builders undertake measures that may, in some cases, be considered ‘technical building standards’ that go beyond what is identified in the Building Code. Outlined below are examples of some community objectives that have been addressed in this way: • protection of families from fire hazards through the use of sprinklers in new houses; • protection of young children from accidental drowning by requiring fencing around swimming

pools; • protection of buildings to reduce the risk from wildfires – requirements that specific construction

materials be used in homes to minimize wildfire risks and avoid wildfire issues like those that took place in Kelowna and other areas of the province;

• measures to increase the sustainability of local communities by implementing green building standards – requirements for Gold LEED standards in constructing new building offices;

• measures to enhance community safety – crime prevention measures to enhance safety around buildings and in public spaces; and

• measures to improve community liveability – to meet storm drainage requirements, water metering, district energy, flood hazard mitigation and hazardous conditions mitigation in local areas.

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Local governments are concerned that the measures proposed by the Province may limit their ability to use these tools in the future to address community objectives and, in some cases, may prevent local government from using these types of planning tools to respond to neighbourhood issues. Other agencies have also raised concerns in this area. For example, the BC Fire Chiefs Association has indicated its opposition to the Province’s Building Code strategy. The Fire Chiefs Association is concerned that it would limit local governments ability to implement a sprinkler protection program. Local government also has concerns about the impact of the provincial proposal on multi-phase construction projects. For example, it could mean that the first stage of development would include sprinklers or fall protection for seniors, whereas the remaining stages would not, as the Minister might determine that these elements were ‘technical building standards’ and the requirements inconsistent with a uniform Building Code. In addition, local government would have concerns that the new process may create potential conflict, uncertainty and delays in the building approval process. The Province has only provided limited information as to what it means by ‘technical building standard’ and where local government bylaws might conflict with the new policy being proposed. The Province would need to provide more detailed information as to its intention in this area and a detailed list of what ‘technical building standards’ would be included under its proposal so as to ensure that local government bylaws did not conflict. This information is also needed to fully understand the scope of the provincial initiative and its implications. Provincial changes to local government bylaws could have unintended consequences. For example, local governments, in some cases, have implemented sprinkler and fire hazard measures to reflect the capacity of the local fire department to provide fire services in specific areas. These measures have also been used by the insurance industry to determine the fire insurance rating in the community. Changes in this area could have financial consequences to both the local government and its citizens. The provincial proposal could also create uncertainty as to who is responsible for making decisions about building construction at the local level and what type of decisions can be made. The outcome could mean increasing delays in the construction process as everyone waits for a decision from Victoria as to what ‘technical building standards’ mean and who has jurisdiction to issue permits and/or approve construction. At the present time, the Building Code provides scope for interpretation and there currently is some give and take in the field around the use of construction techniques; however, the removal of this flexibility could have unforeseen consequences. The provincial proposal would appear to centralize building construction decisions at the provincial level. Local government, in general, has not supported a ‘one size fits all’ approach to building development decisions. This process would remove local governments ability to respond to neighbourhood needs, cause delays in the approval of construction projects, as seeking provincial code interpretations could prove time consuming, and would not meet the day-to-day needs of the industry. B) Third Party Audits – Mandatory Building Inspection The proposal is to conduct 60 audits of building projects that involved complex building design and construction. The provincial paper suggests that these audits are necessary to ensure the safety of public buildings and to ensure uniform building standards across the province. The audit process would be designed to include a review of the role of local government officials and registered professionals in the administration of the Code processes. The results of the audit would be used to determine if further changes are required to the Code administration process and to establish a baseline for future action. In the past, the Province, when discussing a third party audit process for building inspection, has linked it to a larger plan to implement a mandatory building inspection program. The audit program, in that case, was intended to ensure that local government met provincial objectives in its building inspection program. A third party audit process could be useful in assisting local government in delivering better service to the public. However, there needs to be clear objectives for the audit process to work and it is not clear what the intended purpose of the provincial proposal for a third party audit is at this time.

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Currently, the implementation of code administration and compliance processes is under the sole discretion of local government. The level of detail and involvement of local government is set by each jurisdiction in relation to local need, resources and interests. It is not clear how a provincial audit process might be established to ensure that local objectives were being met in the most efficient and effective manner. If the intent of the Province is to implement a mandatory bylaw inspection program in the future then there should be consultation on this issue. However, before such a measure is implemented, there are a number of practical issues that need to be considered when looking at the application of province wide building standards and the use of third party audits. A number of these points were raised in the UBCM discussion paper entitled ‘Enforcement of the BC Building Code & Related Issues’ that was endorsed at the 2007 UBCM Convention: • Consistency – need to ensure consistent interpretation of the Code on a province wide basis and

that the focus should be on the outcome of the building regulation, namely the construction of safe buildings and not on the consistent implementation of a province wide building permit application process.

• Competency – need to ensure an ongoing partnership between the development industry, local government and the Province. Competent building trades reduce the amount of oversight that is required on a construction site and ensure that safe buildings are constructed in accordance with the requirements of the Building Code. It is important that each partner understand the role that they play in the process and the responsibility they have in making the process work.

A further justification in the provincial proposal for implementing an audit requirement is a concern that a public safety issue may exist in relation to complex buildings (Part 3 Buildings under the Code). The proposal does not provide any details as to the extent of the safety issue with respect to complex buildings and it is not clear how reviewing local government administrative practices would fix this problem. Local governments, in the majority of cases, rely on professional architects and engineers to review the plans for complex buildings and to indicate whether or not they meet Building Code standards. The link between the safety concern and the need for an audit process is further obscured by the fact that the City of Vancouver is exempt from the measures being proposed by the Province and a large number of the complex buildings constructed in the province are located in Vancouver. C) Liability Issues The provincial proposal does not mention liability. However, the liability issue is a significant concern to local government. Local government continues to take on risk when making decisions with respect to building projects. The Province has taken some significant steps in addressing local government liability issues with the enactment of a new Limitation Act. However, there is still the need to address the issue of joint and several liability which would require amendments to the Negligence Act. The issue of joint and several liability will continue to be a concern to local government when approving the design and construction of buildings and undertaking inspections. As one local government described the problem:

Under joint and several liability, any one defendant found responsible for even a small degree of fault can be called upon by the successful plaintiff to pay 100% of the damages. In a typical defective building case, such as a leaky condo, defendants would include the architect, the builder, the consultants and the subcontractors and the municipality. All of the private sector defendants are capable of insulating themselves from judgments through numbered companies, minimal insurance, bankruptcy, etc., whereas the municipality has essentially unlimited deep pockets and exists in perpetuity. If a court finds that negligent municipal inspections were responsible for 5% of the damages, the municipality can be called upon to pay 100% of the damages if the other defendants have no ability to pay. It is the unfairness of the principle of joint and several liability in defective building cases which has been driving municipalities away from building code enforcement ... .

UBCM has long advocated the reform of joint and several liability. The failure to acknowledge this concern is generally seen as a shortcoming in the process. In response to a discussion paper in 2002 on

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Civil Liability by the Attorney General, UBCM made the following recommendations related to the principle behind liability and the issue of joint and several liability: A Fundamental Principle That civil liability reforms should be guided by the fundamental principle that individuals and organizations should be responsible for the consequences of their actions, not for the actions of others; and their liability should be commensurate with their degree of responsibility. Joint & Several Liability That the concept of joint and several liability for property damage and economic loss is inappropriate in a modern society and should be abolished. That joint and several liability be replaced by a system of pure several or proportionate liability (such as now exists in cases of contributory liability) under which defendants are responsible only to the degree to which they contributed to the loss. The liability issue has had a major impact on how local governments have dealt with building inspection as was pointed out in the UBCM discussion paper entitled ‘Enforcement of the BC Building Code & Related Issues’ that was endorsed at the 2007 UBCM Convention. • Liability – local governments have been withdrawing from Building Code enforcement because they face a

liability burden disproportionate to their actual responsibility for defective buildings. • Alternative Solutions – currently local governments have sole decision-making authority and a major

deterrent to accepting alternatives for local governments is liability. D) Building Inspection Standards The provincial government has proposed to deal with this issue in two ways: • administrative process to provide more direction in the building inspection process –

interpretative bulletins, alternative solutions panel etc. • mandatory training requirements for Building Inspectors and requirement that they be a member

of the Building Officials Association of BC (BOABC). The Province has proposed to provide more information to assist in the decision-making process related to building construction and local government has supported the following measures in the past: • Code Interpretations – Province will expand its capacity to provide credible, non-binding

interpretations at Code users requests and will issue binding interpretations (directives) on topics of concern to Code users;

• Alternative Solutions and Product Evaluation –Province would establish a guide to alternative solutions and a registry of acceptable products and assemblies throughout the province.

i. Code Interpretations The Province amended the Community Charter in 2008 to allow it to issue binding interpretations of the Building Code. However, the Province has not implemented this authority to this point. The establishment of approved interpretations at the provincial level would be of assistance to all local governments. The collection of these interpretations at the provincial level would provide a valuable resource to facilitate permit issuance and resolution of construction issues in the long term. ii. Alternative Solutions & Product Evaluation At the present time, compliance of the Building Code can be achieved by either following the prescriptive requirements in the Code or by proposing alternative solutions that meet the intent of the Building Code. Specific building products and assemblies that are developed to meet the intent of the Building Code are required to be tested and listed by a recognized testing/certification agency, such as the Underwriter Laboratory of Canada (UCL) or Canadian Construction Materials Centre Association

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(CSA). This process ensures building safety while allowing for the development and application of technologies that can decrease costs and allow for the introduction of alternate solutions to meet Building Code requirements. However, at the present time each jurisdiction must consider and determine whether to accept an alternate solution that requires some level of expertise and multiple evaluations across jurisdictions. The creation of a provincial body to evaluate alternate solutions and new building products and the establishment of a registry of approved alternate solutions would assist local governments and builders. Provincial review and acceptance of new building products and assemblies would remove the requirement to review alternate solutions at the local level and enable alternate solutions to be shared or transferred between jurisdictions. A provincial process would reduce the time and cost of industry in achieving certification of new products, the resources needed by local government to review new products and local government liability that may occur when accepting the use of alternative solutions. iii. Mandatory Training Standards The proposal by the Province to require mandatory certification of building officials, would assist local government in promoting safer builders and potentially reduce its liability. In general, the development of common qualifications and training standards would benefit the regulatory system. The mandatory certification of building officials, however, will create some potential issues for local government in meeting the objective. The current proposal does not make any allowances for other certifications (i.e. trade qualifications, Professional Engineers) to be recognized and there would appear to be the need for measures to deal with this issue. Without these measures the ability of local government to find and recruit certified staff may be reduced and it will be unable to efficiently provide the services demanded by the construction industry. The Province will need to carefully consider how the certification process will be implemented and support it with the necessary resources to achieve the desired outcome. The implementation of these new measures will raise some concerns with respect to the status of existing staff and how these staff will be treated under this new process if they do not obtain the necessary certification. Provisions will need to be incorporated into the system to deal with exceptions; otherwise it may create challenges for the building inspection process. The Province will need to address how these employment and contract issues will be dealt with when moving forward. There is currently a general shortage of qualified building inspectors in the province. Local governments outside of the Lower Mainland are having difficulty in finding qualified officials who wish to work in their area and have been forced to hire people qualified in the building trades in order to maintain the building inspection function, which would not meet the new standards being proposed. For local governments in the Lower Mainland, it may hinder their ability to hire part-time plan checkers and inspectors to provide coverage during peak work load periods or to provide coverage in response to retirements, sick, vacation or other work availability issues. The proposal will add additional costs to both local governments and/or individuals in meeting the new certification requirements. Costs associated with the certification process are approximately $500 to obtain each of the Level 1 and Level 2; $2,100 for level 3; and $448 for annual membership in the BOABC. Other costs associated with training include travel and accommodation costs for those outside the Lower Mainland, courses through BCIT and other institutions, and on-going professional development. The Municipal Insurance Association (MIA) has indicated its support for the proposed mandatory building inspection program outlined by the Province. The MIA has suggested that it may be able to assist small communities in training bylaw inspectors through its Risk Management Grant program. The MIA feels that this initiative may help reduce the number of cases related to building inspections and may assist in reducing its overall liability in this area. It would also appear that provincial support for the implementation of the certification program is required to ensure its success. Financial assistance from the Province to offset the new costs, at the local government and individual level, from the application of the certification proposal would appear to be a key component to making sure that the desired outcome is achieved.

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E) Financial Costs The Province is proposing that a new ‘provincial building tax’ be introduced. It is not clear whether this new tax would be a percentage of construction costs or a flat fee added to the building permit fee that is charged by local government to review and approve building applications. The proposal is for local government to collect the fee on behalf of the provincial government. The proposed approach would appear to raise a number of concerns. The first concern is that it would impose a new levy on the building industry and increase the cost of construction. The second concern is that it would transfer the revenue responsibilities of the provincial government to local government. The third concern is that the process would require a duplication of revenue collection processes across local government, draw on the resources of local government to collect and transfer the funds and add additional layers to the audit and accounting processes required for the collection and remittance of the levy. As a general rule, local government would not support collecting a levy on behalf of the provincial government. The process would appear to be more efficient if the Province funded its role in the building regulatory system directly from provincial sources. 5. CONCLUSION The Community Charter currently provides a framework for a partnership between local government and the Province in the development of building bylaws and there is a need to strengthen this relationship going forward. There is also a need to ensure that the ongoing partnership between the development industry, local government and the Province is maintained. Local government flexibility with respect to building regulations has allowed it to: • respond to important issues when the provincial government is unable to find a solution that

could be applied uniformly across the Province; • respond to an issue that may not be a current or future provincial priority.

Local government ability to meet community objectives in its planning and building approval process has allowed it to respond to neighbourhood needs, such as: • protection of seniors through the use of fall protection in bathrooms; • protection of families from fire hazards through the use of sprinklers in new houses; • protection of young children from accidental drowning by requiring fencing around swimming

pools; • protection of buildings to reduce the risk from wildfires – requirements that specific construction

materials be used in homes to minimize wildfire risks and avoid wildfire issues like those that took place in Kelowna and other areas of the province.

• measures to increase the sustainability of local communities by implementing green building standards – requirements for Gold LEED standards in constructing new building offices;

• measures to enhance community safety – crime prevention measures to enhance safety around buildings and in public spaces; and

• measures to improve community liveability – to meet storm drainage requirements, water metering, district energy, flood hazard mitigation and hazardous conditions mitigation in local areas.

Liability remains an ongoing issue for local government and plays a major role in how it deals with building inspection matters. There needs to be further discussion around the liability issue and, more specifically, around ways to address the issue of joint and several liability which continues to be a concern for local government when approving building permits. The development of common qualifications and training standards would assist local government in the building inspection process. However, the Province and local government will need to work

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together around the certification process and support it with the necessary resources. There is a need for further discussion around a number of issues related to the certification process and the general shortage of qualified inspectors. Finally, the paper identifies the need for the Province to provide the resources needed to implement a number of the changes proposed. Both financial and staff resources will be needed to ensure that the Province can provide an interpretation Code, a guide for alternative solutions, a registry of acceptable products, and assist local government in meeting the new training standards that are required. There also needs to be discussion around some of the financial aspects of the proposed changes, such as the “Provincial levy” on construction costs and the impact this might have on the construction industry and on local government. 6. RECOMMENDATIONS UBCM request that the Province work with local government to strengthen the current partnership in the building approval process and request that no changes be made to the Community Charter. UBCM request that local governments continue to have the flexibility to address neighbourhood issues and the ability to implement measures to meet community needs, such as: • protect seniors through the use of fall protection in bathrooms; • protect families from fire hazards through the use of sprinklers in new houses; • protect young children from accidental drowning by requiring fencing around swimming pools; • reduce the risk from wildfires by requiring that specific construction materials be used in homes to

minimize wildfire risks and avoid wildfire problems; • increase the sustainability of local communities by implementing green building standards -

requirements for Gold LEED standards in constructing new building offices; and • enhance community safety by requiring crime prevention measures to be implemented around

buildings and in public spaces. UBCM request that the implementation of code administration and compliance processes continue to be at the sole discretion of local government and that a third party audit process not be implemented. UBCM request that the Negligence Act be amended to address the issue of joint and several liability. UBCM would propose the following recommendations related to the principle behind liability and the issue of joint and several liability:

A Fundamental Principle That civil liability reforms should be guided by the fundamental principle that individuals and organizations should be responsible for the consequences of their actions, not for the actions of others; and their liability should be commensurate with their degree of responsibility. Joint & Several Liability That the concept of joint and several liability for property damage and economic loss is inappropriate in a modern society and should be abolished. That joint and several liability be replaced by a system of pure several or proportionate liability (such as now exists in cases of contributory liability) under which defendants are responsible only to the degree to which they contributed to the loss.

UBCM request that the Province implement the following measures: • code interpretations – Province provide credible, non-binding interpretations at Code users

requests and issue binding interpretations (directives) on topics of concern to Code users; • alternative solutions and product evaluation – Province establish a guide to alternative solutions

and a registry of acceptable products and assemblies throughout the province; UBCM support the need for qualified building inspectors and request that the Province work with local government to address the following implementation concerns – employment and contract issues, the

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reduction in the number of potential employees available to local government to provide the service, and the shortage in qualified inspectors. UBCM request that the Province provide financial assistance for training and other related costs to implement the new program, particularly for smaller communities. UBCM request that if the Province introduces a new Provincial levy on construction costs that it collect the levy directly from the construction industry. UBCM request that the Province provide the resources needed, both financial and staff, to ensure that it can provide an interpretation Code, a guide for alternative solutions, and a registry of acceptable products.

APPENDIX E

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ADDRESS BY THE HONOURABLE JAMES MOORE MINISTER FOR CANADIAN HERITAGE & OFFICIAL LANGUAGES

Thank you very much for the introduction. Good morning everyone. Thank you for extending the invitation for me to address you this morning on behalf of the Federal Government and Prime Minister Stephen Harper. In the brief time that I have to speak, I’m going to touch on a couple of topics that have been raised here at the UBCM and are priorities for both our Government and the UBCM: • first, Infrastructure and the Government of Canada’s plans going forward, and • second, an update on Canada’s economy. PUBLIC SAFETY/RCMP CONTRACT Before that, however, I want to take a moment to revisit a topic that was the hot topic at last years’ UBCM – policing in British Columbia, and more specifically, the future of the RCMP in BC. Our Government was pleased that the Province of British Columbia decided to renew its Police Services Agreement for our communities. This 20 year agreement, through 2032, addresses the key issues that were raised at the UBCM last year – including governance issues, accountability, and policing cost containment going forward. Through the new Agreement, British Columbia will have increased input into issues affecting the cost, quality, and standards of Contract Policing before any decisions are made at the federal level. This was a key concern that was raised at the UBCM last year. We worked with you, with the province, we have listened, and came to an agreement that will serve British Columbians. In renewing this Agreement for the next 20 years, we have set the stage for a modernized police service model that will serve our province. I wanted to personally thank all of you, along with the Government of British Columbia, for your efforts in getting this agreement passed in a way that serves our communities, and ensures that future generations of British Columbians can continue to be served by one of the best police forces in the world. INFRASTRUCTURE ACCOMPLISHENTS I know this week you spent a good deal of your time discussing the topic of British Columbia’s infrastructure needs. This topic is incredibly important for all British Columbians. Closing our infrastructure deficit is key to economic growth, community planning, productivity, and protecting the quality of life in BC communities. I am very proud of the work that all three levels of Government have managed to achieve over the past few years in British Columbia by working together, identifying key projects, and coordinating solutions that work best for B.C. In fact, the centerpiece of our Government’s “Economic Action Plan” over the past two years has been investing in our infrastructure.

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The $33 Billion we invested over the past two years was the largest investment into Canada’s infrastructure in Canadian history. And, yes, unlike in times past, we ensured Western Canada, and British Columbia got our equal share of that funding. And the work that was done by B.C.’s municipalities, by committing to completing stimulus projects on compressed timelines; municipalities across British Columbia contributed to job creation, economic stimulus, and the long-term sustainability of our communities. And the task was not on a small in scale. Across Canada we partnered together on over 29,000 projects. 29,000 projects – more projects with joint funding from all levels of Government than at any other time in Canadian history. And it all would have failed, had we not worked together. We invested in road projects across the province, like: - the new Park Bridge in the Kickinghorse Canyon; - support for the widening and rebuilding of the Sea-to-Sky Highway; - expansion, resurfacing and rebuilding Highway 97, all along it’s route; - expanding and improving traffic arteries in communities across BC, like the Lougheed Highway

through the Tri-Cities; - improving to Highway 3 in the Southern Interior - we also installed and rebuilt water and sewage systems in cities and towns all across the province. We have made our full financial contribution to build the Evergreen Line Skytrain extension to the Northeast Sector of the lower mainland, and recently invested extra funds in order to build a new station to coordinate with the city of Coquitlam’s growth plan. We’ve also invested in Universities and Colleges across B.C. Simon Fraser University’s Burnaby and Surrey campus improvements and expansions were supported. The University of Northern BC in Prince George has expanded their campus labs. The Northern Lights College in Dawson Creek has expanded their campus and training centre. We supported expansions and renovations in almost every single airport in the province. We supported terminal upgrades for BC Ferries. We supported the projects to grow Port Metro Vancouver, as well as the Port of Prince Rupert’s expansion, upgrades and modernization. And it’s not just our large commercial ports, also smaller, locally important places that have been protected, improved, and expanded as well. - Places like Steveston and the waterfront there. - The building of the new cruise ship terminal in Nanaimo that’s bringing business to the city

during cruise ship season. We also invested into BC’s cultural & social infrastructure that are part of BC’s identity. - Projects like the expansion of the Vancouver Aquarium; - A new centre stage for the popular & successful Bard on the Beach; - A newly renovated and expanded Science World; - site protection and program expansion of Barkerville; and

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- we protected great heritage buildings across BC, like the Laurel Packing house in the cultural district of downtown Kelowna; and

- we renovated an old run-down post office and turned it into the multi-purpose Calvin Kruk Centre for the Arts in Dawson Creek.

- we funded renovations and the expansion of the Royal BC museum here in Victoria; as well as renovations in Maillardville.

[FRENCH] –Communaute francophone…. Etc. We also invested in parks and green spaces all across BC. Including some of our most cherished places, like the Pacific Rim National Park. Taken together, all across our province, and across each of Canada’s provinces and territories, projects large and small; roads, bridges, and tunnels; museums, galleries, parks; rail crossings, public transit, overpasses, ports and airports; our entire province has seen record investments in infrastructure to prepare for a prosperous future. Now, you ask, what is next? This summer, Prime Minister Harper tasked our Minister of Transport and Infrastructure Denis Lebel – who by the way is the former mayor of Roberval, Quebec and who understands the needs of municipalities based on his personal experience – to meet with Provincial and Territorial Governments, with municipalities and community leaders, and key stakeholders all across Canada on the next chapter of our infrastructure policy. I know many of you in this room participated in those discussions and I thank you for doing so. We have heard that what we accomplished together was something to build on, and that you are ready partners to work together on future success. Our new plan will provide stable, long-term and flexible funding to keep British Columbia’s communities strong, prosperous and healthy. To improve infrastructure across the country and leverage new investments, our new plan will encourage greater use of public-private partnerships, while respecting Canadian taxpayers. As we have seen in BC, greater private-sector involvement will generate better value for taxpayers, and ensure affordability and sustainability over the long term. We will announce all the details of our new policy next year, when the current programs expire. But rest assured, we are listening to the needs of municipal leaders. As proof of this, in our budget, we listened to the Federation of Canadian Municipalities, and implemented the two budget asks of the FCM: 1) We made the Gas Tax Fund permanent, providing a new stream of funding to municipalities permanent; and 2) We have committed funds to the Building Canada Plan, and are actively working with municipalities on its replacement next year. So how do we pay for all this? And this is what I wanted to talk about next – the Canadian economy. Where we are, and where we’re going. ECONOMIC UPDATE Canadians have consistently said their top priority for the Government of Canada is our economy.

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Our Government has listened, and our agenda is focused on achieving results for Canadians. Canada’s economy needs investment to grow. Because of the tax relief we have put in place, in the last quarter, Canadian business investment increased by 9.4%, including a 7.2% increase in machinery and equipment investment. In fact, Canada’s tax policies are among the most competitive in the world. Taxes are now at the lowest level they have been in almost 55 years. We have lowered taxes in every way in which the Federal Government collects taxes: -we’ve reduced the GST by 2% as promised, -we’ve lowered income taxes, small business taxes, taxes on investment are down, -we’ve increased the personal exemption on paying income taxes – removing tens of thousands of low income Canadians and seniors from the tax rolls altogether – and -we have implemented a series of tax credits - like • the film and video tax credit to spur investment in our creative economy, • tax credits for students to help ease the costs of going to school, • the arts tax credit for kids, • the sports tax credit to enroll kids in community sports programs, • the tax credit on monthly transit passes to encourage the use of public transit.

Taken together, these tax relief measures put money directly into the pockets of Canadians, so Canadians can invest in the economy, and have more choices in how they choose to live their lives. Again, taxes are at their lowest level in Canada since 1968. The result? The IMF and OECD project Canada’s economic growth to be amongst the strongest in the G7. This week, KPMG ranked Canada as the most tax-competitive economy among mature markets. Since July 2009, and the end of the recession, over 770,000 net new jobs have been created in Canada. 90% of those jobs are full-time and well paying jobs. These are, by the way, the strongest job numbers in all of the G7. From January 2006 through to 2012 – which is to say even including the harshest years of the global recession in 2008 & 2009 – the Canadian economy has grown by 8.1% since 2006. That’s a full point higher than Germany’s economy, which is, by far, Europe’s strongest economy. In fact, commenting on comparing the Canadian economy to others in the world, Warren Jestin, Scotiabank’s Chief Economist said the following: “When you look at what exists in Canada, Canada is still the best country in the world be in.” “THE BEST COUNTRY IN THE WORLD TO BE IN.” And if you’re wondering about Canada’s debt and deficit, I’m pleased to report that Canada’s debt-to-GDP ratio is the lowest of all G7 countries and will continue to be so. We are on schedule to balance the federal budget by fiscal year 2015/16, and, if the forecasts that were reported earlier this month are accurate, the Government of Canada will have a lower deficit than the province of Ontario within the next 2 years.

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And because of these fiscal policies, Canada is seen around the world as a safe, responsible country in which to invest. In fact, Forbes magazine has ranked Canada as the best place in the world for businesses to grow and create jobs. And earlier this month, for the 5th year in a row, the World Economic Forum ranked Canada’s financial system as the safest and soundest in the world. Canada’s economy is clearly moving in the right direction. We’re making the right choices and will continue to focus on policies and proposals that will contribute to creating jobs and growing the Canadian economy. It is essential all levels of government focus on this. We cannot, as elected officials entrusted with taxpayers’ money, spend all of our time talking about how to spend the wealth of taxpayers. We need to spend more time focused on policies that will create wealth for taxpayers. It is easy to come forward with proposals on how to spend money. And it is a healthy debate to prioritize how to spend money. But what BC needs, what Canada needs, are ideas on how to create wealth. Not simply fierce debates on spending ideas. If we work together, and if we implement policies that spur growth, we will truly be serving the best interests of British Columbia. Thank you again for allowing me to share with you an update on our Government’s priorities. Based on our success in working together on public safety and policing; Based on our effective cooperation in delivering the results with our record levels of infrastructure funding; I have no doubt we will be able to continue to ensure that all British Columbians will live in a stronger, more prosperous province in the years ahead. Thank you very much.

APPENDIX F

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TO: UBCM Members FROM: UBCM Executive DATE: September 23, 2012 RE: PACKAGING AND PRINTED PAPER PRODUCT

STEWARDSHIP

POLICY PAPER

# 2

2012 CONVENTION

1. DECISION REQUEST That the paper be endorsed by the UBCM membership. 2. PURPOSE The purpose of the policy paper is to: • identify key local government issues and concerns with the proposed product stewardship

program for packaging and printed paper; • propose recommendations for resolving potential local government issues with the

implementation of the packaging and printed paper product stewardship program; • build local government knowledge and capacity around packaging and printed paper product

stewardship to assist in negotiations with producers; and • support a smooth transition in the responsibility of managing packaging and printed paper (PPP)

to producers. 3. EXECUTIVE SUMMARY The paper contains the following key recommendations for designing and implementing a packaging and printed paper (PPP) product stewardship program: That producers are responsible for, and have an obligation to, manage one hundred percent (100%) of the packaging and printed paper waste in British Columbia. This obligation includes an extension of the PPP program to the industrial, commercial and institutional (ICI) sector within three (3) years, as well as local government compensation for the management of PPP materials that end up in local government waste streams. That the packaging and printed paper product stewardship program provides an equitable level of service between urban and rural areas, and that existing levels of service be maintained or exceeded for those local governments that have established PPP programs in place. That local governments be given the right of first refusal for providing packaging and printed paper product stewardship services under the new PPP program. This option would minimize and/or prevent any disruption to existing services, employment and service contracts, and community expectations. That the design and implementation of the PPP program includes measures and incentives for redesigning packaging and printed paper, to ensure that the program moves PPP up the pollution prevention hierarchy and eliminates the need for landfilling and/or incineration of program materials. 4. BACKGROUND In May 2011, the Recycling Regulation was amended to include packaging and printed paper. The amendment shifts financial and administrative responsibility for managing these materials from local governments to the producers of packaging and printed paper (PPP). This transfer of responsibility is intended to incent producers of PPP to incorporate environmental considerations in the design of their products. The addition of packaging, and to a lesser extent printed paper, is partly in response to local government requests. In particular, the UBCM membership has consistently endorsed resolutions calling for the development of strategies to reduce unnecessary product packaging, as well as the creation of product stewardship programs for packaging (1987-B69; 1990-A14; 1991-B18; 1995-B38; 1997-B11; 1999-B14; 2000-B20; 2004-B13; 2005-B115; 2006-B29; 2008-B31). Most recently, Resolution 2009-

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B39 called for all packaging to be placed under the BC product stewardship legislation. When considering packaging, the membership has similarly called for the addition of milk containers to the Recycling Regulation and the deposit refund system (2011- B38, 2010-B27). The product stewardship program will be developed by key producers, which may include: the Canada Food and Restaurant Services Association, Retail Council of Canada, Canada Newspaper Association, Food and Consumer Producers of Canada, the Canadian Federation of Independent Grocers, and potentially others. The producers are represented by Multi Material British Columbia (MMBC), which is a not-for-profit agency established under the British Columbia Society Act formed in anticipation of the requirement to develop, submit and implement a stewardship plan for packaging and printed paper. MMBC’s intention is to assume the role of a stewardship agency in order to discharge the obligations of PPP producers under Schedule 5 of the Recycling Regulation. However, some producers may choose to pursue their product stewardship obligations independently, which may impact collection and recycling efforts on multiple levels. Since the amendment to the Regulation, several local governments have raised concerns over what service levels and targets will be included in the program. These concerns include, but are not limited to: how the program will work with local governments to ensure there is not a decline in service levels; how the interface with collection systems under union and procured service contracts will be managed; how collected materials will be managed; local capacity to manage any increase in collected materials; how the program will incent more recyclable packaging; and how local governments could be compensated for the capital investments that have been made in the existing collection infrastructure. In response to local government concerns and issues, the UBCM Executive approved the creation of a UBCM Packaging and Printed Paper Working Group, issued a call for nominations for representatives, and convened the first meeting in February 2012. The UBCM Packaging and Printed Paper Working Group is designed to provide a voice for local government on their expectations of an industry product stewardship program for PPP; provide information to build capacity in local government understanding of product stewardship as it applies to packaging and printed paper; and build local government capacity to effectively negotiate community interests with the producers. In addition, the Working Group will: act as a forum for discussing local government issues, both individual and collective, with the producers; identify relevant issues pertinent to the materials/products and scope in the May 2011 amendment that may require negotiating with industry; and identify and propose recommendations to the producers for resolving potential local government issues with the PPP program implementation. The Working Group is comprised of six appointed local government staff representatives from all regions on the province, a UBCM staff representative, a representative from the BC Product Stewardship Council, and a Ministry of Environment staff member that sits as a subject matter expert on provincial policy and regulation. Throughout the Winter and Spring of 2012, the Working Group met to finalize a terms of reference, identify local government concerns, and develop an issues compendium that would form the foundation of a policy paper. Delegations were also received from interested stakeholders, and communication materials about the efforts of the Working Group were distributed to local government area associations. The Working Group has sought to create recommendations that would advocate local government interests and positions, with the intent of having a policy paper considered by the membership prior to the producers’ submission of a product stewardship plan in November 2012. 5. DISCUSSION According to the 2007 Environment Action Plan, the provincial framework for any new or expanded product stewardship program must contain the following measures: • be fully funded by the industry, in which the industry is responsible for all costs such as collection,

transportation, and marketing of materials; • maximizes the recovery rate of products from local landfills, with a recovery rate of 85% or higher; • ensures the broadest choice of options for consumers, including the use of deposit refund systems

and eco fees; • ensures the operation of a mixed collection system, including return to retailer, curbside and

depots; and

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• links product stewardship programs to local solid waste management planning decisions of municipalities and regional districts.

The above position on product stewardship was endorsed by the full UBCM membership at the 2007 UBCM Convention, and acts as the foundation for discussion with the Province on all product stewardship programs, including packaging and printed paper. Upon review of the amended Recycling Regulation, and as a result of Ministry of Environment information sessions, local governments have identified several key concerns and issues with respect to the new extended producer responsibility programs on packaging and printed paper. These concerns pertain to the scope of the program, program design, environmental impact, financial and service provision issues, as well as the role of local government. a) Program Scope While recognizing the functionality of focusing on residential collection, several local governments have identified concerns over the product stewardship program’s focus on residential collection prior to industrial, commercial and institutional (ICI) collection. Local governments have invested heavily in the infrastructure, marketing and outreach of their existing collection and recycling programs, and some are concerned that producers may get to capitalize on the costly foundations they have laid. More importantly, the ICI sector generates more PPP than the residential sector, while improving the ICI diversion rate would contribute more to diversion and waste reduction targets than the residential sector. As such, local governments wish to see an expansion of the product stewardship program to the ICI sector as soon as possible, following the implementation of the program in the residential sector. Local governments have also identified concerns over the seventy-five percent (75%) recovery rate identified within the amended Recycling Regulation. To maximize recovery rates, the rate should focus on specific material categories as opposed to overall packaging composite, and the rate should be applied to each local government to ensure equivalency between rural and urban areas. There is also the recognition that in spite of the target recovery rate, producers have an obligation to manage one hundred percent (100%) of the packaging and printed paper waste. This is consistent with the product stewardship model within BC where producers are responsible for the entire life cycle of products. In addition, the program should cover all areas that local governments are currently servicing. b) Program Design Local governments have identified the need to move beyond simply diverting PPP materials from local landfills and incinerators to actively putting in place incentives and measures to re-design and re-use packaging and printed paper materials. There is a recognition that in order to move up the pollution prevention hierarchy, the producers need to develop market based incentives and/or design requirements for their products. Such measures would diminish the potential for difficult to recycle or non-recyclable materials to be incinerated and/or landfilled, and would simultaneously reduce the carbon footprint of the product by minimizing production, storage, collection and transportation costs. Built-in consultation mechanisms also need to be established with the product stewardship program. Local governments require meaningful consultation, both in terms of time and opportunities, in the design of the PPP stewardship program as well as ongoing consultation and feedback mechanisms during the implementation of the program. Based on past experiences with product stewardship programs, local governments desire the opportunity to provide input on the program design if product stewards are not meeting their stated or expected service delivery levels. In particular, local governments require an enhanced dispute resolution process, whereby they have the right to receive compensation for impacted costs if producers are not providing adequate service levels that result in materials being sent to local landfills and/or incinerators. More importantly, the product stewardship program should incorporate flexible options that local governments can select to best meet the needs and interests of their respective communities. Many local governments throughout BC have established collection systems for packaging and printed paper, each with a set of community expectations around service levels, as well as associated infrastructure and employment and service contracts. Some local governments have identified the potential for the product stewardship program to impact existing employment contracts, particularly if the producers decide to contract out collection services or rely on depots instead of using existing local government staff and curbside programs. Implementing a “one size fits all” approach will not yield the greatest

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results. To improve the effectiveness of the product stewardship program, local governments should have the choice of either continuing to deliver services with fair compensation or selecting the producer’s contracted services for their communities. In effect, local governments should be given the right of first refusal for the provision of services. Similarly, the product stewardship program needs to be integrated with other waste management programs to create efficiencies, facilitate maximum recovery rates, and ensure high customer service. c) Environmental Impacts As stewards of their community, local governments are continuously implementing measures to protect the environment and address the impacts of climate change. Local governments believe that the product stewardship program should focus on clear environmental protection as opposed to simply the cost impacts on producers. The program should include measures and incentives for redesigning packaging, to ensure that the program moves up the pollution prevention hierarchy by eliminating the landfilling and/or incineration of collected program materials. Wherever possible, local governments maintain that producers should be seeking efficiencies within the collection, transportation and processing of materials to minimize the carbon footprint within affected communities. d) Funding Local governments have identified a wide range of costs associated with both their existing curbside collection programs for packaging as well as costs for the successful implementation of product stewardship programs. While British Columbia has a fully industry funded model for product stewardship, local governments have acknowledged that they have frequently incurred some management costs for existing product stewardship programs when materials end up in local waste streams. In light of this experience, local governments require reimbursement for the management of any packaging and printed paper materials that end up in local government waste streams, which include garbage, public disposal facilities and illegal dumps. Compensation could be determined through standardized and industry funded waste audits that determine the amount of materials local governments handle. In addition, in accordance with the provincial product stewardship model, the producers must be responsible for all “hard” and “soft” program costs including collection, transportation, processing, and public outreach and education. Recognizing that the producers may utilize either contracted services or existing local government infrastructure and collection programs, local governments have identified the need for fair compensation for their assistance in any packaging and printed paper product stewardship program. To date, it is unclear as to whether the producers will be providing compensation on a per household or service level basis, and on the level of compensation should local governments choose to participate in collection in the future. However, local governments maintain that compensation for participating in, or assisting with, the product stewardship program should be based on a local government’s true operating costs (capital, operation, maintenance, contract administration, education and outreach, advertising and disposal costs). e) Service Provision The level of service to be provided under the proposed packaging and printed paper product stewardship program emerges as one of the biggest concerns and issues for local governments. Local governments continue to identify service provision challenges within existing provincial product stewardship programs, particularly within more rural and remote areas. The new PPP extended producer responsibility program should ensure that rural and remote areas receive an equitable level of service as their urban counterparts so that the additional costs of managing PPP materials are not incurred by local governments. For those local governments that have established PPP programs in place, there is a concern that existing service levels and quality of service must be maintained or exceeded. Such local governments have invested significantly in the infrastructure of, and public education for, their PPP programs and have established community expectations around what constitutes quality service levels. As such, local governments require a seamless transition with the implementation of the new PPP program to prevent any disruptions to existing service levels, community expectations, and employment contracts. The latter is particularly important to several local governments, as there is concern that the new program could potentially impact existing employment contracts, both in terms timing with contract renewal, and with the failure to utilize existing union staff in providing the service. Moreover, there is a need

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for the producers to clarify how the PPP program will fit within existing solid waste management plans. f) Local Government Role All local governments will be directly impacted by the implementation of a new packaging and printed paper product stewardship program. However, to date, local governments are unclear as to role that local governments will play in managing PPP materials, as well as the level of local government consultation in the design and implementation of the program. This lack of clarity extends to whether there will be potential partnerships with the producers as well as who has ownership over collected packaging and printed materials. In order to be successfully implemented, the new product stewardship program must provide options and opportunities for local governments to play an active role in managing PPP. This structural flexibility is required given local government’s current administration of recycling and waste diversion programs, existing local government infrastructure, the linkage to solid waste management plans, and current community expectations around service levels. 6. RECOMMENDATIONS That the following recommendations pertaining to the design and implementation of the packaging and printed paper product stewardship program be adopted by the UBCM membership. That producers are responsible for, and have an obligation to, manage one hundred percent (100%) of the packaging and printed paper waste in British Columbia. This obligation includes an extension of the PPP program to the industrial, commercial and institutional (ICI) sector within three (3) years, as well as local government compensation for the management of PPP materials that end up in local government waste streams. That the packaging and printed paper product stewardship program provides an equitable level of service between urban and rural areas, and that existing levels of service be maintained or exceeded for those local governments that have established PPP programs in place. That local governments be given the right of first refusal for providing packaging and printed paper product stewardship services under the new PPP program. This option would minimize and/or prevent any disruption to existing services, employment and service contracts, and community expectations. That the design and implementation of the PPP program includes measures and incentives for redesigning packaging and printed paper, to ensure that the program moves PPP up the pollution prevention hierarchy and eliminates the need for landfilling and/or incineration of program materials. That the supplementary recommendations contained within Appendix 1 be adopted as a tool for building local government knowledge and capacity to assist in local government discussions and negotiations with producers.

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APPENDIX 1: RECOMMENDATIONS a) Program Scope That the PPP program be expanded within three years to cover the industrial, commercial and institutional (ICI) sector following the implementation of the program within the residential sector. That the PPP program seeks a recovery rate of eighty-five (85%) or higher, consistent with the principles adopted by the UBCM membership in the 2007 Environment Action Plan. That the target recovery rate identified in the Recycling Regulation apply to specific material categories as opposed to overall packaging composite. That the target recovery rate identified in the Recycling Regulation apply to each local government to ensure equivalent service levels between urban and rural areas. That the PPP program include the addition of milk containers to the deposit refund system. That the PPP program apply to all areas that local governments are currently servicing. b) Program Design That producers develop market based incentives and/or design requirements to stimulate product redesign and re-use to diminish the potential for materials to be incinerated or landfilled. That material specific targets and performance measures be developed by the producers and enforced by the Province. That local governments be given meaningful consultation opportunities in the design of the program as well as ongoing consultative mechanisms during the implementation of the program. That an enhanced dispute resolution process be incorporated into the program, whereby local governments have the right to receive compensation for impacted costs if producers are not providing adequate service levels that result in materials being sent to local landfills and/or incinerators. That the product stewardship program incorporates flexible and scalable options for local government participation in the management of PPP materials. That local governments be given the right of first refusal for providing packaging and printed paper product stewardship services under the new PPP product stewardship program. c) Environmental Impact That the design and implementation of the PPP program focus on seeking efficiencies within the collection, transportation and processing of materials to minimize the carbon footprint of the program. That the product stewardship program include measures and incentives for redesigning packaging, which ensures that the program moves up the pollution prevention hierarchy by minimizing the landfilling and/or incineration of collected program materials. d) Funding That local government compensation for their assistance in, or management of, the product stewardship program be based on a local government’s true operating costs.

That local government be compensated for the management of PPP materials that end up in local government waste streams, and that standardized and industry funded waste audits be conducted to help determine appropriate levels of compensation for such management.

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That the product stewardship program be fully funded by industry, in which producers are responsible for all costs associated with the management of PPP materials including, but not limited to collection, transportation, processing, public outreach and education. That local governments receive compensation for continued education and outreach activities following the implementation of the product stewardship program. e) Service Provision That rural and remote areas receive an equitable level of service as their urban counterparts under the PPP product stewardship program. That existing service levels and quality of service be maintained or exceeded for those local governments that have established PPP programs in place. That the implementation of the program seeks to provide a seamless transition for those local governments with established PPP programs, in order to minimize and/or prevent any disruptions to existing services, employment and service contracts, and community expectations. f) Role of Local Government That local governments be provided the option and opportunity to play an active role in the management of packaging and printed paper under the product stewardship program. That the PPP program incorporate meaningful consultation opportunities in the design of the program as well as ongoing consultative mechanisms during the implementation of the program. That local governments explore the creation of a local government product stewardship agency that would facilitate active engagement, and negotiation with, all product stewards on existing and new product stewardship programs.

APPENDIX G

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TO: UBCM MEMBERS FROM: UBCM Executive DATE: September 23, 2012 RE: COLLABORATIVE WATERSHED GOVERNANCE

ACCORD

POLICY PAPER

#3

2012 CONVENTION

1. DECISION REQUEST That the UBCM membership considers whether UBCM should become a signatory to the Collaborative Watershed Governance Accord. 2. BACKGROUND In 2008, the Pacific Salmon Foundation, the Fraser Basin Council and the Georgia Basin/Vancouver Island Living Rivers Project with financial support from the Living Rivers Trust Fund launched the Collaborative Watershed Governance Initiative to establish a process for developing and implementing a framework for more collaborative governance in BC watersheds. The Initiative maintains that through governance, more integrated decisions, a better understanding of causes and effects in watersheds, and an improved exchange of views and information can be promoted. The context of this Initiative is that watershed ecosystems are essential to the BC economy and the overall well being of communities. The Initiative perceived the current governance system as uncoordinated, and unable to account for the accumulated effects of multiple resource allocation decisions. It examines watershed issues such as flooding, water quality, and the impact on economic activities, as well as climate change in the management of watersheds. In November 2008, the Initiative organized a workshop to discuss watershed governance and the willingness of participants to engage further. The workshop reached a consensus calling for collective action to build a framework or accord for more collaborative processes in watershed management. There was agreement among participants to continue the dialogue and engagement. In March of 2009, the UBCM Executive endorsed a recommendation to monitor the work of the Collaborative Watershed Initiative, and to identify a local government representative to sit on the Initiative’s Steering Committee. The Steering Committee is comprised of representatives from the federal and provincial governments, UBCM, First Nations, forestry, mining and agriculture. The Fraser Basin Council is the agency co-ordinating and facilitating the work of the Initiative. Support for UBCM participation in the Initiative arose from the recognition that the management of watersheds has been a contentious issue for UBCM members, with several resolutions being passed over the years. In particular, UBCM members have endorsed resolutions calling for greater protection, regulation and oversight of both watersheds and activities within watersheds to protect drinking water. The membership has endorsed resolutions calling for the development of watershed management groups and protocols (2007-B122), for the regulation of land clearing activities that can affect water sources (2001-B93), the establishment of a lead government agency for the protection of drinking water sources (1999-A17), and joint government regulation of activities in watersheds (1998-B65). The membership also endorsed resolution 1991-B14 which called for the recognition of "watershed" as a land use in the Forest Act, the Water Act and the Municipal Act in order to facilitate local government control over watersheds. In July of 2010, the Collaborative Watershed Initiative’s Steering Committee proposed the development of accord or charter, where all orders of government, First Nations and resource user organizations would agree to work collaboratively in watersheds based on a set of common principles. At the July 2010 UBCM Executive meeting, the Executive endorsed a recommendation supporting the development of a draft memorandum of understanding and accompanying guidebook and for the collaborative management of watersheds. Under the guidance and leadership of the Fraser Basin Council, the Steering Committee developed

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Collaborative Watershed Governance Accord (Appendix A). The stated purpose of the Accord is: “To encourage all orders of government (local, First Nations, provincial, and federal), organizations and

commercial interests throughout BC to work collaboratively to attain enduring, healthy, resilient watersheds for the benefit of those ecosystems, communities, resource users and economies that depend on them.”

In May 2012, the Executive approved the distribution of the Collaborative Watershed Governance Accord for review by the membership prior to potential consideration and ratification of the Accord at the UBCM Convention. 3. DISCUSSION The Accord is a high-level agreement that outlines the principles of effective governance and management of watersheds. The agreement is designed to raise awareness around the need for effective watershed governance amongst stakeholders that have responsibilities, interests and/or activities in BC’s watersheds. As such, the provisions focus on facilitating effective dialogue and decision making amongst competing interests. From a local government perspective, the Accord has the following benefits, as it:

• seeks to address outstanding local government concerns around watershed management as identified in past resolutions;

• raises awareness on the need and opportunity for collaborative governance and elevates the issue amongst all relevant stakeholders; and

• holds the potential to be leveraged into concrete actions by the signatories. In addition to the benefits, the Accord has the following challenges, as it:

• constitutes only the first step towards constructive dialogue and engagement on watershed governance; and

• requires an ongoing commitment by all parties to engage in constructive dialogue in order for the Accord to be successful; and

• raises issues around where the Accord applies – multiple use watersheds versus closed and protected watersheds.

In terms of application, UBCM notes that some local governments exert greater control over local watersheds through closed and protected watersheds designated for drinking water, and as such, do not want to see the collaborative governance approach in the Accord impinge upon their authority, mandate and responsibilities. However, it is UBCM’s understanding that the Accord applies to multiple use watersheds involving commercial, recreational and drinking water uses, and that it does not, and is not intended to, apply to closed and protected watersheds. To date, the Accord has received supporting resolutions from two primary First Nations Organizations in BC: the First Nations Summit and the Union of BC Indian Chiefs. Several other organizations have provided their support in principle, including Clean Energy BC, the Council of Forest Industries and the Federal Government (Fisheries and Oceans Canada and Environment Canada). Others such as the Provincial Government, the Mining Association of BC, the Urban Development Institute, and the BC Agriculture Council are currently reviewing the Accord. Once the Accord is approved by the signatory organizations, a signing ceremony will take place, followed by semi-annual meetings of representatives of the signatories, to report on progress on its implementation within respective organizations, and to share knowledge and lessons learned as collaborative watershed governance approaches are undertaken and adopted throughout BC. UBCM would have representation on the Accord’s implementation committee. 4. RECOMMENDATION That UBCM supports becoming a signatory to the Collaborative Watershed Governance Accord with the explicit understanding that the Accord applies to watersheds involving multiple uses and not watersheds that are closed and protected.

Purpose of the Accord

To encourage all orders of government (local, First Nations, provincial, and federal), organizations and commercial interests throughout BC, to work collaboratively to attain enduring healthy, resilient watersheds for the benefit of those ecosystems, communities, resource users and economies that depend on them.

The signatories of this Accord will:

1. Encourage interests in watersheds throughout the province to adopt these principles;

2. Encourage participation of those active in watersheds to engage collaboratively in watershed planning processes;

3. Encourage implementation of measures in support of collaborative watershed planning and management; and

4. Apply lessons learned from other models of collaborative watershed governance1

Guiding Principles of Collaborative Watershed Governance

The following inter-dependent principles will guide activities in watersheds:

1. Ecological, social, cultural and economic considerations are integral parts of decision making.

2. Best practices are to be employed to contribute to watershed sustainability in new and existing obligations, jurisdictions and plans.

3. Effective collaborative watershed governance is to be carried out in a transparent, accountable and inclusive manner.

4. Effective working relationships are to be developed and maintained through open communication, trust and cooperation.

5. Decisions are to be based on the best available scientific information and First Nations traditional ecological knowledge, with the goal of achieving watershed sustainability.

6. Authorizations to use water are to take into account the interests of present and future generations.

7. Effective watershed management is to be integrated with land-based resource objectives and activities on a watershed scale.

8. Watershed governance is to include shared responsibilities and enable those affected to have input in decision-making processes.

“ We the signatories of this Accord will strive to implement the Guiding Principles in this Accord”

A Collaborative Watershed Governance Accord for BC

1 “Collaborative watershed governance” refers to a coordinated and collaborative decision making process that involves all interests within a watershed.2 “Watershed sustainability” refers to sustaining the natural attributes of watersheds for present and future generations.

Province of British Columbia

Union of BC Municipalities

First Nations Summit

BC Assembly of First Nations

Union of BC Indian Chiefs

Urban Development Institute

Council of Forest Industries

Mining Association of BC

BC Agriculture Council

Clean Energy BC

The Federal Government, represented by Environment Canada and Fisheries and Oceans Canada, support the principles in this Accord.

DRAFT / APRIL 10, 2012

DRAFT

APPENDIX H

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ADDRESS BY HONOUABLE CHRISTY CLARK PREMIER OF BRITISH COLUMBIA

Thank you very much. I'm just delighted to be here with you today, and I do want to start with a huge thank you to all of you, many of whom I've met with over the last week since you've been here in Victoria. I don't want to just thank you for serving in public office. I want to thank you for all that you do for your communities because all of us are called to serve because we care about our communities. Wherever we come from on the political spectrum, whatever motivates us to decide to run for office in the first place, we do it for the right reasons. We do it because we want to make our communities better. And that is hard work. I certainly know that for many of you who serve in local government that's the hardest kind of work because it means phones ringing at 2 a.m., it means dealing with some of the most difficult issues you'll find in a very personal way, and I don't think that people in local government get thanked enough for that. So on behalf of all of the people in the province, all of the ones that you represent, and all the ones that I represent, I do want to say thank you for the work that you do. I want to say thanks to Heath. It's been a pleasure to work with you over the last year. He says a mighty weight has been lifted from his shoulders, and, of course, a mighty weight has now been put on Mary Sjostrom's shoulders. I'm very much looking forward to working with you, Mary, over this next year. You know, the thing about Mary is she's a real fighter. My personal example of that is when I saw her on Wednesday night. We talked about the multiplex in Quesnel, which is something she's been working towards for a long time. I told her how pleased that the Province was able to participate in that to the tune of about a $4 million grant, and Mary said: "Yes, Christy, we are very grateful for that $4m, and of course, we're still waiting for the other $2m to $4m to come." The woman just doesn't give up. She doesn't give up behalf of Quesnel, and she certainly won't give up on your behalf either. She is a real fighter. So, Mary, welcome. I'm very much looking forward to the next year. And I do want to acknowledge the members of our government caucus who are here today, who understand the issues that you face in local government better than most, because ten served as mayors, 13 served as councillors, five served on local boards. They are intimately familiar with the issues in local communities. I'd like to ask all of them to stand up for a round of applause for all of the work that they do on behalf of the people of British Columbia. I want to give a shout out to Bill Bennett, as well, our new minister for communities. Of course, you know that he's been a very, very strong voice on behalf of the province. He has spent 11 years as an MLA, four of them in cabinet out of those 11 years. Bill is a guy you want on your side. He's an unflinchingly honest voice. It hasn't always made his job easy, and he certainly hasn't been afraid to say what he thinks, even though sometimes that's meant he's found himself in a new seat in the Legislature. The reason I chose him for this job is because we do want to hear the honest truth, the unflinching truth, from local communities. Now, since I spoke with you last year, many of the communities that you represent have seen some tough times. Of course, Luke Strimbold is with us from Burns Lake, and Luke's community has seen some tough times. So have the folks in the Kootenays and Johnson's Landing. So have other communities as well. And I don't want to forget, either, the people of the great town of Sicamous. Darrell Trouton, who I met with recently when I was up to visit, has been dealing with some very challenging floods in his community, and now his water supply is under threat. Darrell, I want you to know this, because Bill

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has asked me to make sure we set this right. I know you need that water supply fixed, and we are going to help you do it. Last year I also talked to you a little bit about our jobs plan. It was an economic plan that we have set out for the province. Over the last year we have been putting that plan to work in every corner of our province. It has two priorities: creating jobs and making life more affordable for families. After a year, here are the results: • We are number one in job growth in Canada, even ahead of Alberta. • We are up 18 per cent in new investments over one year with over $80 billion currently underway in

your communities. • We've got the notice of work backlogs for mining by 90 per cent helping industry grow by 20 per

cent in value in one year. That's up $8.6 billion. • We've made a $75-million investment in skills training so that British Columbia kids will be the first

in line to get those jobs when they come open. • We've done three trade missions to Asia that have garnered $2 billion in new deals from those

missions alone. And despite the global economic uncertainty, our plan is also working to make life a little bit more affordable for families. And here again, we've seen some results. • We raised the minimum wage to put $4,000 extra per year into people's pockets. • We're implementing targeted tax relief for seniors, for young families and for first-time new home

buyers. • We're working to make government less expensive by cutting the proposed hydro rate increase in

half and by cutting the Port Mann Bridge tolls in half for the first year. • And most importantly, we are leaving more money in people's pockets by holding the line on

provincial taxes so that we still have the lowest personal income taxes of any jurisdiction in this country.

• Those are all things that will help us protect the middle class, and further, they will help us make sure that more people have a chance to join the middle class ... the middle class that has built this country. And we are on the right track. Our plan is built on the belief that this truly is, as I said last year, British Columbia's moment. This is a unique moment in time where British Columbia has exactly what Canada and the rest of the world needs to build, and the plan is called 'Canada Starts Here'. So let's look at what that really means today in your local communities. Ellis Ross from the Haisla, Joanne Monaghan from the city will tell you that Canada certainly starts in Kitimat where we are seizing the opportunity for more than a trillion-dollar liquefied natural gas export industry. Frank Leonard will tell you that Canada starts in Saanich where Camosun's interurban campus will be upgraded so that BC students can be first in line for those shipbuilding jobs when they come open. Gregor Robertson will tell you it starts in Vancouver, which is now a world leader in digital media and they are set to take advantage of all those new grads that are going to come from the new centre for digital media. Mary Giuliano will tell you that it starts in Fernie where steelmaking coal from the Elk Valley is fuelling the largest urbanization in human history that's underway right now in China. On Tuesday I saw Pete Weeber from New Hazelton. Pete said to me: "Christy, last year you talked to me about how Canada starts here, and I need to tell you a story that happened this week. I woke up with my phone ringing, and it was people in town who were upset that they were all being kept awake by all these helicopters that were flying around. You know what it was? It was the sound of the surveyors for the natural gas line that Spectra wants to put through in the nearby area."

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Pete Weeber will tell you that Canada starts in New Hazelton where the noise of helicopters is music to his ears, because the noise of helicopters is the sound of jobs. Some communities have also struggled. Some of those communities you represent here, and one of those communities is Port Edward. Port Edward over the years, as Dave MacDonald tells me, has seen some tough times, and we all know that that's true, particularly in the northwest. But Port Ed is on the comeback trail because people there don't give up, and neither do we. We've got a plan, and it is delivering. Dave MacDonald and his council came to see me last year. The Port Edward Elementary School was closing, and they knew they had little hope of attracting new families to their community versus Prince Rupert if their kids didn't have a school close to home. So Dave came to me with a plan. He said they needed three new classrooms and a shared library and that they needed some help with it. Dave, we found that half-million dollars that you needed because I believe in our plan and I knew that it would deliver results for your community. I believe in the future of Port Ed. So, since that last UBCM, Petronas has announced that they want to come to Dave's town of Port Edward. That's 4,000 construction jobs and 400 to 500 permanent jobs in the community. Our plan is delivering. Our plan is delivering for Port Ed, and Dave delivers too. When Dave told me last year he needed this to happen, he said, "I will dance with you, if you get me the money," and I'm pleased to say that on Wednesday in my office Dave and I had a chance to dance. Dave's a good dancer. That is exactly the kind of investment from government, and it's just like the investments of $30 million I announced last year for the community recreational program that depend on a thriving private sector. That is what our plan is all about, because when the private sector is thriving, people are working, and when people are working, government has the economic capacity that it needs to be able to make sure that families have what they need, and also to make sure that we're able to keep taxes down. So today I want to make four announcements that will continue to drive our plan forward and that will keep our economy strong. The first is this. Within our capital plan - and I want to be clear, this is within our capital plan. My government is going to be accelerating some projects in your communities. Today, I am announcing a total of $207 million for projects that we can get started this year, new investments in schools, in roads, hospitals, housing projects and more. By using taxpayers' money wisely, we have been able to get those projects going faster, helping support thousands of direct and indirect jobs in construction over the next four years. They'll be projects like expanding the 16th Avenue interchange in Surrey, improving K-to-12 public schools in communities of Nanaimo, Campbell River, Houston, Surrey, Richmond, Maple Ridge, Mission and West Vancouver. Over the coming days and weeks we'll be announcing these projects and more in your communities all across the province. But let me reiterate this, these are new projects, but this is not new money. It is money that we saved because we've pinched pennies; and I am very, very proud of that. Now we have a chance, because we were careful, because we were diligent and disciplined, to reinvest that money that we saved in the community infrastructure that is so vital to holding families together all across the province. Speaking of pinching pennies, here is the second announcement. You know we have been in contract negotiations with our public sector unions, the people who have worked so hard to serve British Columbians for some time now. The basis for those negotiations has been our cooperative gains mandate. Now, that mandate recognizes that we are in some very uncertain times here and that any wage increases, as I have always said, must be found through savings within existing budgets. They cannot come through an increased deficit, they cannot come through cuts to service, and they cannot come through increases to people's taxes.

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Yesterday you know that the Minister of Health announced that we have reached a tentative agreement with B.C. nurses under cooperative gains, and today I am able to announce that we have also reached two more tentative agreements. The first is with resident doctors, and then late yesterday we also reached an agreement with the BCGEU, representing 26,000 direct government employees. They will be receiving modest wage increases without increasing taxes. It's been a very challenging mandate and negotiation, as I'm sure you can appreciate, and I do want to take a moment to acknowledge Darryl Walker, the president of the BCGEU, who I understand is with us today. Darryl and his team, along with our negotiators, worked very, very hard to make this work. I acknowledge it hasn't been easy, but Darryl and the other negotiators have shown that agreements can be done. We can treat public sector employees fairly at the same time that we are protecting the province's finances. Now, third, as we all know, B.C. is Canada's gateway to Asia and also to the fastest-growing economies in the history of humanity. More than $22 billion has already been dedicated to one of the biggest transportation projects in Canadian history. But there is still more to do. There are still bottlenecks in the Pacific Gateway. Today I am announcing two new transportation initiatives. The first will deal with a longstanding challenge many communities have faced and that many drivers continue to endure. I have been to Golden. I have been to Salmon Arm. I have been to Revelstoke. I have travelled the highway that links them, and I have met with mayors and councillors along the way, and I have heard your concerns. So here is my commitment to you. We will accelerate our efforts to complete the four-laning of the Trans-Canada Highway between Kamloops and the Alberta border. To make that happen, in addition to the $141 million from our current three-year service plan, my government is allocating another $509 million over the next 10 years for a total of $650 million. We'll work with the federal government to find matching funds. Let's turn that remaining 280 kilometres of two-lane highway into a complete four-lane highway for the benefit of those communities, for the benefit of all British Columbians and, frankly, for the benefit of all Canadians who want to be able to access our coast. Let's get the job done. Now, for those of us who live in the lower mainland, there's another little problem that they call a bottleneck in the Pacific Gateway, and that's the George Massey Tunnel. The Massey Tunnel was built in 1958. Over 80,000 people move through that tunnel every day, and it is a huge cause of traffic congestion. It drives people crazy and it drives business out of our province. So, starting today we are going to sit down with communities, with mayors and begin planning the replacement, long overdue, of the George Massey Tunnel. ��It will be a major project. It'll take up to 10 years to plan and deliver, but with the population of communities served by the Massey Tunnel growing by 300,000 people over the next 20 years, we do not have a moment to lose. Starting today we'll begin engaging Delta, Richmond and other communities to determine what a replacement will look like. Now, I talked to you today a little bit about our uncertain economic times, and it's certainly just as uncertain as it was a year ago when we last met. We've all been reading the papers and seeing what's going on in Europe and the United States, and I think it's pretty obvious to most of us that it's not going to change dramatically any time soon. It may very well be the new normal for all of us. And that is why we have to stick to our plan, because while we've seen another year of economic turmoil since we launched the BC jobs plan, British Columbia has nonetheless charted a safe course through that, created more than 51,700 net new jobs. Unemployment in British Columbia is down. Investment is up. Jobs are up. We are stable and we are growing. With all that's going on around us, more British Columbians are working today than ever in our history, and we are well on our way to becoming the economic engine of our country.

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Just look at natural gas. This really is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for all of us. Natural gas prices are way down in North America, and you know that that's carved a big hole in our provincial budget. So we need to diversify our markets. We need to make sure that we are not dependent on just one customer and captive to just one market. We need to liquefy natural gas. We need to ship it to Asia where prices are higher, where economies are transitioning to cleaner energy and where the investment interest in British Columbia is incredible. If we get it right and we stick to our plan, this is going to be a trillion-dollar opportunity for our province over 30 years. That's a lot of health care and education. It's a lot of highways and bridges and airports and ports. It's a decade of low taxes and it's a generation of economic opportunity for families. Now, if you live in the northeast or if you live in the northwest, you see that plan unfolding right in front of you every single day. But what if you live in Sicamous? Well, ask Greg Kyllo, because Greg owns a houseboat manufacturing company that was heavily affected by the American downturn. He had the painful job of laying off many of his employees in the aftermath of that downturn. But then he saw an opportunity. He decided he would diversify and would start to produce worker accommodation units for oil and gas camps. He was able to hire back almost all the employees he'd laid off, and now he employs 100 production workers. He is the biggest employer in Sicamous. And when Liquefied Natural Gas really takes off and those worker camps really get going, I'm hoping that Greg is going to be employing 250 people in Sicamous. ��Greg's story is an example of how natural gas activities all over the province will affect us all over the province. They may be removed by hundreds of kilometres, but it really does connect us all. Now, last, I want to talk to you about this because there are some big environmental issues facing us here in British Columbia, many of which you've talked about over the last few days. In particular I want to talk to you about the transportation of heavy oil from Alberta to our coast. Our government has taken a tough, principled and absolutely consistent stand; we have said that, as of now, the risks of heavy oil far outweigh the benefits that our province would see. Right now it's a bad deal for British Columbia. So we've set out five bottom lines that must be met before we will consider allowing any heavy oil pipelines to go through British Columbia. And we've been consistent in applying those five criteria, not just to the Northern Gateway pipeline but also through projects that might go to Vancouver harbour. And I want to be clear about this because, yes, we do deserve our fair share of the benefits, but there is no price that we can put on our environment. There is no amount of money that can make up for an unacceptable risk when it comes to our ocean, our coast and our land. I have never seen a seagull wash up on the coast covered in natural gas. On Monday I'm headed to Calgary to talk to the people of Alberta and meet with the premier, and I'm sure it's going to be an interesting trip. I do have an RCMP detail coming along. I'm going, though, because I want to be sure that Albertans understand how much we here in British Columbia cherish our environment and that they understand exactly where we are coming from on this issue. I want them to know that if B.C.'s conditions are not addressed and met, the Enbridge pipeline will not be built, period. So let me conclude with this, with the thanks to you, again, for all of the work that you do and for the warm welcome you've offered me this week. I really have no doubt that we are on the right track, and your hard work, our partnership through all levels of government, is a big part of that success. We are all fighting for the same thing - a strong, job-creating economy that's going to sustain the families and the communities that weave us all together. The path to get there is what differentiates my government. We believe in economic development. We believe in resource development. We believe in companies like Yellowhead Mining in the North Thompson, and that's why we're working with Hydro to connect them to the power that they need.

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We believe in tourism opportunities in Nakusp, and that's why we've doubled the number of people at our trade missions in Asia, and that's why we're going to bring some of them over to Nakusp, so they can see the opportunities, so that they can sell it to investors in Asia. We believe in opportunities up the Robson Valley for clean energy and IPPs. That's why we're working to help make it possible for those communities to realize their vision. Yes, we are living in a world of economic turmoil, but we are stable and growing in British Columbia and that is because we believe in saying yes to opportunities. We believe in responsible natural resource development. We believe in building the infrastructure that will allow our economy to grow. We believe in creating and funding some of the world's greatest post-secondary institutions that will make BC a world leader in high-tech innovation. We believe in keeping taxes low, in keeping investor confidence high and in balancing our budget. And let me be clear, if you are serious about balancing your budget, you believe in a balanced budget law because if you don't have a rule that makes deficits the exception, then deficits become the rule and balanced budgets become the lucky exception. Our plan is making British Columbia the economic engine of Canada, but we will only be that economic engine if we all continue to work together as we have. Despite the tough challenges, ladies and gentlemen, because of all of your hard work, because of all of the hard work that your citizens put in, Canada really does start right here. I look very much forward to seeing all of you again next year and reporting again on the progress that we are making together.

APPENDIX I

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REPORT ON ATTENDANCE AT THE 2012 CONVENTION The registration for the One Hundred and Ninth Annual Convention of the Union of British Columbia Municipalities held in Victoria, BC, September 24 – 28, 2012, was as follows:

UBCM MEMBERSHIP

Represented at

Convention

Number of Voting

Delegates

Number of Non-voting Delegates

Number of Partners

TOTAL

49 Cities 49 257 45 84 386 56 Districts 56 282 54 88 424 14 Towns 14 64 11 34 109 47 Villages 46 139 31 51 221 28 Regional Districts 28 146 36 58 240 194 193 888 177 315 1,388

Member Representation 99%

OTHERS Number of

Delegates Number of

Partners TOTAL

Federal MPs/Senators 1 0 1 Federal Staff 2 0 2 Provincial Ministers & MLAs 75 3 78 Provincial Staff 215 3 218 Observers & Others 220 25 245 Special Guests 10 3 13 Sponsors 82 5 87 UBCM Staff/Contracts 24 9 33 629 48 677 GRAND TOTAL 2,065

APPENDIX J

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RESOLUTIONS NOT ADMITTED FOR DEBATE Section C – Part 1 Resolutions C1 Building Regulatory System Surrey Section C – Part 2 Resolutions C2 Mountain Resort Municipalities Invermere C3 Closure of Coast Guard Stations Alberni-Clayoquot RD C4 Taxation & Regulation of Cannabis North Vancouver City C5 Changes to the Criminal Code of Canada to Make the Sexual Sparwood Offender Registry Public C6 Emergency Services Funding Prince Rupert C7 Joint Emergency Preparedness Program Funding Creston C8 Emergency Services Funding Skeena-Queen Charlotte RD C9 Emergency Preparedness Funding Sunshine Coast RD C10 Funding for Joint Emergency Preparedness Program Comox Valley RD C11 Natural Resource Revenue Sharing Agreement Prince George C12 Alternatives to Federal Funding of Infrastructure Through Public Port Edward Private Partnerships C13 Federal Government Limits on Infrastructure Funding for Local Pitt Meadows Governments C14 Infrastructure in Canada’s Local Governments Princeton C15 Reinstatement of Dedicated Line Item for Library Funding in BC Northern Rockies RM C16 Oil Tanker Traffic in Coastal Waters Metchosin C17 Public Consultation on Increases to Oil Transportation Sechelt District C18 Oil Tanker Opposition Victoria C19 Front-line Wildlife Management Alert Bay C20 Retention of Section 35(1) Habitat Protection Provisions for the Qualicum Beach Canada Fisheries Act C21 Protection of Fish Habitat in Waterways North Vancouver City C22 Industry Funding for Oil Spill Prevention, Preparedness & Response Islands Trust C23 Packaging & Printed Paper Product Stewardship North Vancouver City C24 Ban on Possession, Sale, Trade & Distribution of Shark Fins Port Moody C25 Comprehensive Economic & Trade Agreement Negotiations New Westminster C26 Canadian European Union Trade Agreement Fort St. James C27 Tobacco Regulations North Saanich C28 Smoking Ban in Outdoor Public Spaces Sidney C29 Declining Medical Services Logan Lake C30 Voting in Local Government Elections & Referenda by Residents Belcarra Living on Indian Reserve C31 Community Living Funding Cuts Penticton C32 Housing for Adults with Developmental Disabilities Langley City

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C33 Crisis in BC’s Community Living Sector Funding Pitt Meadows C34 BC Community Living Action Group Request North Vancouver City C35 Housing for Adults with Developmental Disabilities Vancouver C36 Cellular Coverage in BC Peace River RD Resolutions Received After the Deadline LR5 Personal Information of Elected Officials New Westminster LR7 Regulations for Motorized Scooters Sidney LR8 Standards & Regulations for Small Fire Departments Canal Flats LR9 Use of Parkland Reserve Funds Canal Flats LR10 Financial Assistance for MESA Calls Canal Flats LR11 Fish Habitat Protection Strathcona RD LR12 Scotch Broom Parksville LR13 Smoking Laws New Westminster LR14 Access to Medical Services Kaslo LR15 Use of Electronic Mail Surrey LR16 Tethering of Dogs Surrey

APPENDIX K

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2012 UBCM CONVENTION PRE-CONFERENCE STUDY SESSIONS & TOURS

Monday, September 24, 2012 Study Tours 8:30 a.m. – 5:00 p.m. Agriculture Study Tour 9:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m. CFB Esquimalt Tour 1:00 p.m. – 4:00 p.m. CFB Esquimalt Tour Study Sessions 9:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m. Powering the Future Marijuana: The Decriminalization Debate 1:30 p.m. – 4:30 p.m. Local Government Finance

2012–2013 UBCM EXECUTIVE President Mayor Mary Sjostrom Quesnel First Vice-President Director Rhona Martin Columbia Shuswap RD Second Vice-President Councillor Sav Dhaliwal Burnaby Third Vice-President Chair Al Richmond Cariboo RD Past President Director Heath Slee East Kootenay RD Vancouver Rep. Councillor Kerry Jang Vancouver Metro Vancouver Rep. Councillor Linda Hepner Surrey Small Community Rep. Mayor Galina Durant Stewart Electoral Area Rep. Chair Art Kaehn Fraser-Fort George RD AKBLG Director Andy Shadrack Central Kootenay RD LMLGA Councillor Barbara Steele Surrey NCLGA Mayor Mitch Campsall 100 Mile House SILGA Councillor Harry Kroeker Merritt AVICC Chair Joe Stanhope Nanaimo RD Director at Large (5) Mayor Sharon Gaetz Chilliwack Councillor Murry Krause Prince George Councillor Claire Moglove Campbell River Mayor Dave Pernarowski Terrace Director Jerrilyn Schembri Peace River RD Vancouver Metro Area Rep. (2) Mayor Peter Fassbender City of Langley Councillor Michael Morden Maple Ridge

minutes of the 109th annual convention ubcm co… · councillor mel kositsky* langley township *...

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