Langley City Council Advocating to Province at Annual UBCM Convention

In one week, elected representatives from regional districts and municipalities throughout BC will gather in Downtown Vancouver for the annual Union of BC Municipalities convention. While the convention is packed with workshops and opportunities to connect with other locally elected folks, the primary purpose of the convention, from my perspective, is that of advocacy to the provincial government on issues that matter to local government.

Members of Langley City Council chatting with MLA Andrew Mercier at last year's UBCM conference.

This advocacy is done in two ways. The first is through resolutions that local governments present, which the whole UBCM membership debates and, if endorsed, are presented to the provincial government for response and action. There are over 225 resolutions for the membership to debate over the convention. Langley City Council has four resolutions up for debate.

The first resolution calls on the provincial government to expand its Homeless Response and Shelter Support program to more municipalities. This program helps to fund temporary and permanent housing for people experiencing homelessness. The second resolution asks the provincial government to increase financial and other support to local governments to help better plan for population growth. The third resolution calls on the provincial government to expand access to courts by building new and expanding current court facilities (for example, there are no courthouses in Langley City or Township.) The fourth resolution asks the provincial government to create a comprehensive funding framework that supports local fire departments that respond to medical emergencies.

The other primary way local governments advocate is through meetings with the Premier and provincial Ministers, which are scheduled throughout the convention.

Langley City Council will be meeting with the Premier, Minister of Housing, Minister of Health, Minister of Transportation, Minister of Public Safety & Solicitor General, Minister of Tourism, Arts, Culture, and Sport, and Minister of Emegernecy Management and Climate Readiness. I will be posting more about these meetings and topics covered next week.

The Union of BC Municipalities convention is one of the best opportunities for advocacy at a provincial level, and it also helps me understand what is on the minds of people throughout the province. While I'm always pretty exhausted after the convention, I look forward to attending next week.